Liberal Hack of the Day

Member

I'm going to add our governor, again!!

The Plot Thickens
Despite the MJS’ effort to spin this story as a Republican hullabaloo, it looks more and more like Governor Doyle accepted $20,000 in campaign donations and then had his cronies fix a bidding process to favor the folks who gave the donations.

I’m going to post the whole story and highlight the good bits, because Channel 27 has done a fabulous job on this story. It’s nice to see a news organization in Wisconsin actually go after the truth instead of just regurgitating press releases.

27 News has uncovered a Doyle Administration official was the only member of an evaluation committee to support a Milwaukee travel agency’s bid for a state contract worth an estimated $750,000.

State campaign finance records show executives with Adelman Travel Systems and the wife of the firm’s Chairman of the Board contributed $22,000 to Governor Doyle’s campaign in the eleven months surrounding the contract process.

One $10,000 contribution from an Adelman executive was recorded three days after the state contract took effect.

Adelman Travel Systems was selected for the state contract to book an estimated 10,000 airline tickets yearly, despite the committee’s nearly unanimous support for another travel firm.

Committee members also told 27 News, Department of Administration Enterprise Program Section Chief, Georgia Thompson, made unusual comments to fellow committee members during a final, March meeting of the committee.

Committee members told 27 News, Thompson’s comments may have been intended to pressure fellow committee members to change their evaluation scores to favor Adelman Travel Systems.

Evaluation score sheets provided to 27 News include no committee member names. But other state records and interviews have verified the identities of six evaluators.

Scores from all those evaluators ranked Virginia-based, Omega World Travel, above Adelman and three other companies.

The only remaining scores from a committee evaluator ranked Adelman first among the companies.

The only remaining committee member was Thompson.

Committee member Frank Kooistra, UW-Madison Associate Dean, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, told 27 News the committee’s weeks of evaluation of the competing proposals were carried out objectively and thoroughly.

Kooistra told 27 News, after evaluation scores were submitted during the committee’s final meeting, Thompson told committee members they had a last chance to revise their scores.

“Here we are, at the table, being asked to, whether there were any changes that we wanted to make,” Kooistra told 27 News.

“It was pretty obvious to me there was concern about the order the companies were ranked,” said Kooistra.

Another committee member, who would only speak to 27 News on the condition of anonymity, said Thompson’s comments could have been construed as an attempt to pressure committee members to change scores to select Adelman.

Repeated requests by 27 News for an interview with Thompson have been rejected by DOA officials.

In an e-mail from Marc Marotta, DOA Secretary at the time of the contract process, Marotta defended the process. “We wanted the most cost efficient option that could provide good service. After that, the matter was left up to the Committee. I really was not involved after that,” wrote Marotta.

Kooistra said he responded to the request for reconsideration in strong terms. “I said right away, I am not changing my scores.”

Following the March final committee meeting, e-mails reviewed by 27 News show several committee members praised Omega’s contract bid and urged the awarding of the travel contract to Omega.

DOA Enterprise Operations Administrator Pat Farley told 27 News because scores from the evaluation committee on contract quality issues, combined with a separate evaluation of costs proposals from the competing firms were so close, state officials decided to conduct what’s called a “best and final” contract phase, with firms submitting new cost proposals.

In response, committee member Peg Lafky, Department of Transportation Accounting Supervisor, wrote, “if there is enough dissention [sic] regarding this additional step in the process, will DOA decide not to do this and award the contract to the one who received the most points?”

The best and final contract phase was conducted. State records show Adelman and Omega finished in a tie.

Farley said Adelman won the contract based on a tiebreaker involving certain aspects of the cost proposal as outlined in state procurement rules.

“We got approximately $30,000 in extra savings when we really drilled down in the end,” DOA spokesman Scott Larrivee told 27 News.

Records provided to 27 News show Adelman’s fee per transaction was $24, compared to Omega’s $28.

Omega executive Diane Bozicevich told 27 News the contract process was fair.

But Bozicevich disputed that Adelman’s proposal represented the lowest bid, citing Adelman’s fees on flight cancellations and itinerary changes. Omega proposed no fees on those transactions.

Adelman executives have returned no calls from 27 News.

Governor Doyle’s spokesperson, Melanie Fonder, has said there is no connection between the contract award to Adelman and the campaign contributions.

It looks to me like Doyle sold the state’s travel contract to Adelman for $22,000. If this is not strong enough evidence of foul play for an investigation to be launched, then what is? Where is the Attorney General? Where is the ethics board?

A good start would be for Jim Doyle to return the $22,000 to avoid the appearance of corruption. A good finish would be for Doyle to be kicked out of office for his obvious inability to make a decision about how to run the state without a campaign donation to point the way.

maybe our entire state

Liberal Hack of the Day

LIFEFORM SOCIAL COMMUNITY NETWORK