Democratic mayoral candidate John Hamilton addressed his plans to deal with corruption in a press conference Tuesday morning at City Hall.
“Preventing corrupt activities and making government more efficient requires engagement and transparency,” Hamilton said in a prepared statement. “Because of my background running state agencies and regulated financial institutions, I have the experience to know the need for checks and balances, segregation of duties, independent oversight and clear ?accountability.”
Hamilton outlined a three-point plan to make city government more open. He said he would establish a whistleblower hotline, which city employees and residents could use to anonymously alert the mayor’s office and the City Council of any wrongdoing.
Second, Hamilton said he would create a fiscal control task force made up of financial professionals who will volunteer to assess the city’s finances and make recommendations. And third, Hamilton said he would make sure city records would be easily accessible online and in-person by the public.
Hamilton said he met with former Bloomington mayors Tomi Allison and John Fernandez and former deputy mayor John Whikehart — all of whom serve on Hamilton’s campaign — to discuss his measures to combat corruption.
Justin Wykoff, a former manager for the Engineering Services for the City of Bloomington, pled guilty March 13 to federal charges of fraud. On the same day, Judith Seigle, former office manager with the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, was indicted for fraud.
“Recent city steps taken to assure the basics of segregating fiscal duties, eliminating some-200 credit cards and analyzing oversight are important first steps,” ?he said.
Hamilton said his experience working under Indiana governor Frank O’Bannon at the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration has qualified him to manage a large sum of public money responsibly.
“These two recent instances of fraud at the city exposed structural problems with how the city protects public funds,” Hamilton said. “With my experience as mayor, I will lead a hands-on approach fully to restore the public’s trust and ensure accountability at all levels of city government.”
