ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Another Round of Impropriety

The managers of Orange County’s pension fund work hard, get paid only a token and have a solid track record regarding the $1.5-billion fund’s investments. But that was forgotten recently when it was discovered that four board members, while in Europe to meet with pension fund investors, decided to party. Those four abused the public trust by freely and inappropriately spending taxpayer dollars. A full review of the board’s travel practices is certainly called for.

The trip has been under scrutiny because the county’s auditor-controller, Steven E. Lewis, correctly refused to pay about a third of the $15,000 in expenses submitted so far by the members of the Orange County Retirement Board who took the trip. The members later said bills for the trip--during which they met with advisers who manage the fund’s $88 million in international investments--were mistakenly submitted to Lewis before they could delete their personal expenses. Among the items were many rounds of drinks from a hotel bar, opera tickets and an $80.25 limo ride.

The trip raises a larger question than whether the board members improperly mixed business and pleasure. Couldn’t the board have accomplished as much with fewer members and less time?

Board members Keith Concannon, Mary Abbott, Gregory Politiski and Thomas Lightvoet took part in the trip, which included stops in Berlin, Geneva, Paris, London and Amsterdam. Traveling with them were pension fund administrator Mary-Jean Hackwood, Hackwood’s sister and Concannon’s wife. Although there were many meetings for the board members to attend, there was still plenty of free time for sightseeing. None of those expenses are reimbursable under county policy.

Lewis has recommended wisely that the board review its policy on travel and charge cards. The board must also be prepared in the future to accomplish its purpose in a more economical way--and without initially sticking taxpayers with the bar tab.