This is the eighteenth post in an ongoing series as we file Missouri Sunshine Law (RSMo 610) requests and investigate the non-renewal of the contract of University of Central Missouri President Aaron Podolefsky. Links to previous coverage are below the fold. BG and MB
If they were making a decision to spend $80,000 you’d think they’d get a better phone connection. We spoke with a member of the Board of Governors who stated that the record of her vote in favor of awarding a contract to a presidential search firm is in error. More on that later.
We sent in a sunshine request for last week’s closed Board of Governors session after they issued a release stating that they approved a contract with Hutchinson Consulting LLC:
[….]
date: Sun, Nov 1, 2009 at 5:42 PM
subject: Request for information – RSMo 610This is a request for information under RSMo 610:
1. A copy of the contract with Ken Hutchinson, Hutchinson Consulting LLC for the presidential search approved by the Board of Governors on October 29, 2009.
2. A copy of any RFP (Request for Proposals) issued by the University or the Board of Governors pertaining to the contract awarded in (1) above.
3. A copy of any bids submitted in competition for the contract awarded in (1) above.
4. The record of the vote and how each board member voted on the contract in (1) above.
Thank you.
[….]
Early the next morning we received a terse reply from the University’s General Counsel. This was unusual because we have been going through the University’s “custodian of records” in making our requests and we have been receiving answers (and refusals) through the same person, though the University’s General Counsel has been copied on all responses to our requests to date.
from: Henry Setser [….]
date: Mon, Nov 2, 2009 at 8:58 AM
subject: Re: Request for information – RSMo 610Should have a contract today and as you know, this was not subject to bidding.
[….]
Uh, no, we didn’t know, that’s why we asked.
Finally, this afternoon, we got an answer to our request. Sort of.
Still no copy of the contract.
[….]
date: Wed, Nov 4, 2009 at 3:26 PM
subject: Re: Request for information – RSMo 610[….]
This responds to your request for information, dated November 1, 2009 (5:42 p.m.) and received by me on November 2, 2009. You requested:
1. A copy of the contract with Ken Hutchinson, Hutchinson Consulting LLC for the presidential search approved by the Board of Governors on October 29, 2009. The contract has not been finalized and therefore, is not available.
2. A copy of any RFP (Request for Proposals) issued by the University or the Board of Governors pertaining to the contract awarded in (1) above. There is no Request for Proposals issued by the University or the Board of Governors pertaining to the contract.
3. A copy of any bids submitted in competition for the contract awarded in (1) above. There were no bids submitted in competition for the contract.
4. The record of the vote and how each board member voted on the contract in (1) above. During the October 29, 2009, Closed Session, a motion was made and seconded that the Board of Governors authorize a contract with Ken Hutchinson of Hutchinson Consulting Services LLC for presidential search consultant services in the amount of $80,000. The motion carried with the following roll call vote:
Walter Hicklin aye Mary Long aye
Weldon Brady aye Deleta Williams aye
Edward Baker aye Richard Phillips aye
[emphasis in red in original]
Time out. If you voted to award a contract for $80,000 do you think that maybe you’d have a good idea of what its finalized state was going to be before you voted to approve it? Just asking.
Besides, we were told on Monday morning: “Should have contract today…”
No request for proposals. No bid.
After receiving this response to our Sunshine Law request I called Deleta Williams, a member of the Board of Governors, to ask her about this particular vote. She informed me that there was a bad phone connection and that she believed at the time that there was discussion leading to an adjournment vote. She told me that she will attempt to correct the record of her vote.
Our previous coverage:
Three steps behind, and to the right (January 25, 2008)
Three steps behind, and to the right, part 2 – a microcosm of our universe (September 21, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”? (October 15, 2009) (transcript of a portion of the live radio broadcast)
It wasn’t just about a tree (October 21, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: I heard it on the radio (October 21, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: let’s not get cut out of the will (October 22, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: $87.75 will get you one sheet of paper (October 23, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: They’re not playing hardball, they’re playing cat and mouse (October 23, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: a cola and some scoreboards (October 24, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: a few more pieces of the puzzle? (October 28, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: your silence means consent (October 29, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: let’s not get cut out of the will, part 2 (October 30, 2009)
Old media irony impairment (October 30, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: I heard it on the radio, part 2 (October 31, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: where everybody knows your name (October 31, 2009)
Methinks that someone is paying attention! (November 2, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: Bond, Stadium Bond (November 4, 2009)