Oakland County employees resign, suspended amid contract scandal

Two key Oakland County officers are resigning and one other two will likely be suspended in reference to an organization owned by a county worker that obtained a six-figure authorities contract from the county earlier this yr.

Oakland County Government Dave Coulter mentioned county workers failed to fulfill anticipated requirements and at the moment are going through the results.

“Whereas I’m grateful that the unbiased investigation into this matter discovered no proof of any intent to defraud the province or of improper monetary acquire, failure to adjust to provincial insurance policies and requirements of conduct is unacceptable and have to be appropriately disciplined,” Coulter mentioned in a press release launched Friday, Oct. 31.

“I assist regulation enforcement’s efforts to research this matter as they see match and I stay dedicated to accountability on this and all instances the place the general public belief and the rules we adhere to have been violated.”

The discharge doesn’t identify the disciplined workers. As a substitute, the function of the staff and their punishment are said.

• The provincial worker who owns the non-public firm that was awarded the contract, ZaydLogix, is resigning. The worker was given a four-week suspension with out pay.
• A supervisor of a key program can also be resigning. The supervisor additionally confronted a four-week suspension with out pay.
• A ‘division director’ is suspended with out pay for 3 days.
• The “evaluator” who reviewed and accepted the ZaydLogix bid will likely be suspended with out pay for 2 days.

Coulter spokesman Invoice Mullan mentioned ZaydLogix’s proprietor will retire efficient Nov. 14, whereas its key supervisor will formally resign on Nov. 7. They are going to be suspended with out pay till the date of their dismissal, Mullan mentioned.

The self-discipline, which was decided after an inside assessment and exterior investigation by a personal regulation agency, is unlikely to be the ultimate motion in reference to the contract debacle.

Earlier this month, Deputy County Director Walt Herzig and Deputy County Director Sean Carlson advised county commissioners they didn’t imagine a prison referral was vital. However this week, Board of Commissioners member Michael Spisz, the highest-ranking Republican on the fee, filed an official report requesting a prison investigation by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Workplace.

He advised the Free Press that he referenced the county’s report in his communications with regulation enforcement. One of many first notes in the overview of the province One of many non-public regulation agency’s findings is that the contract violates state regulation and county coverage.

On Thursday, Oct. 30, Oakland County Commissioner Charlie Cavell urged the board to instantly obtain copies of the complete investigation by the non-public regulation agency Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone. The commissioners have but to see the complete findings – the province released its own summary of the investigationhowever not the regulation agency’s report.

The commissioners instantly declined to vote on whether or not to launch the Miller Canfield report. The province has up to now refused to supply the report back to the Free Press. A request below the Michigan Freedom of Info Act is pending.

Cavell additionally mentioned on the county board assembly that he’s circulating a letter to commissioners asking the Michigan Lawyer Common’s workplace to assessment the scenario. On Friday, Cavell mentioned he has three signatures up to now and is within the technique of acquiring extra signatures earlier than sending the letter to the legal professional normal’s workplace.

Submitting a grievance and asking the Lawyer Common to assessment the scenario doesn’t assure a prison investigation. A spokesman for Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard confirmed the workplace had obtained Spisz’s grievance however declined additional remark.

Within the launch, Coulter famous that the county has taken further steps to make adjustments past worker self-discipline. They’ve additionally expanded coaching, reviewed different IT contracts to see if conflicts might come up and have had county workers verify they’ve learn the county’s conduct requirements coverage.

On the identical time, Cavell and others have pushed the county fee to do extra to strengthen ethics guidelines. Months in the past, Cavell and Democratic colleague Commissioner Kristen Nelson launched measures they mentioned would improve transparency and accountability for the county’s elected officers.

However they have been solely granted a listening to after studies from the Free Press and others famous attainable conflicts involving board chairman Dave Woodward and others. Woodward is a paid consultancy for Sheetz, a fuel station and comfort retailer chain trying to increase in Oakland County, and has spoken to native leaders concerning the firm. He additionally repeatedly voted on points associated to different non-public shoppers or enterprise companions whereas on the committee, in accordance with the findings of a Free Press investigation.

Whereas Woodward and colleagues have denied wrongdoing, Coulter lately referred to as for ethics reforms. Coulter and Woodward mentioned they hope to have a brand new monetary disclosure system and presumably different measures in place by the tip of the yr.

(This story has been up to date with new, further data.)

Attain Dave Boucher at dboucher@freepress.com and at X @Dave_Boucher1.