Why Should Delaware Care?
In creating a Delaware Office of Inspector General, Gov. Matt Meyer is making strides toward fulfilling a campaign platform of increasing government transparency. But it could be months before the office is up and running, and it remains unclear exactly how much cost will be saved by the OIG’s investigations into government waste, fraud and abuse.
Gov. Matt Meyer took a step toward fulfilling his campaign promise of improving government transparency and efficiency on Thursday morning, signing Senate Bill 4 to create a nonpartisan, independent Office of Inspector General.
Creating a Delaware OIG, which would investigate abuse of government resources in state agencies and in the General Assembly, symbolizes a culmination of nearly 20 years of legislative effort. Meyer said his work on the issue is not over.
“You have my word that this is not the end of the road when it comes to honesty, transparency and accountability,” Meyer said during a signing ceremony in Wilmington.
With Meyer’s signature, a 10-member selection committee will now begin working to identify potential inspector general candidates. According to SB 4, the group will narrow their list to three candidates from which Meyer will choose his official nominee.
The nominee must then be confirmed by the State Senate.
Meyer, along with state lawmakers at the signing ceremony, emphasized the importance of the OIG’s nonpartisan nature.
“This person and their staff will have no incentive to hold back embarrassing or damning information,” said State Sen. Laura Sturgeon (D-Brandywine Hundred), SB 4’s sponsor who championed the law for multiple years. “Because you will never see their name on a campaign fundraising invitation side-by-side with the names of any of us.”
The inspector general, she added, will answer only to the people.
The governor, when asked if he had any candidates in mind for the role, said there is “a short list of about a million candidates.”
Bipartisan support
SB 4 made it through both chambers of the state legislature with bipartisan support.
It passed unanimously in the Senate in May before passing in the House of Representatives on the final day of the 2025 legislative session in a nearly unanimous vote. The legislation had been held in prior years over questions about whether the proposed office would duplicate duties already held by Delaware’s auditor and attorney general, and therefore waste more taxpayer dollars.
Sturgeon defended the office though by saying it would be the sole advocate to not only ferret out fraud and abuse, but also find ways where government could more efficiently use its resources.
“The office is a chance to restore faith in government through transparency and accountability, both by what they investigate and find, but also what they deter by virtue of being there,” she said.
Senate Minority Whip Brian Pettyjohn (R-Georgetown), who co-sponsored the legislation, said in a statement that having an agency outside electoral politics to keep statewide agencies and elected officials in check was “necessary and long overdue.”
The bill passed after multiple embarrassing cases, including embezzlement by a Department of Labor employee and suspected fraud and questionable spending in an opioid abuse prevention fund.
A ‘double-edged sword’
Rep. Cyndie Romer (D-Newark), who was the House sponsor for SB 4, said on Thursday that she was excited by the potential cost savings that could come from the OIG’s investigations.
While the state estimates a nearly $3.5 million cost over the next three years to start up the office, the exact amount of money an inspector general could bring in remains unclear.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” Sturgeon said.
Inspectors general in other states have uncovered enough waste, fraud and abuse for the office to pay for itself, she said. But if the Delaware office uncovers $3.5 million worth of fraud, the state could have bigger problems on its hands.
“It has the potential,” Sturgeon said. “But of course, one hesitates to hope that there’s so much waste found that we end up bringing in funds.”