FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Anthony Puglisi
August 26, 2009
2542
Contact:
973-621Lauren
Shears
973-6211590
ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO AND INSPECTOR GENERAL
SCAGLIONE HOST ETHICS IN GOVERNMENT SEMINAR WITH
FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE WEYSAN DUN
Seminar is Part of County Executive’s Ongoing Initiative to Maintain Integrity
and High Standards in County Government
Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. and Essex County
Inspector General Dominic Scaglione hosted an Ethics in Government seminar featuring
Weysan Dun, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Newark office. The presentation on
Wednesday, August 26th was attended by Essex County Department and Division
Directors, Constitutional Officers, representatives of County agencies and boards, and
other key staff. It was part of the County Executive’s ongoing initiative to maintain high
standards of integrity, accountability and fiscal responsibility in County government.
“We take seriously the public trust we are given as public employees. For this reason,
we will continue to host programs like these to reinforce high standards of ethics and
integrity among our employees. Continually providing these educational and informative
seminars will help prevent mistakes from occurring,” DiVincenzo said. “Weysan Dun is a
highly respected Federal law enforcement officer who has spent his career fighting crime
and terrorism. We appreciate someone of his high caliber sharing his insights about
public corruption with our staff,” he added.
“Public service is a public trust. The public has entrusted their welfare to you, as
government officials, and to sustain that trust we have to adhere to core values. We also
have to recognize that government is held to higher ethical standards,” Dunn said. “To
keep the public’s trust, we have to maintain strong character as individuals. We may be
faced with temptation and the opportunity to take advantage for personal benefit, but you
cannot allow yourself to fall into that trap. There is no such thing as just a little
corruption. Once you cross that line your character is hurt forever,” Dun said.
“The fact that County Executive DiVincenzo holds these programs on a regular basis is
important. We all need to be constantly reminded about the rules, laws and
expectations,” Dun added.
Special Agent in Charge Weysan Dun was named head of the FBI’s Newark Division in
April 2007. A 27-year veteran of the FBI, Dun has specialized in domestic terrorism, drug
trafficking, cyber crimes, violent crimes, street gangs and organized crime. He worked as
the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Springfield, Ill., Division from 2003 until he
came to Newark. Earlier in his career he served in various capacities with FBI
headquarters in Washington, D.C., and in FBI offices in San Francisco, Omaha, Chicago
and Hartford, Conn. Dun is a native of Kirksville, Missouri. He earned a Bachelor of Arts
Degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. and served in the U.S. Army, Military
Intelligence Branch, where he attained the rank of Captain and was awarded the
Meritorious Service Medal.
The event was organized by the Essex County Inspector General’s Office. Inspector
General Scaglione also gave a presentation about public corruption and reminded those
in attendance about situations they should avoid as public employees. “Essex County
Executive DiVincenzo has worked hard to rebuild the public’s trust in County
government. We have to remain vigilant to make sure things that happened in the past
do not reoccur,” Scaglione said. “There is great cooperation between the County and the
FBI. Having Weysan Dun participate in our ethics program is an indication of how
serious we are about maintaining high ethical standards,” he added.
Maintaining High Ethical Standards
When DiVincenzo took office, one of his immediate goals was to make sure County
government was operating efficiently, effectively and ethically. One of his first actions as
County Executive was to create the Office of the Inspector General to prevent and
investigate all illegal, improper or unethical behavior involving the County.
The County Executive’s first Executive Order, dated February 23, 2003, expressed his
commitment to good government by “ensuring the integrity and honesty of a non-political
County government; ensuring the absence of corruption of any kind; ensuring the
absence of even the appearance of impropriety; and restoring confidence in County
government and raising the morale of its employees.”
DiVincenzo created the first functioning Board of Ethics in Essex County history, which
created a comprehensive and stringent Code of Ethics for Essex County. Administrative
personnel and key staff members have participated in a number of symposiums and
seminars about ethics in government, including the Essex County Bar Association’s
symposium in June 2004, an Ethics Seminar in October 2004, three seminars led by
U.S. Attorney Chris Christie in 2005, 2006 and 2008, a seminar led by Paula Franzese,
Seton Hall Professor and Chair of the NJ State Ethics Commission, a presentation by
Former Attorney General Stuart Rabner in 2006 and one by New Jersey Attorney
General Anne Milgram in 2007. In addition, key County personnel were required to
complete a questionnaire about their associations with private businesses. The surveys
were reviewed by the Office of the Inspector General to make sure conflicts of interest
did not exist.