Full disclosure, Part II

Fayette County commissioner Vince Zapotosky's comments about "full disclosure" at last week's commission meeting had us thinking this weekend about that concept.

Zapotosky tooted his "full disclosure" horn regarding a meeting appearance by Leonard Maharowki, a private investigator hired by the Fayette County Housing Authority. Maharowski clearly came to the meeting to put fellow commissioner Angela Zimmerlink on the spot, in the housing authority's never-ending quest to turn "Packetgate" -- or should we call it "Restaurantgate"? -- into a political liability for its own board member Beverly Beal, as well as for Zimmerlink.

Exactly what the housing autthority expects Maharowky to uncover that the Pennsylvania State Police have not, or cannot, remains to be seen.

But if Zapotosky is an ardent devotee of "full disclosure," there are better places for him to toot his horn.

The county commissioners appoint the five board members of the Fayette County Housing Authority. Beal, as one of those board members, is trying to shake loose information on how much taxpayer money the authority has paid to the Pittsburgh law firm of Cohen & Grigsby. She believes that it is in excess of $500,000 -- but her fellow board members are making her jump through hoops to get access.

Where has Zapotosky uttered one word about "full disclosure" in the Beal matter? How does he -- and how do his fellow commissioners -- feel about the other four housing authority board members' censure of Beal?

Those four board members approved a motion that said this of Beal: "She has violated our trust and violated her fiduciary responsibility by improperly discussing ongoing litigation on behalf of a litigant opposing the authority, as well as discussing an ongoing federal case."

Shouldn't "full disclosure" include some specifics to back up these charges? What "ongoing litigation" has Beal discussed, and with whom? Where is the proof of this? Who are the accusers? None of these facts have ever been revealed, at least to the public.

Same thing for the "ongoing federal case." Who does the housing authority believe Beal has been talking to, and where is their proof of it? Who provided this proof? If Beal has been talking to someone from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or from the FBI, is that something worthy of censure?

In the interest of "full disclosure," how does Zapotosky feel about the housing authority authorizing (and probably paying) Maharowski to come to last week's commission meeting, to give the same report that had previously been put forth at a housing authority meeting?

Although the five housing authority board members, once appointed, act autonomously (at least in theory), the fact remains that they are installed by the county commissioners -- and it is the county commissioners who ultimately bear responsibility for their actions.

In the interest of "full disclosure," how do Zapotosky and his fellow commissioners feel about the housing authority's use of taxpayer money to pay a private investigator? That's a rare and odd circumstance, isn't it? The county of Fayette has been beset with lawsuits over the years -- so many, in fact, that the current chief solicitor is only taking instruction from commission chairman Al Ambrosini, so he can concentrate on drawing up and implementing litigation-reduction strategy.

Yet we don't recall the commissioners ever hiring -- or feeling the need to hire -- a private investigator to layer on top of any police or detective action. Even when there have been reported thefts of money from offices inside the courthouse that went unsolved, no one fett the need to shell out taxpayer money for a private investigator.

We're all for "full disclosure." But its application shouldn't be selective, or limited to one private investigator's attempt to question one commissioner at a public meeting. Someone should start asking the county commissioners whether they support all that is going on at the housing authority. Finding out how they feel would constitute more of the "full disclosure" that Zapotosky stands for.