Share:
Meyer eyes short list for inspector general position
New office signed into law Aug. 14
Gov. Matt Meyer signed Senate Bill 4 into law Aug. 14, to create the Office of the Inspector General. Pictured are (l-r) Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown; Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, D-Newark; Sen. Laura Sturgeon, D-Brandywine; and Meyer. OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR PHOTO
August 19, 2025
Gov. Matt Meyer has not yet named an inspector general after signing the new office into law Aug. 14, but he said he’s getting close.
“I have a long list that we’re shortening,” he said recently.
The Office of the Inspector General was the result of Senate Bill 4, written to create a nonpartisan agency responsible for investigating and preventing fraud, waste, mismanagement, corruption and other abuse of government resources. The OIG would assist in the recovery of misspent or inappropriately paid funds, officials said, strengthening transparency and building greater public trust in government operations.
Sen. Laura Sturgeon, D-Brandywine, was the prime sponsor, and she had also sponsored similar legislation previously that did not advance. Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, was a co-prime sponsor, and the bill was supported by Cape Region legislators Sen. Russ Huxtable, D-Lewes, and Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall, D-Rehoboth Beach.
“By establishing an independent watchdog with the authority to audit, investigate and recommend reforms, we’re reinforcing our commitment to fiscal responsibility; rooting out waste, fraud and abuse; and ensuring every dollar of taxpayer funding is used as intended,” Meyer said in a statement. “This office will strengthen public trust by guaranteeing that Delaware’s government operates with the highest standards of integrity and transparency.”
The office will work with the state auditor, attorney general and public integrity commission, and it will have broad authority to investigate allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement and whistleblower retaliation within state agencies. While it will not have jurisdiction over lawmakers’ legislative functions, officials said, it will oversee the administrative operations of the General Assembly where allowed by the Delaware Constitution.
“A responsible government is an accountable government. We must do all we can to ensure public officials and government agencies are held to the high standard that all Delawareans expect,” Pettyjohn said in a statement.“Creating the Office of the Inspector General will do just that. Having an official and agency free from electoral politics to help keep the government in check is necessary and long overdue.”
The inspector general will be selected through a nonpartisan process involving a selection panel appointed by the secretary of state to review candidates and recommend a short list to Meyer. From that list, Meyer will nominate one individual for Senate confirmation. Once appointed, the inspector general will serve a five-year term, renewable upon review, with strict disqualification rules to ensure independence from political influence.
The office will submit public annual reports outlining investigations, findings and recommendations to identify systemic problems and implement cost-saving reforms. The office is expected to be operational in the coming year, with initial funding of about $1.5 million approved by the General Assembly.
Melissa Steele is a staff writer covering the state Legislature, government and police. Her newspaper career spans more than 30 years and includes working for the Delaware State News, Burlington County Times, The News Journal, Dover Post and Milford Beacon before coming to the Cape Gazette in 2012. Her work has received numerous awards, most notably a Pulitzer Prize-adjudicated investigative piece, and a runner-up for the MDDC James S. Keat Freedom of Information Award.
