January 29, 2026
Tom Eschen
January 29, 2026
NYS Capital — The New York State Office of the Inspector General celebrates in 40th Anniversary on Thursday, and on Wednesday dozens took in a celebration, and a discussion about the role of the Office in 2026.
The New York State Library hosting "Illustrious Strangers at 250: Inspectors General and the American Democratic Tradition" on Wednesday night, put together by NYS Inspector General Lucy Lang, who was joined by former Federal Inspector General Mark Greenblatt, Historian Paul Lockhart and Rose Gill, former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation.
"This is a moment when independent oversight is really under attack and the foundations of Democracy are being shaken," Lang told CBS6 prior to the event. "Tonight, we are seeking to educate New Yorkers about this core function of American Democracy that dates back to the revolution and that is strong and thriving in New York State, so that New Yorkers know that there are public servants who, day in and day out, are investigating allegations of fraud and corruption in government, and who are working to make sure that programs that are designed to serve the most vulnerable New Yorkers are in fact, doing that."
New York State Archives, New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the IG's office brought out some artifacts to help commemorate the evening.
One of which, an original copy of the "Blue Book", a 1779 training manual which was penned by Baron von Steuben.
"Baron von Steuben, who is commonly recognized as America's first Inspector General. He was hired by General George Washington to help get the army in shape, and is often credited with turning the tide of the war," Lang said. "It was through his implementation of rules, policies and standards that the army really became professionalized, army capable of combating the British forces. And he later codified that in what's known as the Blue Book."
At the end of the evening, Actor Stephen Lang (Who you may know from the Avatar movies), provided a dramatic reading of the Blue Book.
Much of the evening was devoted to celebrating Steuben's role in shaping the concept of oversight, while also highlighting the importance of the Office of Inspector General today.
Greenblatt was the Inspector General of the United States Department of the Interior from August 2019-January 2025. He was part of the initial firings of 19 federal Inspectors General during the first week of the second Trump Administration.
During the panel discussion, Greenblatt highlighted the role the Office plays at a federal level, saying he's encouraged by advances in data, and the will of those who still work in these departments.
"At least at the federal level, there are 14,000 people who wake up every day thinking, you know, 'how can I fight waste, fraud, abuse today?' And those are great professionals, and I'm very heartened by their presence. And I'm sure it's the same in your Office and State and local IGs throughout the country, that's very heartening to me in that we have those teams of people looking after our tax dollars. I just wish they were bigger. You know what I mean, right? I know that when I was at Interior, I could triple the size of my office, and we would pay for ourselves. And so that's, you know, I think that's something that hopefully will come with time."
You can learn more or file a complaint with the IG at their website, or call 1-800-DO-RIGHT.