After reading not one, not two, but three letters in the local news attempting to justify, explain and excuse Steve Dicterow’s sweetheart insurance deal with the Laguna Beach County Water District, I am left with more questions than answers.
I am personally baffled as to how these two long-serving public officials thought they could get away with doing something so ridiculously inappropriate.
And no, I’m not mean-spirited, politically motivated, cold-hearted or out to get anyone. I am a 35-year resident, a taxpayer, a LBCWD customer, and a professional with fiduciary and ethical responsibilities.
If the three letters from Steve Dicterow, Kelly Boyd and Renae Hinchey had not appeared in the news I would have remained (like the rest of the public) in the dark about this violation of public trust. Were all LBCWD officials eligible for Ms. Hinchey’s special discretionary hardship largesse or just the ones who could vote on her salary increases? The whole episode bears the appearance of impropriety at best, and quid pro quo at worst.
If this “deal” were on the up and up and just meant to help out a friend, then why didn’t Mr. Dicterow simply recuse himself from any vote having to do with Ms. Hinchey’s employment?
Why didn’t Ms. Hinchey insist he not vote? It was an obvious conflict of interest.
Did the other councilmembers know of his conflict? Did they agree to his vote knowing he had a conflict? None of this is excusable.
While all three letters agree that Mr. Dicterow paid back the money—late, with interest—both the Dicterow and Hinchey letters neglected to point out that the payback occurred only after the details of the impropriety might be made public. That omission changes everything.
Prior to this forced payback, how was this not insignificant sum carried on the LBCWD books? A loan? A gift? Or a bad debt that would eventually be charged off? Would the debt have just gone away when Ms. Hinchey retired?
Since Mr. Dicterow had the money to pay the loan off immediately why had he not voluntarily repaid the money owed? If he got the money from another source, then what other favors does he owe?
With Hinchey’s over 30 years as a public official and Dicterow’s 20 years as an elected official, they both should have known better. Perhaps they did but they just didn’t care because they never expected to be found out.
She is gone and he needs to go now, too.
Nancy Johnson, Laguna Beach
