‘Restore faith’: Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer signs legislation creating an independent Inspector General Office

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It took 18 years, but Delaware now has an Office of the Inspector General.

Gov. Matt Meyer signed a bill establishing the new office into law Thursday, with current bill sponsor state Sen. Laura Sturgeon, D-Brandywine Hundred, past bill sponsor former state Rep. John Kowalko, D-Newark South, and other elected officials and advocates.

“The office is a chance to restore faith in government through transparency and accountability,” Sturgeon said. “Both by what they investigate and find, but also what they deter by virtue of being there.”

The bill amends current law to create an independent inspector general position tasked with finding instances of fraud, waste and abuse within state government and the General Assembly. The inspector general has to hire a staff, which would be required to be certified in investigation, auditing or evaluation within three years. The office would have subpoena power to compel document production and issue public reports exposing corruption and wrongdoing.

Former state Rep. Bill Oberle, R-Beecher’s Lot, first introduced legislation creating an inspector general office in 2007, where it passed the House but not the Senate. Kowalko tried to pass it in 2022, but it was never voted on in either chamber.

Delaware got an “F” for government accountability and ethics a decade ago from the Center for Public Integrity. Since then, little has been done to improve the system until now. The inspector general office has been championed for years by the Delaware Coalition for Open Government, known as DELCOG.

Meyer said he talked to many people who distrusted state and local government and felt officials were lying to them when he was campaigning for New Castle County executive in 2016. He said that was why he supported the office’s creation.

“It’s a crucial step as we continue to build trust between members of the public and our state government,” Meyer said.

A selection panel will give the governor three names to choose from to appoint the inspector general, who would have to be confirmed by the Senate. The person will serve in the role for five-year terms.

Meyer said he would look for someone who was honest. When asked if he would commit to not exerting influence over the office, Meyer said he didn’t want to answer a hypothetical question.

Sturgeon said she designed the legislation so the future inspector general would be insulated from political pressure from the executive branch and the General Assembly.

“There is no really way for anyone to interfere, because it’s funded through the budget, which is a legislative process,” she said. “And the only way to remove an inspector general — say they do find something embarrassing and they report on it publicly — the only way to remove them is through a vote of more than a majority of both chambers.”

Meyer said the selection process will ramp up in coming weeks and he hopes to have someone in place by the end of the year.

This story was supported by a statehouse coverage grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.