Catherine Leahy Scott Is Appointed The New Inspector General

Habemus IG: After 14-month tryout, it’s Catherine Leahy Scott

Posted on May 2, 2013 at 2:17 pm by Casey Seiler, Capitol bureau chief in Inspector General

Just 14 short months after the departure of former state Inspector General for the post of executive director of the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has selected Catherine Leahy Scott as the new state Inspector General; she had been serving in an acting capacity since Biben left.

News of the appointment coincides with the Wall Street Journal’s report that Biben will be departing JCOPE for private practice. The IG is responsible for investigating possible leaks from JCOPE, which was tricky due to the number of IG staffers who joined the ethics panel with Biben.

I began writing about the administration’s seeming reluctance to name a new non-acting IG around the six-month mark, and really kicked it into gear around the one-year anniversary of Biben’s exit.

Here’s the release from the press office:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that he has appointed Catherine Leahy Scott to serve as the Inspector General of New York State. Ms. Scott has been serving as the Acting Inspector General since February 28, 2012.

“For more than a year, Catherine has been running the Inspector General’s office with integrity and impeccable results and I know she will continue this record of accomplishment.” said Governor Cuomo. “Her record as a fair, independent and tenacious attorney makes her highly qualified to continue this work as our State’s Inspector General.”

“It is an honor to be appointed by Governor Cuomo as we work to make New York a fairer, more just state for all,” said Ms. Scott. “I look forward to serving the people of the State of New York and working to enhance the performance and safeguard the integrity of state government.”

While Ms. Scott served as Acting Inspector General, the New York State Inspector General’s Office has had numerous significant investigations, findings and reports, including:

• The investigation of a state employee for stealing nearly one million dollars in federal government funds that were intended to be used by New York State to provide rent subsidies for low income families. This investigation resulted in the federal prosecution and conviction of this state employee.
• The investigation of improper lab practices in the Monroe County Public Safety Laboratory, which involved the destruction of key evidence in criminal cases in that region.
• An investigation which led to the indictment of the director of a Bronx not-for-profit corporation for bribery. The Inspector General’s investigation revealed the director received thousands of dollars in home improvements from contractors with whom his not-for-profit was doing state business, and who received government-funded renovation contracts intended to assist low and middle income residents.
• An investigation that found mismanagement, faulty procurement practices and security lapses at the New York State Fair. The investigation resulted in sweeping changes at the State Fair.
• Earlier this year, Ms. Scott trained the heads of all Executive branch agencies and authorities, as well as their chief counsels and ethics officers. Her statewide presentations provided uniform standards to the Executive branch, including codes of conduct and best practices to ensure integrity and the efficient operation of state government.

Prior to becoming Acting State Inspector General, Ms. Scott served as First Deputy Inspector General, where she oversaw the Inspector General’s office operations, supervised and managed the agency’s caseload, and represented the office before the State Forensic Commission and the Stimulus Oversight Panel where New York State was provided $26 billion through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Previously, Ms. Scott served as an Assistant Attorney General for New York State, investigating and prosecuting criminal matters with an emphasis on white-collar fraud and public integrity cases. Ms. Scott also served for more than thirteen years at the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office, eight of which as First Assistant District Attorney. In that role, Ms. Scott investigated and prosecuted all levels of crimes, created new and innovative court-affiliated drug treatment programs, and supervised all prosecutors working within the office. During that time, Ms. Scott was appointed to the New York State Committee for Establishing Protocols for Forensic Child Interviews, and was a member of both the New York State and National District Attorneys’ Associations.

Ms. Scott also served as a Columbia County Assistant Public Defender, and worked in the general practice of law as a sole practitioner in Columbia County.

Ms. Scott received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University, where she was named Hofstra University’s Woman of the Year in 1981, and her law degree from the Hofstra University School of Law.