The General Assembly created the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority as one of two watchdogs for city finances.
Now, in a case of the tail wagging the dog, city officials — and others — have accused the ICA itself of poor spending and record keeping and of operating behind a curtain of secrecy.
Mayor Bill Peduto, Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak and Democratic state Sens. Jay Costa of Forest Hills and Wayne Fontana of Brookline have demanded action ranging from a forensic audit to an investigation to the removal of ICA executive director Henry Sciortino. Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr.’s office has opened an inquiry into ICA practices, and state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, who has already criticized agency record keeping, is pondering his next move.
The city entered Act 47 in 2003 amid financial problems resulting in layoffs and cuts to spending and services. An Act 47 team was established to monitor city finances. In 2004, the Legislature created the ICA to help manage finances but also to keep the city from digging out of its hole with a commuter tax.
Poor relations with the ICA date to Mr. Peduto’s predecessor, Luke Ravenstahl, as the agency impinged on city decision-making and withheld millions of dollars in gaming funds when the city dragged its feet on ICA demands. A supporter of oversight in general, Mr. Peduto is fighting his own battle to wrest $17.1 million in gaming revenue from the ICA — something that would try his patience with the panel no matter what else was going on there.
We support the continued work of the Act 47 team and the ICA, which added new board members and shuffled board officers a week ago. But overseers must be good stewards and model good behavior, if they want to carry any weight.
The ICA should immediately answer all questions about its finances and fully cooperate with any audits or investigations, just as it has wanted the city to promptly and completely respond to its inquiries for the past 12 years. If there has been wrongdoing at the ICA, accountability should be demanded and exacted.
First Published: April 8, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
