The minority GOP caucus on the Westchester County Board of Legislators is calling for an overhaul of the Board of Acquisition & Contract, which funnels millions of taxpayer dollars into no-bid contracts.

Reacting to recent news and columns in The Journal News, the Republicans are calling attention to the A&C’s inherent corruption as evidenced by the hiring of a lobbyist with ties to the Democratic majority on the board. The firm was given a $55,000 deal.

As reported by the Journal News, the firm made a $1,000 contribution to the Democractic Majority Campaign Committee. According to Legislator George Oros, R-Cortlandt, it turns out the lobbyist also kicked in $250 to Board Chairman Bill “Boss” Ryan’s campaign, too.

Particularly galling is that the county executive’s office already has a lobbyist doing the same job working at half the price.

There is little oversight of the A&C board. It meets during the day with scant public notice and without hearings. Three people, or their surrogates sit on the A&C—County Executive Andy Spano, Public Works Commissioner Ralph Butler and County Board Chairman Bill Ryan. They are the sole voters in a system which is basically a mutal back-scratching society of favor and reward.

The Republicans—Oros, Jim Maisano of New Rochelle and Gordon Burrows of Yonkers want a number of reforms:
1) Full disclosure by A&C members of any campaign contributions made to them by a potential vendor.
2) Prohibit any contract made to a “corporation, firm, person or entity” that employs any relative to members of the A&C.
3). Replace the public works commissioner on the board with the county budget director.
4) Award no contract exceeding three years in length.
5) Electronically record each A&C meeting.

These are all good ideas, but I’d take it a couple of steps further. Ryan has said for years that he wants the legislative branch to be equal to the executive branch. Since the power of the A&C rests mainly in the hands of the county executive, then in order to equalize things the A&C ought to be abolished altogether, or at least reconstituted with a third voting member who would be independent of both the board chairman and the county executive. This should be someone who is appointed to serve only the public’s interest.

Also, I’d require that A&C meet in the evening, so members of the public, who have real jobs, can attend.