Just when people have come to expect government workers' responses to wrongdoing to include blame-shifting, spin-doctoring and exaggerated denials, along comes Pat Fagan.
The seasoned director of the Hernando County Parks and Recreation Department showed us Tuesday that falling on your sword can actually stop the bleeding.
After enduring days of disapproving headlines, Fagan stood tall and humbled before the County Commission and admitted that members of his staff erred badly by waiving summer camp fees for department employees. According to an audit by the Clerk of the Circuit Court that covered the past 18 months, taxpayers footed the bill for about nine children, at a cost of more than $3,000.
With sincerity and remorse, Fagan assured the commissioners that mid level managers on his staff had wrongly approved the unauthorized expenditures, and he put an immediate stop to it. Fagan went a step further by telling commissioners he had no knowledge of the nepotism until the audit pointed out the discrepancy in receipts, which is an admission that some of his bosses might have interpreted to mean he is uninformed about his department's cash flow.
Instead, by admitting the mistake and focusing on the problem, Fagan turned it into a learning opportunity. Fagan said the audit's findings have prompted him to re-evaluate priorities by placing more emphasis on financial record-keeping. He will avail himself of more updated computer software and reassign one of his employees to closely monitor the collection of fees for the various services offered through his department.
Audits are designed to turn up organizational problems, and this one accomplished that in routine fashion. What makes it unusual is the way Fagan responded. Instead of diverting blame or trying to diminish the significance of the transgression, he admitted the mistake and moved on.
Fagan sets a good example for his colleagues in public service. Such candor and accountability, especially when applied on a larger scale, can help restore the public's confidence in government.
