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The 44th District senator
sent a letter to Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday asking for full
disclosure of the reasoning behind the decision. "In the wake of
the latest report by the auditor general criticizing the management
of state government, the Department of Human Services has announced
a plan to buy shredders at a cost of $550,000. This shredding plan
raises several concerns," Brady said. "The auditor general rebuked
the department for allowing public access to confidential employee
information, but is it really necessary to spend over a half-million
dollars just to prevent the release of this employee information? Or
is DHS planning to shred other documents which could shed light on
questionable practices within the agency?"
Brady wants to know if the Department of Human Services has
checked with federal investigators, who are currently scrutinizing
the administration, to see if widespread document shredding is
legally permitted. He also expressed concern that employees of the
department might be terminated if they refuse to shred documents.
Recently, a former employee of the Blagojevich administration told
the media she had been instructed to delete files involving campaign
contributors. At the time those allegations surfaced, the
Blagojevich administration claimed it had the right to delete those
files.
"Will DHS assure employees that they will not be disciplined or
terminated for refusing to shred documents that they believe should
be retained as state records? What steps will be taken to ensure
compliance with the State Records Act?" Brady asked.
The 44th District senator says another concern is the procurement
process planned for the purchase of these shredders.
"Since the cost already is known, that seems to indicate this will
be another no-bid contract. Is the vendor a Blagojevich campaign
contributor? The DHS audit cites several instances in which the
agency evaded bidding laws," Brady said. "In light of the agency's
record of no-bid contracts, I would like to know if these shredders
will be competitively bid or not." Another of Brady's concern is
the cost of the shredders -- reported June 14 by the Chicago
Sun-Times as $550,000 for 109 shredders, which is more than $5,000
per shredder.
"Is this the best use of taxpayer moneys when the state is
woefully behind on paying doctors, pharmacies and hospitals and is
raiding teachers' pensions? Surely a handful of less-expensive
shredders would do the job of preventing identity theft," Brady
said.
A copy of the letter is also being sent to Department of Human
Services Secretary Carol Adams.
On June 1, Brady raised similar concerns with Attorney General
Lisa Madigan, asking her to publicly report on what steps her office
is taking to ensure that critical evidence currently controlled by
the governor's office is not destroyed or altered.
"This is a major concern. This administration knows they are the
target of prosecutors. In that kind of situation, the pressure to
destroy or alter evidence is intense," Brady said. "We need to make
sure the evidence is being preserved for future prosecutions, if
they become necessary."
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Text of the senator's letter:
Bill Brady
State Senator
44th Legislative District
June 14, 2006
Governor Rod Blagojevich
State of Illinois
207 Capitol
Springfield, Illinois
Dear Governor Blagojevich:
In the wake of the latest audit
criticizing the management of State government, one of your key
agencies, the Department of Human Services, has announced a plan to
buy shredders at a cost of $550,000. This shredding plan raises
several concerns.
The Auditor General rebuked DHS for
allowing public access to confidential employee information, and I
agree with the auditor's suggestion that shredding such confidential
information would be appropriate to prevent identity theft. What I
question is spending over a half million dollars just to prevent the
release of this information. Is your agency planning to shred other
documents that would not lead to identify theft but which could shed
light on questionable practices within the agency? If so, has DHS
checked with federal investigators probing your Administration to
see if widespread document shredding is legally permitted? A related
concern is whether we will see a repeat of the case of one of your
Governor's office employees who contends she was terminated after
refusing to shred a document. Will your agency assure employees that
they will not be disciplined or terminated for refusing to shred
documents that they believe should be retained as State records?
What steps will be taken to ensure compliance with the State Records
Act?
Another concern is the procurement
process planned for the purchase of these shredders. Since the cost
already is known, that seems to indicate this will be another no-bid
contract. The DHS audit cites several instances in which the agency
evaded bidding laws, including spending $75,000 on equipment without
bidding by improperly terming the purchase an "emergency," and
splitting up purchases to avoid the bidding threshold. In light of
the agency's record of no-bid contracts, I would like to know if
these shredders will be competitively bid or not.
A final concern is the potentially
excessive cost of these shredders -- over half a million dollars in
taxpayer dollars for 109 shredders, and over $5,000 per shredder. Is
this the best use of taxpayer moneys when the State is woefully
behind on paying doctors, pharmacies and hospitals, and is raiding
teachers' pensions? Surely a handful of less-expensive shredders
would do the job of preventing identity theft.
I would appreciate your response to
these concerns at your earliest possible convenience.
Sincerely,
William E. Brady
State Senator -- 44th District
cc: DHS Secretary Carol Adams
[News
release from
Sen. Bill Brady] |
