Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo says there is going to be a nationwide search for a director of the newly created Office of Public Integrity.
The director will be appointed for a fixed term of five years, and responsibilities include examining all county operations independently with the authority to report findings to law enforcement.
The director will have the authority to require any county employee to provide information, as well as subpoena witnesses, take testimony and compel documents from any group doing business with the county including Local Development Corporations.
Dinolfo says the director will also help promote and maintain a whistleblower mechanism that can be used by county residents and employees to provide information concerning misconduct or illegal activity.
Dinolfo says this has been a priority of hers since she took office in January and wants someone who "will serve as an impartial steward for all county operations."
The Monroe County Legislature recently approved the plan in a near-unanimous vote. The new office comes on the heels of scandals involving the way that some of the county's Local Development Corporations had operated.
