wexwimpy
July 29th 04, 09:47 PM
Regier's story crumbling
By Palm Beach Post Editorial
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary Jerry Regier has
partied with former DCF insiders, then hired them — without bids — for
multimillion-dollar contracts.
He has bought expensive concert tickets through lobbyists doing
business with DCF.
He has stayed overnight at least once at a $3 million beach house
owned by a man who secured $4 million in DCF contracts.
While praising the appropriate resignations of two DCF administrators
who also committed ethical violations, Gov. Bush continues to defend
Mr. Regier even as new issues arise. Perhaps each could benefit from
the character training course that Mr. Regier requires of central
Florida DCF employees and which the governor endorsed for cities and
school districts.
An investigation released July 14 by the governor's chief inspector
general showed violations of bidding laws, unethical social
relationships between DCF employees and individuals doing business
with the department, inappropriate discussions about a planned
contract that excluded some bidders and efforts to circumvent state
purchasing requirements in order to hire a "pre-selected vendor." DCF
Deputy Secretary Ben Harris and Information Technology Director Glenn
Palmiere resigned when the report revealed they had been paid
thousands in trips, massages, speaker's fees and other gifts for
helping tech companies get DCF contracts.
Gov. Bush has tried to distinguish between their behavior and that of
Mr. Regier. But his weak defense — that Mr. Regier gave only "the
perception of conflict" — defies not only the inspector general's
report but the governor's own Code of Ethics. Gifts of hospitality —
the birthday party and overnight beach house stay that Mr. Regier
accepted from former social-services chief James Bax, who got $4
million in DCF contracts for his Florida State University Institute
for Health and Human Services Research — are forbidden.
As late as March, several high-ranking DCF staff members warned Mr.
Regier that there was a growing perception of favoritism in the
department. Mr. Regier's former juvenile justice aide in Oklahoma is
the vice president of a Titusville company that, despite its lack of
experience, got a $1.7 million DCF contract last month to train new
DCF employees. Mr. Regier's former boss was on the board of a company
that got a $21 million contract from DCF earlier this year. Mr. Regier
also fostered cronyism in Oklahoma. Four years ago, that state's chief
auditor chided Mr. Regier's juvenile justice agency for circumventing
the state's purchasing laws by funneling no-bid contracts through
other state agencies.
Gov. Bush said through a spokesman that he's "not going to cast people
aside just because of public perception." Mr. Regier's Department of
Cronies and Friends has cast aside the state's 42,000 abused,
neglected and missing children. That perception is grounded in
reality.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2004/07/29/a18a_regieredit_0729.html
Defend your civil liberties! Get information at http://www.aclu.org, become a member at http://www.aclu.org/join and get active at http://www.aclu.org/action.
By Palm Beach Post Editorial
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary Jerry Regier has
partied with former DCF insiders, then hired them — without bids — for
multimillion-dollar contracts.
He has bought expensive concert tickets through lobbyists doing
business with DCF.
He has stayed overnight at least once at a $3 million beach house
owned by a man who secured $4 million in DCF contracts.
While praising the appropriate resignations of two DCF administrators
who also committed ethical violations, Gov. Bush continues to defend
Mr. Regier even as new issues arise. Perhaps each could benefit from
the character training course that Mr. Regier requires of central
Florida DCF employees and which the governor endorsed for cities and
school districts.
An investigation released July 14 by the governor's chief inspector
general showed violations of bidding laws, unethical social
relationships between DCF employees and individuals doing business
with the department, inappropriate discussions about a planned
contract that excluded some bidders and efforts to circumvent state
purchasing requirements in order to hire a "pre-selected vendor." DCF
Deputy Secretary Ben Harris and Information Technology Director Glenn
Palmiere resigned when the report revealed they had been paid
thousands in trips, massages, speaker's fees and other gifts for
helping tech companies get DCF contracts.
Gov. Bush has tried to distinguish between their behavior and that of
Mr. Regier. But his weak defense — that Mr. Regier gave only "the
perception of conflict" — defies not only the inspector general's
report but the governor's own Code of Ethics. Gifts of hospitality —
the birthday party and overnight beach house stay that Mr. Regier
accepted from former social-services chief James Bax, who got $4
million in DCF contracts for his Florida State University Institute
for Health and Human Services Research — are forbidden.
As late as March, several high-ranking DCF staff members warned Mr.
Regier that there was a growing perception of favoritism in the
department. Mr. Regier's former juvenile justice aide in Oklahoma is
the vice president of a Titusville company that, despite its lack of
experience, got a $1.7 million DCF contract last month to train new
DCF employees. Mr. Regier's former boss was on the board of a company
that got a $21 million contract from DCF earlier this year. Mr. Regier
also fostered cronyism in Oklahoma. Four years ago, that state's chief
auditor chided Mr. Regier's juvenile justice agency for circumventing
the state's purchasing laws by funneling no-bid contracts through
other state agencies.
Gov. Bush said through a spokesman that he's "not going to cast people
aside just because of public perception." Mr. Regier's Department of
Cronies and Friends has cast aside the state's 42,000 abused,
neglected and missing children. That perception is grounded in
reality.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2004/07/29/a18a_regieredit_0729.html
Defend your civil liberties! Get information at http://www.aclu.org, become a member at http://www.aclu.org/join and get active at http://www.aclu.org/action.