OUR VIEW: Scandal reveals lack of oversight

For a long time Sarasota County had a decent reputation for being well managed. But the unfolding procurement bribery scandal that started with the arrest of a county manager last month certainly has tarnished that view.

County Administrator Jim Ley is moving aggressively in response by instituting some broad changes to the county’s purchasing practices. Those changes include largely getting rid of “piggybacking,” the process of hiring a company by using a no-bid contract for open-ended services.

That practice was an invitation to abuse, which is what is alleged to have happened. And further, it was a practice highly criticized by local contractors who were not given an opportunity to bid on some contracts for which they were qualified.

Contractors have also complained bitterly for years that the county rigged bid specifications so that only one or a few large companies would be able to compete for the contracts. That sounded like sour grapes, but no more.

One of the primary problems seems to be a lack of oversight of the procurement process up the managerial ladder.

But this is not the only place that the county has oversight problems. The $10 million economic development fund the county established to lure businesses here has become tarnished as well.

Aside from the specious defense of the fund as a critical economic development tool — we prefer a friendly climate for all businesses to cherry-picking businesses with taxpayer largesse — Ley tacitly acknowledged the problems with the program when he put Chief Financial Planning Officer Jeff Seward in charge of the process of vetting companies for the program.

The commission recently rescinded three grants worth more than $1 million to companies and denied another last week. Clearly, the vetting process operated by the Sarasota County Economic Development Corp. was inadequate.

From scandal and honest acknowledgements of problems, a lot of good can come. Let those who broke rules and laws pay the price. But also, Ley and the County Commission are right to move to reorganize and do so quickly, weeding out any other employees. The trust of the public is at stake.