Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger says the State Comptroller and the county District Attorney are investigating the county’s finances after the longtime finance commissioner resigned last week amid allegations that he stole thousands of dollars from a private swim club for which he served as treasurer. Metzger, a Democrat who took office in January, she requested the state comptroller conduct a forensic audit of county finances to investigate whether they have been compromised. Metzger spoke with WAMC's Ian Pickus.
Safeguarding the county's finances and taxpayer dollars is a top priority of my administration and we have taken every step to secure those finances in the wake of Mr. Gulnick’s resignation. I've been in office now two months, but Mr. Gulnick has been Finance Commissioner for 12 years through all county executive terms and it's really important, in my mind, to bring me confidence, to bring taxpayers confidence, that we bring the resources of the State Comptroller's office to bare in really doing a deep dive into the county's finances to make sure that nothing is a miss. So far, the accusations against Mr. Gulnick have focused on his role as treasurer of this private swim club, but it certainly sets off alarm bells, and we want to make sure that our finances are in order. And going beyond that, from my perspective, this is an opportunity to really, as a pretty new County Executive, to make sure that we have the strongest internal controls in place for our finances, that we're doing things as efficiently as possible, and modernize those systems as appropriate. And we can get recommendations from the State Comptroller in those areas as well. So, there's benefits, there's certainly additional benefits to that investigation.
Do you have any indication that things are awry in terms of the county's finances?
We don't as of now. No. But we certainly want to open up our books fully to the investigation, and I've directed all departments and staff to make sure that we're supporting whatever they need so that we can make sure.
For people who haven't followed every twist and turn, Burton Gulnick was asked to go on leave by you when the allegation emerged and instead resigned. Where does that leave things in terms of that particular purview in that office? Who's in charge now?
Well, we're very fortunate that we have Ken Juras, who is our Director of Budget and Innovation. He has been with the County Finance Department for many years. He left for a period of time to go over to SUNY Ulster, but then came back to the county, but he's incredibly knowledgeable. He has the skill set and experience and understanding of our County Financial Department to step in as interim. So, he's in that role now, and he's working closely with my Deputy and Chief of Staff, Chris Kelly, who also has significant experience and budget and finance. We have great staff in that department. It’s a big department. It's an important department. So, checks are being signed, all the work is being done and I have great confidence and in the staff that I put in place.
What is the role of the County Comptroller in this particular investigation, and in terms of ongoing oversight of county finances?
So, we have been working very closely, every step of the way with County Comptroller March Gallagher and her staff. In fact, it was the County Comptroller who first tipped me off to these allegations Tuesday evening and the next morning I called the DA’s office confirmed that there was an investigation underway and immediately took action. But we're basically working together very closely with her and getting her any information that she needs. The comptroller staff, they're excellent, but it's a small staff, it's a county level staff and the state has a whole forensic audit team and just more resources than we do at the county. So, our County Comptroller is also fully behind bringing the State Comptroller's in as well. But we are all working together at all levels very closely.
Do you have any idea of the timeline for such an investigation? I mean, going back 12 years, I know the County Comptroller does periodic audits, but this is a sort of a different level. How long will this take?
I don't have an answer to that question. It's just starting and we'll see what they need. As long as it takes. We just want to see it done well.
