IT-Gate

[Metro Jacksonville]

IT-Gate



Most of the internal service divisions do their best to stay out of the limelight. However, apparently the Information Technologies Division didn’t get the message. Like a referee in professional sports, if you take notice of them, it probably isn’t good.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/546

[springfieldlover]

I believe he was given six contractors without any competition.

What people don't realize is that he only got a portion of the $500K. The rest went to salary, taxes, overhead, and possibly benefits. If someone is getting paid an annual salary of $100K a year you need to include all the hidden costs that em;ployees seem to forget about. A person making a salary of $100K actually costs about $150 a year for the city, if not more depending on what kind of benefits they get.

I don't know either of the two guys (Lauer and Katz), but it seems to me they had the IT deivision headed where it needed to be. The city needs to protect the information that is collected and you need top talent for that, unfortunately the city doesn't pay all that well compared to the private sector and what you have left is not that good. That, of course, is a generalization and does not mean ever IT employee that works for the City is average, but the majority are not your elite.

Most places utilize contractors for short term projects that don't make sense to utilize a FTE position, which is only needed occassionally or for only one special project.

I'm sure I did bad job of defending these guys, but I don't believe everything they did was bad. I do believe this will make the IT department more efficient and have better oversight with there spending.

All Scott Teagle did was use his network to get business. Both JEA and the Duval School District have formalized bid processes with open bids for everyone to see, maybe the City should look at it's breatheren(sp) on how they go about utilizing IT contractors.

I wish the next CIO good luck, it seems there will be some added and unnecessary stress!!

[dknighton]

Not saying I support the apparent wrong-doing here, but good lord!  If THAT is the process for getting something done by a contractor in the City's IT department, no wonder someone wanted to bypass the red tape!  Honestly, I think the bureaucracy may be just as much to blame as cronyism.

[Steve]

No wonder elected & appointed officials are held to no standard.  They spend 12 mill when they were allowed to spend 3.5 mill, and all you guys talk about is, "it's not like they got all of that money", and "the process sucks".  Well, if the process sucks, change & streamline the process.

Personally, I think the speed limit on I-10 is too low.  I decided it should be 80 instead of 55, so I went 80.  I got pulled over, but the last thing I was going to do was explain that the speed limit should be 80.

[thelakelander]

I may be wrong, but it seems like the article is trying to say that more administrators in city hall had to be involved then just the two fall guys.

[springfieldlover]

Lake,

You're right. I got off topic and wanted to defend or not defend those guys.

I agree that those two were hung out to dry by Mayor Peyton.

The process should be changed. They allow almost anyone on the list to supply contractors to the city. They have almost 50 companies who can supply contractors to them. That is way to crazy and unorganized.

[dv8]

The city needs to protect the information that is collected and you need top talent for that, unfortunately the city doesn't pay all that well compared to the private sector and what you have left is not that good. That, of course, is a generalization and does not mean ever IT employee that works for the City is average, but the majority are not your elite.

springfieldlover, most of the talent (and there was plenty in ITD before 2003) was run off by the mis-managers.  Lauer and Katz hired every neighbor and gob they knew and placed them in management positions outside their fields of expertise(if they ever had any).  the security of data and general function of all IT related tasks will suffer for a long time as a result. 

[FedUpWithIt]

OK, time for some reality. I worked with both Lauer and Teagle before they went to the City. There is no doubt in my mind - none at all - that there was collusion going on here. When Teagle left the Mayor's office to open his consulting firm he probably had under-the-table agreements with Lauer ahead of time. There is no other explanation, and I know these guys - they are more than capable of putting something like this together.

I only hope the Grand Jury decides to do some digging...

[gatorback]

Hello!? Everbank?

[Steve]

OK, time for some reality. I worked with both Lauer and Teagle before they went to the City. There is no doubt in my mind - none at all - that there was collusion going on here. When Teagle left the Mayor's office to open his consulting firm he probably had under-the-table agreements with Lauer ahead of time. There is no other explanation, and I know these guys - they are more than capable of putting something like this together.

I only hope the Grand Jury decides to do some digging...

Interesting - I worked under Lauer and Katz at the city, and I felt the same way.

[kam311]

Interesting - I worked under Lauer and Katz at the city, and I felt the same way.

Not sure if anyone still sees this thread, but I agree with Steve.  I also worked under them for a few years.  Although, to be fair, Lauer did accomplish some good while he was in ITD as well.

[buckethead]

Goodness. The more I learn the less I want to know.