Wayyyyyy differently is taken on by the State Journal Register
GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH promised to change the way Illinois government does business. A harshly critical audit of Central Management Services released Tuesday would indicate maybe the governor’s administrators are doing things a bit too differently.
And that is putting Auditor General Bill Holland’s report in the kindest possible light.
The audit raises serious concerns about how Illinois’ chief administrative agency has conducted its business in the two years ending June 30, 2004. Holland’s report hit like a meteorite Tuesday, streaking in with a lot of heat and raising a huge cloud of dust.
Actually, the editorial is far too easy on CMS. The response section is one of the most obnoxious and deluded responses to an audit I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a few doozies. It was a complete denial of reality that was competently documented by Holland and his team.
It was the worst audit of a state agency that I have read since I started looking at them in 1973.
I do not read many audits so I do not know if the point expressed above has any validity. If this audit lacks clarity as compared with others (??) CMS contributed to it too as it did not provide access to documentation. I deal with other states and Illinois by far has the most secretive way of doing public business of procurement.
I would only hope that IBM contracts get a thorough review. It is a shame none of them were looked at by AG.