Keep Digging

On July 2 we said: "A definitive judgment regarding the state's information technology program must await the completion of a thorough report. We have confidence in the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission." A determined probe remains an imperative.

The story broke with Lem Stewart's ouster as head of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency. Stewart had questioned the public-private partnership with Northrop Grumman. The questions have multiplied. Stewart's reputation has been enhanced.

Situations such as this often have political implications. Governors take heat when controversies strike state agencies. The Northrop Grumman contract presents political complications, however. The public-private partnership was the brainchild of Mark Warner's administration. The stories have surfaced during Gov. Tim Kaine's watch. Yet if Republicans in the General Assembly attempt to score partisan points, they might run into some difficulties. Warner originally proposed that VITA report to the governor, but in a compromise with Republicans in the legislature he agreed to create VITA as a free-standing agency, led by a board independent of the governor's office. Now add this: Although VITA does not fall under direct executive oversight, Stewart's interim replacement -- Len Pomata -- also serves as Virginia's secretary of technology, which makes him a member of Kaine's Cabinet, which exposes the administration to second-guessing.

The questions bother Virginians. We do not have all the answers. Mergers in the public sector do not always proceed as smoothly as predicted. Business relationships such as these typically experience imperfections. They also require great scrutiny. Northrop Grumman concedes some of the delays but argues that the transformation process has proved more complicated than anticipated. The company points to considerable progress. Critics still wonder whether the commonwealth is seeing the expected efficiencies -- and whether it ever will.

The program may be undergoing pains associated with birth, although this seems a protracted delivery indeed. VITA may suffer from organizational flaws. The private side of the partnership may be falling short.

The Times-Dispatch will continue to press the story. We hope the commonwealth will be spared unhappy choices.