Panel ousts Virginia’s technology chief
BRUCE PARKER/TIMES-DISPATCH
The ouster of Lemuel C. Stewart Jr.is the latest blow to an agency beset by trouble since its inception more than five years ago.
Published: June 12, 2009
Updated: June 12, 2009
Virginia's computer czar was fired hours after he questioned a multimillion-dollar monthly bill from the giant company that the state is paying $2.3 billion for informationtechnology services.
Lemuel C. Stewart Jr. was ousted Wednesday as director of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency by its oversight panel, the Information Technology Investment Board.
Leonard M. "Len" Pomata, newly installed as secretary of technology by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, will succeed Stewart temporarily as Virginia's chief information officer.
Stewart could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Stewart's removal is the latest blow to an agency beset by trouble since its inception more than five years ago. In addition to ongoing administrative and financial questions, VITA recently has had to answer for such issues as the hacking of computerized prescription records at the Virginia Department of Health Professions.
Stewart was dumped shortly after a presentation to VITA's governing body in which he challenged the invoice from Northrop Grumman, which has a 10-year, $2.3 billion contract to supply Virginia agencies with computers, software and maintenance.
One of the General Assembly's experts on information technology, Del. Samuel A. Nixon Jr., R-Chesterfield, said he understood Stewart and Pomata clashed over Stewart's contention that Northrop Grumman is not meeting the terms of its contract.
Pomata, head of the search committee that recommended Stewart in 2004 as VITA director, could not be reached for comment.
Asked about Stewart's presentation and claims that Northrop Grumman is not documenting its bills adequately, company spokeswoman Julia L. Ballesteros said the defense giant "is working closely with VITA to address issues of critical importance."
The pact with Northrop Grumman -- the biggest and richest privatization contract issued by Virginia government -- has been criticized by some legislators and state employees as pricey and inefficient.
The General Assembly's investigative arm, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, has raised concerns about the system under which Northrop Grumman and VITA charge agencies for IT services.
JLARC, for example, noted that VITA is operating with a deficit -- a point Stewart made as well in his briefing Wednesday to the Information Technology Investment Board.
In a slide presentation, Stewart said the agency's current shortfall is $6.2 million. Because of that, VITA "cannot fully pay [Northrop Grumman] and other bills, absent remedial action," such as increasing rates or a loan from the state treasury.
Stewart's presentation went on to point out that agencies continue to complain about Northrop Grumman-supervised service, that the company is "still not meeting [its] contractual obligations," and that invoices to the state are documented insufficiently.
Stewart's departure was announced to VITA employees in an e-mail yesterday from James F. McGuirk II, chairman of the Information Technology Investment Board.
McGuirk gave no reason for the change but said Stewart would serve as a paid consultant until his $189,280-a-year contract expires at the end of 2009.
McGuirk could not be reached for comment.
VITA was set up under the governorship of Democrat Mark R. Warner, now a U.S. senator, and operates in tandem with Northrop Grumman from a headquarters in Chesterfield County.
Nixon, who introduced legislation tightening governance of VITA, challenged the selection of Pomata as interim CIO. Nixon said he does not believe the secretary of technology has the legal authority to serve simultaneously in both offices.
Contact Olympia Meola at (804) 649-6812 or
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Contact Jeff E. Schapiro at (804) 649-6814 or .
Staff writer Tyler Whitley contributed to this report.
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Reader Reactions
Is it just me, or are the tax payers being charged for paying somebody to work at keeping their job rather than doing their job? Again!
@RICresident—
Sure the agencies are resisting and you’re right that there are lots of wasteful practices. But the issue that apparently caused the firing is not as simple as Stewart refuses to pay for services rendered. VITA can’t pay NG if agencies don’t pay VITA. Some agencies won’t pay VITA because they’re dissatisfied with IT services or believe they’re being charged for IT equipment they don’t have or both.
Almost $20 million a month we pay for IT in VA? Really? That’s right about $3 for every Man, Woman and Child in the state per month. Or just under $120 a year per household. You can’t tell me that it should be this expensive. The problem here is red tape and over paid consultants.
There is enough blame to go around for everyone.
1)Agencies don’t want change, and in some cases have taken a step back by having to use VITA/NG services. Equipment wasn’t always outdated but was replaced anyway at taxpayer expense.
2)NG and VITA don’t understand the business of the agencies or understand that a one size fits all model is not the best way to go.
2.5) There is a value to having IT integrated into the Agencies so it can understand the business and culture. That gets lost in the service delivery model and there is some push in the industry to move away from this.
3)There will be no cost savings from this partnership as cost have gone up exponentially to agencies. The agencies also are standing up shadow IT organizations to cover activities no longer done by the partnership under the umbrella of applications support which is yet another expense being caused but not captured by the partnership. If the bean counters say there is a savings don’t beleive it they are just manipulating the numbers.
4)Since NG owns the datacenter and all the infrastructure there will be a monumental expense to buy our way out of this should we ever opt to do so. Smart on NG’s part but a real boondoggle for the taxpayers.
5) Consolidation was a good idea but it should have been done around the agencies.
6) Lem is the fall guy in this as he was just executing the orders from the Governor and ITIB.
Send Mark Warner and the ITIB the bill to get us out of this mess.
It must be nice to get 6 months severance!
Whenever my contracts end, or I get terminated, all I get is a goodbye lunch.
;-)
In a similar but unrelated (?) AP news item today, “President Barack Obama says he has lost confidence in the inspector general who investigates AmeriCorps and other national service programs and has told Congress he is removing him from the position.“ Just so you know how this works. The game is called “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.“
Some perspectives:
1) CIOs are notoriously vulnerable executive officers. All problems get attributed to them, and all credit goes to the functional unit managers.
2) Anyone who thinks integrating and standardizing IT services for a decentralized organization (Virginia state gvt), with approximately 100 different fiefdoms should go more smoothly and seem more easy, you are smoking some funny stuff.
3) VITA and NG are making lots of mistakes… but considering the reality of IT and the tasks at hand, they are doing pretty good.
Ever try to save a drowning person who is scared and won’t stop struggling? NG could have the best of intentions, but these agencies fear change, refuse to give up their outdated practices and absolutely do not want to conform to any kind of security protocols. Wonder why you keep seeing news stories about government agencies losing YOUR personal data? That’s what NG has been up against, trying to PROTECT your tax dollars.
As for those of you screaming for governance and audits, you should already know that this is a public contract, and all of the records are already being audited and have always been available to the public to view, online, any time you wish.
Those of you worried about the cost of this contract should do your research. This is essentially a layaway agreement where NG has deferred the bulk of it’s billing until the end of the ten-year partnership. NG is only asking for reimbursement for the millions of dollars worth of outdated equipment they have replaced across the state so far, as requested and agreed.
And all along the way, NG has tried to get the big agencies like VDOT, DMV, and VA Taxation to stop WASTING your tax dollars on ridiculous expenditures like 46” plasma TVs and $4000 laptops. Your state agencies are lazy, corrupt and fat. Lem was fired because he refuses to pay for services rendered.
Did Imiss something here? Mr. Stewart is fired for trying to bring fiscal sanity to a state agency? Oh! Of course, I forgot! “Fiscal sanity” and “government” are not words that should be in the same sentence.
A lot of you have hit the nail on the head. The ITIB chairman and Pomata are running the show. They don’t want to tick off Northrop Grumman, for whatever reason. It’s a bad situation for state agencies, VITA, and the taxpayers. People in VITA who are trying to do the right thing may be silenced or at least inhibited by the recent actions, everyone now knows who’s really in charge and it isnt’ the Commonwealth.
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