SAN DIEGO: INDEPENDENT PANEL WILL BE INVESTIGATING FINANCES, CONTRACTS

By Sandi Dolbee

UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

April 7, 2004

The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego announced yesterday that an independent committee will be formed to investigate accusations of misconduct against Episcopal Community Services (ECS), the church’s social service arm.

The announcement comes less than a week after The San Diego Union-Tribune reported the county District Attorney’s Office is investigating ECS to determine if any wrongdoing occurred involving finances and public contracts.

“We must get to the bottom of this situation,” Bishop Gethin Hughes said.

ECS is one of San Diego’s oldest and largest charities… providing more than $20 million in services each year… But it has also been an embattled agency in the past two years…

Hughes sits on the ECS board, though he repeatedly has noted he has no direct authority over the organization… The committee will be a mix of lay people and clergy… “They are people of high integrity who currently have no ties to this office or ECS.”

Rolfe Wyer, president of the ECS board: “We’re not going to start a general witch hunt. We’re going to focus on allegations which have been made and not on personalities.”

However, he said “some of this is about personalities. There are always differences in operating styles.”

The board supports ECS’s executive director, the Rev. Amanda Rutherford May… who said: “Nothing has been brought to my attention that hasn’t been corrected… I know of no fraud… I’m not planning to resign. I feel called to this ministry.”

Sources said the DA’s investigation began last month and that among the questions is whether records the charity submitted to the county were doctored…

The committee’s investigation probably will take several weeks. “We’re hoping they can get back to us as soon as possible, but we’re not going to rush them…”