#MTGov Daily Rundown: Another Bullock Admin Whistleblower Comes Forward
Yet another person from within the Bullock Administration has come forward claiming she was retaliated against for raising issues with agency decisions. The employee is Lonie Stimac, who formerly worked as a Commerce Department Bureau Chief.
"A longtime Commerce Department employee has filed complaints against the state, alleging she faced a demotion and retaliation for questioning decisions within the agency, MTN News has learned.
Stimac claims that, after raised her objections, she was demoted to another department and put in storage closet for her office.
"Stimac said she sometimes raised objections about the direction of the office. For example, she said she questioned the timing of a trade mission to China and whether the Office and Tourism and Office of Business Resources should be merged, and financed with lodging tax revenue.
As the merger occurred, Stimac said she was informed in April 2015 that she would be relieved of her bureau chief duties and transferred to the job of sales and constituent services in tourism.
“When I showed up (for the new job), nobody knew I was coming,” she said. “I had no office. They put me in a storage room. I had to make arrangements to be moved over and to get my own phone.” -MTN News 10/31/2016
Last week, news broke that former DPHHS Audit Bureau Chief filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful termination, because she refused to violate the law and make improper payments.
"The state has been hit with a wrongful termination lawsuit from a former employee of the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services.
Carol Bondy, the the former Audit Bureau Chief of DPHHS, claims she was fired after refusing to violate several public policies, despite being directed to do so by DPHHS." -MTN News, 10/25/2016
The article notes that Bondy cried foul over a payment that was being made to a contractor with strong ties to the Democratic Party.
Bondy was concerned about the Montana PEAKS (Performers in Education and Acquisition Knowledge Systems) contract. She says this group was given a contract even though the Audit Bureau had advised management the contractor was not entitled to payment.
The lawsuit states: “Bondy expressed her concerns that the payment was improperly being made because this particular contractor had strong political ties to the Democratic Party.” -MTN News, 10/25/2016
DeAnne Cooney, wife of Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney, has now recused herself from the lawsuit due to a potential conflict of interest.
Other DPHHS auditors who are tasked with holding state agencies accountable have accused administration officials of retaliating against them for doing their job.
The lawsuit states: “Bondy expressed her concerns that the payment was improperly being made because this particular contractor had strong political ties to the Democratic Party.” -MTN News, 10/25/2016
DeAnne Cooney, wife of Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney, has now recused herself from the lawsuit due to a potential conflict of interest.
"District Judge DeeAnn Cooney has recused herself from presiding over a wrongful discharge lawsuit filed by a former state auditor against the State of Montana, her clerk confirmed in a Wednesday email.
Cooney was appointed to the job by Gov. Steve Bullock in December upon the retirement of Judge Jeffrey Sherlock, and is running for election to hold that seat. She also is the wife of Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney, whom Bullock appointed a couple of months later.
The case in question involves allegations leveled broadly at the governor and his staff." -Helena IR, 10/26/2016
Other DPHHS auditors who are tasked with holding state agencies accountable have accused administration officials of retaliating against them for doing their job.
"Former Montana auditors have accused state officials of discouraging Department of Health and Human Services staffers from investigating a variety of questioned payments dating back to 2005." -Helena IR, 9/11/2016
"Emails from current and former DPHHS staffers, along with court filings and whistleblower complaints obtained by the Independent Record, identified at least seven long-tenured state employees who raised red flags before they were demoted or fired. At least three staffers who raised questions were accused of insubordination before being fired.
Two of those staffers claim high-level administrators, acting on orders from Bullock, pushed through “questionable” welfare payments to important Democratic voting blocs on Indian reservations and ignored DPHHS auditors’ questions about hefty checks cut to major welfare program contractors. Bullock, through a spokeswoman, flatly denied those claims." -Helena IR, 9/11/2016
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported earlier this month that the Bullock Administration has paid more than $900,000 to settle employee claims. The administration refuses to say why in most cases, and at least one legal expert says that the administration is violating the law.
"Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock’s administration has paid more than $900,000 in settlements to state employees over the last three years, according to public records. On most, state agencies won’t say why.
The state has paid 42 employees settlements totaling more than $745,000. Each is listed as 'confidential' in the state’s checkbook, which has been published online since 2013, the year Bullock first took office. The payments range in amounts from $120 to $122,000." -Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 10/13/2016
One former employee said that the settlements were, at times used to cover up misdeeds and prevent whistle blowing.
"One former employee who received a large settlement payment said, in some cases, state agencies use the confidential payments to cover up misdeeds." -Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 10/13/2016
"A former state employee, speaking to the Chronicle on the condition of anonymity for fear of being sued by the state, said they were fired in 2015 after nearly 10 years on the job. The state agency cited mandatory staff reductions in the termination. The former employee filed a complaint with the Human Rights Bureau that alleged discrimination.
'Less than 24 hours later (the agency) called and offered a settlement,' the former state employee said. The settlement amount, more than $50,000, was contingent in part upon a contract to never disclose the settlement. And the former state employee believes that the firing was in retaliation for whistleblower activities." -Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 10/13/2016
Bullock also had his 2nd lieutenant governor resign under mysterious circumstances.
Gov. Steve Bullock and his administration had a strained relationship with Lt. Gov. Angela McLean and had considered replacing her on the 2016 ticket since early this year, according to internal emails and top Bullock staffers. Emails obtained late this week by MTN News also showed that McLean had become largely isolated on the job by early October, when she was locked out of her official Twitter account, excluded from office meetings, and stripped of her initiatives." -MTN News, 12/11/2015
One former employee said that the settlements were, at times used to cover up misdeeds and prevent whistle blowing.
"One former employee who received a large settlement payment said, in some cases, state agencies use the confidential payments to cover up misdeeds." -Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 10/13/2016
"A former state employee, speaking to the Chronicle on the condition of anonymity for fear of being sued by the state, said they were fired in 2015 after nearly 10 years on the job. The state agency cited mandatory staff reductions in the termination. The former employee filed a complaint with the Human Rights Bureau that alleged discrimination.
'Less than 24 hours later (the agency) called and offered a settlement,' the former state employee said. The settlement amount, more than $50,000, was contingent in part upon a contract to never disclose the settlement. And the former state employee believes that the firing was in retaliation for whistleblower activities." -Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 10/13/2016
Bullock also had his 2nd lieutenant governor resign under mysterious circumstances.
Gov. Steve Bullock and his administration had a strained relationship with Lt. Gov. Angela McLean and had considered replacing her on the 2016 ticket since early this year, according to internal emails and top Bullock staffers. Emails obtained late this week by MTN News also showed that McLean had become largely isolated on the job by early October, when she was locked out of her official Twitter account, excluded from office meetings, and stripped of her initiatives." -MTN News, 12/11/2015
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