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Bob Riley, champion of ethical government. Well, maybe not. It's beginning to look like he's just a champion of hiding the business as usual. First there was the $13 million no bid computer services contract to Paragon Source, a company with no phone listing, no website and no business license -- after Riley made a big deal of stopping all no-bid contracts. Now we're hearing of a former state employee, Sandra Porter, who retired, then was brought back as a contract employee first for AUM, then for Paragon Source -- at a hefty pay increase while drawing state retirement -- and now has been hired back to work directly for the state -- again at a much larger than expected salary. The contract wasn’t with the Finance Department but with Auburn University Montgomery, which suggests the money traveled a circuitous route for a particular reason. Sandra Porter retired from the Finance Department on a $30,516 pension in 1998. Former Finance Director Jim Main brought her back on a $60,000 contract, apparently to work on the computer system. After a year she went to work for Paragon Source but returned to the state payroll at $66,000 and suspended her retirement. Her highest salary as a 24-year state employee before retiring was $34,724.
Riley's spokesman is desperately trying to deflect the double-dipping charges ... "Actual double dipping," he said, "is when an elected official holds two or more taxpayer-funded jobs and faces potential conflicts of interests or can't devote needed time to each job. Being retired isn't a job, and merely receiving retirement benefits isn't a conflict of interest." ... with a definition that might as well be "double dipping is only when a legislator is also an educator." Riley and his spokesman have more to worry about than double dipping, I expect. Who is Sandra Porter and why does she merit this kind of attention and money from the state? Ditto for Janet Lauderdale and what exactly have they been doing to earn compensation of this magnitude. Riley and the Finance Director (it's no longer Jim Main, he's a state judge now) need to release some details of this Paragon Source contract ... like a statement of work, list of work products, completion dates, etc. Otherwise why should we believe it's anything but a sweetheart deal? And did anyone else notice how quickly all the judges in Montgomery County recused themselves from the Paragon Source lawsuit? Hot, hot, hot! Ouch!
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