Aaronson wants felons to fess up before winning county appointments

By admin at 3 November, 2009, 5:38 pm



Felons should have to come clean if they want a seat on a Palm Beach County committee or advisory board, according to Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson. Volunteers being considered for appointment by the commission would have to disclose if they have been convicted of a felony and explain what led to the charge, under Aaronson’s proposal. Commissioners could then decide whether that criminal history should factor into choosing a candidate. “All of these boards have a reflection on us,” Aaronson said Tuesday. “We should know.” The move comes amid a slew of ethics reforms and new disclosure requirements being proposed to try to restore public trust in county government after three former commissioners since 2006 have been sent to prison on corruption charges. The county so far doesn’t plan to invest in criminal

background checks for appointees. Aaronson said he hopes just posing the question on applications would serve as a “deterrent” for potential appointees with criminal pasts. The county has more than 90 committees with about 1,300 people who weigh in on everything from zoning rules to libraries. While Aaronson pushes for weeding out felons, Commissioner Shelley Vana wants to reduce the number of committees and boards to try to improve efficiency. In addition, new Commissioner Priscilla Taylor has called for her fellow commissioners to choose more minorities and women to serve on committees and advisory boards. That has county officials considering adding descriptions of race, ethnicity and gender to the lists of nominees that go before commissioners.

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Aaronson wants felons to fess up before winning county appointments

Categories : West Palm Beach




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