Charlie Hayward

Analysis: Hubris at the Board of Public Works?

Analysis: Hubris at the Board of Public Works?

Whether you call him the new sheriff in town, or the public-sector incarnation of the muscle-bound wrestler “Hulk” Hogan, Governor Larry Hogan has meted out his own brand of “whoop ass” on flat-footed state bureaucrats while presiding over his first six meetings of the Board of Public Works, a three-member panel that approves major state procurements.

Md. Transit Admin. plagued by cost-control problems

Md. Transit Admin. plagued by cost-control problems

Since 2005, the Maryland Transit Administration, or MTA, has fallen short of the goal to bring in 35 cents in fares for every dollar spent. While state law mandates the goal and tasks the MTA to control costs while keeping fares low, the Office of Legislative Audits just reported a litany of cost-containment controls the transit agency failed to exercise.

UMd.-Eastern Shore lacked over oversight of grant and loan programs, had potential conflicts, auditors find

UMd.-Eastern Shore lacked over oversight of grant and loan programs, had potential conflicts, auditors find

Two high-level officials at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore had conflicts of interest in up to $1.9 million of spending and grants funneled through the university’s affiliated foundation and private companies, an audit has found. Auditors reported possible conflicts involving the university and its affiliated foundation, which promotes the university and its mission. The audit described potential conflicts involving the foundation and two private companies: one controlled by the foundation’s executive director and the other owned by a relative.

Analysis: State in no hurry to file suit over health exchange, faces disclosure of improper actions

Analysis: State in no hurry to file suit over health exchange, faces disclosure of improper actions

State officials responsible for overseeing construction of the health exchange platform faced two frightful choices under the contract to produce the website in the months preceding the Oct. 1, 2013 ”go live” date:

Terminate Noridian, and fail to bring any health exchange platform to market; or
Keep Noridian on the job while violating major contract provisions designed to maintain equilibrium between payments to Noridian, and the quality and completeness of their work.

The state decided on the latter.

Auditors find continuing accounting issues at Maryland cities and towns

Auditors find continuing accounting issues at Maryland cities and towns

Some local governments in Maryland are having difficulty preparing adequate financial statements and getting passing grades from their outside auditors, state auditors found in an annual review of local audit practices for the fiscal year ending June 2013.

But the report found that the City of Baltimore’s financial statements are improving, and it also stated the overall financial condition of three cities, including Cumberland, is improving.

Silver Spring Transit Center: Study finds many to blame for stalled, costly project

Silver Spring Transit Center: Study finds many to blame for stalled, costly project

Serious safety, soundness, and durability problems that are now causing indefinite delays with opening the $112 million Silver Spring Transit Center (SSTC) were attributable to negligence, inadequate oversight and other shortcomings with project management, construction, and engineering.

In other words, none of the principal parties has “clean hands” according to a study released last week by the independent Office of Inspector General for Montgomery County.

Analysis: The Health Exchange Mess Part II: Assigning blame, recouping money

Analysis: The Health Exchange Mess Part II: Assigning blame, recouping money

In the second installment examining Maryland’s disastrous health care exchange site launch, longtime auditor Charlie Hayward takes a walk through the status of audits and legal maneuvering to assign blame and recoup money. Auditors and lawyers will begin structured, even forensic work, to determine what went wrong and why Maryland’s exchange fared so much worse than those in other states. Hayward looks at the surprising scope and nature of damages of the failure and explains why both the state and its contractor Noridian bear responsibility. He predicts resolution could be complex, costly, and time consuming.

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