Jennifer Muir reported on Total Buzz Tuesday about the allegations of waste and mismanagement at the County Assessor’s office.
Union leader Nick Berardino today took aim at O.C. Assessor Webster Guillory, accusing him of a “systematic waste of taxpayer dollars†related to a $21 million upgrade of the county’s property tax system.
Berardino, general manager of the county’s largest employees union the Orange County Employees Association, spoke during public comments at today’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
He played a video in which anonymous employees from within the county Assessor’s department describe an upgraded computer system that doesn’t work, is behind schedule and over budget. They also describe a climate in which staff is intimidated by management to keep their concerns quiet. Their faces are blacked out to conceal their identities. (See the video at the bottom of this post.)
Here is the video.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auXUx4S-GUQ&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
For the rest of Muir’s story, click HERE.
Well, as the headline states, I am not really surprised. The county has a pattern of contracting out projects and then having managers and directors cover up the failures to perform. This just happens to be a project run by a comfortable elected official who has the same attitude as the County IT Director. Cover it up and hope no one notices.