This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/opinion/mark-peters-investigations-bill-de-blasio.html

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
The Mayor Fired a Watchdog, but New York Still Needs Oversight The Mayor Fired a Watchdog, but New York Still Needs Oversight
(5 days later)
While many in New York City were busy recovering from a snowstorm on Friday, Mayor Bill de Blasio dealt with another mess.
He fired one of his harshest critics, Mark Peters, commissioner of the Department of Investigation, the city’s semi-independent watchdog agency. This article has been updated to reflect news developments.
In a letter to Mr. Peters, administration officials cited an independent review this year by a former federal prosecutor, James McGovern, accusing Mr. Peters of abusing his powers by taking over an agency that investigates misconduct in public schools and firing its top official after she said the takeover violated the law. The review did not call for Mr. Peters’ ouster. At New York’s City Hall, the need for oversight is clear as ever.
That is the biggest takeaway after Mayor Bill de Blasio fired one of his harshest critics, Mark Peters, commissioner of the Department of Investigation, the city’s semi-independent watchdog agency. That dismissal set off a fiery exchange of words between the men that has prompted questions about the ethical behavior of them both.
In the letter firing Mr. Peters, city officials cited an independent review this year by a former federal prosecutor, James McGovern, accusing Mr. Peters of abusing his powers by taking over an agency that investigates misconduct in public schools and firing its top official after she said the takeover violated the law. The review did not call for Mr. Peters’s ouster.
Mr. Peters’s response to his dismissal was swift and biting. In a letter on Monday, he suggested the mayor had fired him in part because of continuing investigations into the de Blasio administration. He also said Mr. de Blasio had pressured him not to release some of the agency’s reports, including one on lead paint hazards in the city’s public housing buildings. Another time, Mr. Peters said, Mr. de Blasio called him on the phone and asked him not to release a report critical of the city’s child welfare agency, yelling at him when he said he planned to make the document public anyway.
Mr. de Blasio, in turn, denied trying to pressure the Department of Investigation and questioned the accuracy of Mr. Peters’s reports. In a news conference, the mayor accused Mr. Peters of having “delusions of grandeur.”
Mr. Peters could be overzealous. At times, he plainly overreached, as in the case of the schools agency.Mr. Peters could be overzealous. At times, he plainly overreached, as in the case of the schools agency.
Yet under Mr. Peters, the agency opened crucial investigations into lead paint and other dangerous living conditions in the city’s public housing authority. It released a scathing report on the state of the New York Police Department’s Special Victims Division, which Mr. Peters’s agency found was severely understaffed despite an increase in reported sex crimes. It also investigated whether senior de Blasio administration officials lifted a deed restriction on a Manhattan nursing home known as Rivington House, letting it be developed into luxury apartments, as a favor for the mayor’s donors. Ultimately, investigators concluded that incompetence, not corruption, was to blame. Yet under Mr. Peters, the department opened crucial investigations into lead paint and other dangerous living conditions overseen by the city’s public housing authority. It released a scathing report on the state of the New York Police Department’s Special Victims Division, which Mr. Peters’s agency found was severely understaffed despite an increase in reported sex crimes. It also investigated whether senior administration officials lifted a deed restriction on a Manhattan nursing home known as Rivington House, letting it be developed into luxury apartments, as a favor for the mayor’s donors. Ultimately, investigators concluded that incompetence, not corruption, was to blame.
Recently, The Times reported that Mr. Peters was investigating Mr. de Blasio. At issue was whether the mayor improperly obstructed a Department of Education investigation into whether some of the city’s ultra-Orthodox schools were failing their students. Recently, The Times reported that Mr. Peters was investigating Mr. de Blasio. At issue was whether the mayor improperly obstructed a Department of Education investigation into whether some of the city’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools were failing their students.
All of these inquiries should continue under Mr. Peters’ successor. Mr. de Blasio said he wanted that to be Margaret Garnett, an executive deputy at the state attorney general’s office. Ms. Garnett must receive approval from the City Council, which means it will have the opportunity to assure that she is committed to continuing her predecessor’s work and pursuing the public’s interest in clean government. All of these inquiries should continue under Mr. Peters’s successor. Mr. de Blasio said he wanted that to be Margaret Garnett, an executive deputy at the state attorney general’s office. Ms. Garnett must receive approval from the City Council, which means it will have the opportunity to get assurances that she is committed to continuing her predecessor’s work and pursuing the public’s interest in clean government.
Mr. de Blasio appointed Mr. Peters and has the authority to fire him. But the city has benefited from Mr. Peters’ tenure. Mr. de Blasio’s administration needs rigorous oversight, just as much as the administrations of his predecessors did. Mr. de Blasio appointed Mr. Peters and has the authority to fire him. But the city has benefited from Mr. Peters’s tenure. Mr. de Blasio’s administration needs rigorous oversight, just as much as the administrations of his predecessors did.
As if to illustrate this point, on Friday, the same day Mr. Peters was fired, police officials announced that they were removing Deputy Chief Michael Osgood as the head of the sex crimes unit. Mr. Osgood had spoken to Mr. Peters’s agency about how his years of requests for additional resources had fallen on deaf ears at Police Headquarters. As if to illustrate this point, on Friday, the same day Mr. Peters was fired, police officials announced that they were removing Deputy Chief Michael Osgood as the head of the sex crimes unit. Chief Osgood had spoken to Mr. Peters’s agency about how his years of requests for additional resources had fallen on deaf ears at Police Headquarters.
Among advocates who support survivors of sex crimes, Mr. Osgood was regarded as a compassionate detective who had professionalized the Special Victims Division. Many of those advocates said they were angry about his departure and said they believed he was being punished for speaking to the Department of Investigation. Police officials deny that. Among advocates who support survivors of sex crimes, Chief Osgood was regarded as a compassionate detective who had professionalized the Special Victims Division. Many of those advocates said they were angry about his departure and said they believed that he was being punished for speaking to the Department of Investigation. Police officials deny that.
At a news conference, police officials said they appreciated Mr. Osgood’s service but were replacing him to bring a “fresh perspective” to the unit and transferring him to Staten Island. At a news conference, police officials said they appreciated Chief Osgood’s service but were replacing him to bring a “fresh perspective” to the unit and transferring him to Staten Island.
“It’s betrayal,” said Susan Xenarios, a social worker and the founder of the Crime Victims Treatment Center at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center. “People are furious. This man has turned things around.”“It’s betrayal,” said Susan Xenarios, a social worker and the founder of the Crime Victims Treatment Center at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center. “People are furious. This man has turned things around.”
Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.