Gov. Bush must restore integrity in government offices -- now

Gov. Bush must restore integrity in government offices -- now

August 3, 2004

Even as Gov. Jeb Bush was expressing dismay over revelations of
mismanagement and favoritism in the Department of Children and
Families (DCF), the state auditor was slamming the governor and his
technology office for cozy dealings with firms that have longstanding
ties with the Republican Party. The firms, Accenture and BearingPoint,
shared in some $300 million in contracts awarded by the office.

The audit report says that the state technology office "could not
demonstrate it had ensured fair and open competition for all vendors."
Translation: Some firm had an inside track and unfairly benefited from
political ties. The auditor also said the office could not show that
the most qualified firms received the contracts. A similar audit
report was made last year.


Coming on the heels of information linking DCF to firms that gave
officials, including Secretary Jerry Regier, expensive favors, the
audit report should sound a wake up call in Tallahassee. Something is
not right. The governor, who has often called for strict ethical
behavior of his staff, now to be Caesar's wife. He must realize the
importance of that pivotal notion from the PBS series I, Claudius,
that Caesar's wife is the guardian of Roman honor. She must be above
reproach.

The governor has been a champion of privatization, arguing that moving
government work to private firms is cost-effective and more efficient.
The suspicious transactions in DCF and now — for a second year in a
row — the governor's own office of technology are cause for true
alarm. Cronyism has no place in Florida government, and it is
difficult to understand how a governor and a party that made integrity
and fiscal responsibility key items in their effort to hold office can
countenance such flagrant actions at any level.

It is time for the governor to step in, clean up DCF and return fiscal
responsibility and integrity to his office of technology.
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/the_news_e...081897,00.html
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