A watchdog in need of watching

Even in the often topsy-turvy world of Suffolk County government, is it too much to expect that someone watch the watchdog? The paid leader of the county's Ethics Commission, it seems, made his full-time job into a part-time one -- but kept right on collecting a full-timer's health benefits.

This audit finding, by Suffolk Comptroller Joseph Sawicki, is just the latest twist for the Ethics Commission. There have been allegations that County Executive Steve Levy has exerted undue influence over it. A special county legislative committee began to look at it, then suspended its work at the request of District Attorney Thomas Spota, whose office is now investigating. Among other items, he subpoenaed the time sheets of the commission's executive director, Alfred Lama.

Now Sawicki directs him to repay the county $22,894 for salary and health benefits that Sawicki says he didn't earn. Sawicki says Lama worked less than 50 percent of his established workweek 86 times from Dec. 1, 2004, to this April 3. Lama vigorously disputes the audit.

Lama is a retired judge with a $68,000 pension, an $81,000 commission salary, and an arbitration business on the side. At the very least, he ought to have thought twice about whether he could both conduct a business and spend full time watching over the ethics of a county known as the Wild East. And the commission members should have done a far better job of overseeing the work habits of their key employee. hN