Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton congratulated Jodi Franzese after her nomination to serve as Nassau County’s first inspector general was unanimously approved by the full Nassau County Legislature on Dec. 17.
Following a series of high-profile indictments related to procurement and contracting reached the highest levels of county government, DeRiggi-Whitton and her Democratic colleagues lobbied for nearly two years to create the position of inspector general. In this new role, Franzese, currently a senior inspector general in the New York City Department of Investigation, will be equipped with subpoena power and tasked with rooting out waste, corruption and fraud.
Franzese and all future inspector generals will be protected from political pressure by the requirement for a supermajority vote by the legislature to remove an inspector general.
“After enduring the indictment of a sitting county executive, Nassau County must restore the public’s trust in its operations. Hiring an inspector general should reassure the public that contracts will now be scrutinized by an independent watchdog,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “Jodi Franzese’s vast legal experience makes her uniquely qualified to serve as our first Inspector General, and I am confident that her passion for protecting taxpayers in New York City will serve all Nassau County taxpayers well in the months and years to come.”
