EDITORIAL: Corrupt or simply clueless, Buncombe commissioners have failed their most basic duty

THE EDITORIAL BOARD | The Citizen-Times

Show Caption Hide Caption The alleged kickbacks Three Buncombe County officials were indicted for, among other crimes, receiving bribes and kickbacks.

In this week's episode of Buncombe County's Shameful Show of Mismanagement, the ongoing scandal - which, until this week, had only officially engulfed former county manager Wanda Greene and son, Michael - may have just graduated to a full-fledged conspiracy among its top leaders, if federal indictments prove true.

The only constant in the saga seems to be commissioners' confusion as to where the stolen buck stops. But the answer, as it has always been, is with them.

We gave county officials the benefit of the one-bad-apple doubt following the allegations of improper use of credit cards and gift cards. Then there were the lavish bonuses, including paid-up life insurance policies, awarded for various reasons. Now we learn that, according to federal indictments, three top administrators took lavish trips at the expense of a contractor doing business with the county.

Through all of this, the same question remains: How could the county board have been so unaware of what was going on? Our best guess is that Wanda Greene’s competence as county manager led her bosses to let her go virtually without supervision. That may be an explanation, but it is not a justification.

The board’s willful cluelessness was demonstrated when Greene retired. Mandy Stone, her top assistant, was put in the job with no search and little discussion. Greene was barely out the door when the first charges were filed, and Stone retired abruptly in June.

The most recent indictments may tell us why she quit. Stone was indicted, along with Greene and former assistant county manager Jon Creighton. The three are accused of accepting at least 20 domestic and international trips, complete with luxurious spa days and gallons upon gallons of wine, paid for by a contractor doing business with the county. Some of the trips appear to have no connection to county business.

More: Wanda Greene accused of claiming Buncombe County as a loss on tax returns

Destinations ranged from Key West to Budapest. Additional perks included tickets to games; more than $600 for a dinner; nearly $1,900 at the San Francisco St. Regis Hotel’s Remede Spa; and nearly $1,900 for Napa Valley winery tours.

This largesse came courtesy of a contractor subsequently identified as Joe Wiseman. “Greene and Creighton had the authority to award or deny the contracts that the contractor’s companies had with the county,” the indictment said. “They and the contractor understood and agreed that his providing these trips, gifts and favors was a necessary condition.”

Buncombe “unwittingly funded the briberies and kickbacks of its own officials,” the indictment said, as the contractor often tied the expenses to contracts for the county-funded projects.

Previously, Greene was accused of filing false tax returns and failing to report income she received through embezzlement and the life-insurance scheme. She has pleaded not guilty to charges that stem from more than $200,000 purchased with county-issued credit cards and $2.3 million on whole-life policies for herself and other county employees.

More: Feds: Wanda Greene, assistant managers traveled world under contractor kickback scheme

Her son, Michael Greene, pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to defraud the federal government. He was indicted alongside his mother in April in connection with credit card purchases.

All of this apparently happened without anyone higher up suspecting a thing. Commissioners are saying a lot of the right things about averting a recurrence. The test will be in the follow-through.

Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara has called for a forensic audit and more communication with the public, among other things, for which we commend her. We hope other commissioners will join her in that call.

The commission will also undertake a nationwide search for its next manager. It also plans to conduct annual performance reviews of board-appointed staff, including the county manager, chief financial officer and county clerk. All county contracts with which Wiseman is involved will be reviewed.

Commissioners will call these most basic checks on power proactive steps toward prevention. We would call them common sense measures that should have already been in place.

More: EDITORIAL | Greene indictments won't mend broken trust in Buncombe

We would like to think last week’s indictments were the final chapter in this sordid saga, but we fear there will be still more examples of how the board of commissioners’ oversight fell short. We don’t look forward to finding out what else they may have missed.

This is the opinion of the Citizen Times Editorial Board. Want to share your take with us? Learn more here.