Comment Rescue: Ken Matlusky – DE Whistle Blowers Not Protected
The NJ passed on the letter below. I wonder if they could justify not printing letters from us if we wrote a bunch of them saying that we should have a state auditor who would actually …you know…audit something.
Ken Matlusky for State Auditor // May 2, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Dear News Journal,
I read the article on Sunday, April 12th, about the horrible treatment of veterans at the State Veterans Center in Dover. I found the story disturbing, but unfortunately, I was not surprised, Last year you ran a story about a woman who was fired from the same Veterans Center after she blew the whistle on various problems. In 2007 and 2008, you reported the abuse of patients, massive theft from patient trust accounts, and the mistreatment of a whistleblower at the Delaware Psychiatric Center. Also, last year you ran a story about patient abuse at Emily P. Bissell Hospital, caught on hidden video, that the state declined to prosecute.
Many financial and abuse problems could be solved much sooner, but many state employees are afraid to come forward and risk the consequences. Whistle blowers need much better protection in Delaware. That is one reason why I am running for State Auditor in 2010. If elected Auditor I would be the best friend/advocate state whistle blowers ever had. I would back them up 100%, stand up to the Big Boys threatening them, and even publicly protest in front of the state agency where the whistle blower is being mistreated.
I know that is not the Delaware Way, but the Delaware Way is not solving these problems.
Sincerely,
Ken Matlusky, CPA
Democrat for State Auditor
BTW –
I like the way Ken is running against “The Delaware Way.” It frames the auditor’s role as non-partisan, and I think that the message will have broad appeal.
‘Bulo likes this, too. It would also help if the current Auditor got off his not insubstantial backside and actually investigated something himself, rather than waiting for a whistleblower and/or, in the Lofink case, passing it off to another member of the Delaware Way (Richard Cordrey) and going back to playing solitaire on his computer.
Just what is he being paid for?
h/t to Mrs. Kitty who pointed this out: The letter to the Editor is very much an editorial, but also a straight ahead politcal advertisement. As such, the NJ probably had to decline it. As written, it should be a paid political ad.
That being said, I agree wholeheartedly with Ken’s statements, and so does she.
I suggest the candidate submit his letter to the Dover Post and its satellite community newspapers…..these papers are rolling over the Snooze; getting better w/every issue published and getting more advertising.
If the letter is too ‘campaigny’ edit it for publication. There’s no question the Dirty Dems will be in there supporting their hack candidate.
Who is the Dems’ hack candidate?
The last time around, it was almost as if they couldn’t find anybody, choosing to run a retired state emergency planner who nevertheless got 46 percent of the vote.
If they ran someone with a smidgen of aggression and a shred of experience, Wagner would be toast. But the party powers that be don’t want anything to do with that.