Keep watchdog off the leash

A watchdog that can’t bark doesn’t offer much protection.

That’s why the proposed ombudsman for Hamilton County’s Department of Job and Family Services should not have to filter reports through the department director or the county administrator.

Commissioner Pat DeWine proposed the ombudsman to act as a public whistle blower at JFS, an agency that has been plagued with high profile disasters recently – including a financial audit that questioned the department’s accounting practices involving millions of dollars, the murder of a child in a placement arranged by the department and the failure of department personnel to follow the direct orders of a Common Pleas judge.

DeWine was dismayed when County Administrator Pat Thompson came back with a job description for the ombudsman that would require the person to consult with him before reporting on any problems in the department.

That would be a watchdog with a muzzle.

Commissioner David Pepper agreed that the ombudsman needs independence and the matter has now been scheduled for a work session to come up with a job description everybody can live with.

If this is to be a truly independent position, it needs full access to everything JFS does and complete independence from the county bureaucracy.