{"id":77,"date":"2012-08-06T18:03:42","date_gmt":"2012-08-06T18:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/wordpress\/?p=77"},"modified":"2012-08-06T18:05:12","modified_gmt":"2012-08-06T18:05:12","slug":"fbi-joins-probe-of-dupage-forest-district-contracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/fbi-joins-probe-of-dupage-forest-district-contracts\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI joins probe of DuPage forest district contracts"},"content":{"rendered":"

[<\/em>Jay<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/em>posted this at our original site<\/span><\/a> the other day. \u00a0SK]<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Did you hear about this?\u00a0 For years, our own Dennis Clark, first a candidate for DuPage County Forest Preserve President, and most recently for DuPage County Forest Preserve Commissioner, District 5, has been warning us of the inner workings of the Republican-dominated Forest Preserve.\u00a0 Seems he just might have been right.\u00a0 He and Dr. Shannon Burns, a candidate for District 6 Commissioner, could both use your immediate support, and your vote in November.<\/span><\/h1>\n

FBI joins probe of DuPage forest district contracts<\/h1>\n

By\u00a0Elisabeth Mistretta<\/strong><\/p>\n

The FBI has joined an investigation into allegations that\u00a0DuPage County Forest Preserve District<\/a>\u00a0contracts were steered to a Chicago-based technology firm, benefiting two former district employees.<\/p>\n

The DuPage County State’s Attorney’s office has been looking into the matter for months, but now officials confirm the federal law enforcement agency’s involvement, the Better Government Association has learned.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the forest preserve district has given a severance bonus of about $51,000 to former Executive Director Brent Manning who retired June 15 after more than eight years with the district.<\/p>\n

Manning’s employment contract states he should receive a lump sum totaling four months of salary only if he was terminated \u201cwithout cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Manning, 59, wasn’t pushed out the door, officials say.<\/p>\n

Instead, board members voluntarily gave Manning the bonus, even though the technology contracts in question were awarded on his watch, forest preserve President D. \u201cDewey\u201d Pierotti Jr. says.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrent deserves part of the blame, as do other employees,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we still felt he deserved this. It was giving him special recognition for all he had done.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Manning announced his retirement in May, Pierotti outlined several of the director’s accomplishments, including helping the district maintain a AAA bond rating, maintaining a head count at or below 2003 levels, developing fundraising that resulted in a new foundation to support the forest preserve, and building a\u00a0new archery area with handicapped-accessible fishing pier at Blackwell Forest Preserve near Warrenville and an Urban Stream Research Center<\/a>, also in Warrenville.<\/p>\n

Altogether, Manning, who was paid $165,000 a year, will have received nearly $74,000 in post-retirement payments when he gets his final check in August. The figure includes the severance pay, plus payments of $11,364 and $11,840 for unused sick and vacation time, according to the district.<\/p>\n

Manning acknowledged meeting with the FBI, but declined to divulge any details.<\/p>\n

Officials have said Manning doesn’t appear to be a target of the probe, which centers on allegations that two now-former forest preserve district administrators personally benefited from steering contracts to Chicago-based Alamach Technologies Inc.<\/p>\n

The Better Government Association and the Daily Herald are not naming the former employees, who worked in the Information Technology department, because they haven’t been charged with a crime. They haven’t worked for the forest preserve since November when one resigned and one was fired, officials say.<\/p>\n

Alamach was paid to perform consulting and other technology-related services, according to the district. Between November 2009 and October 2011, public records show the forest preserve paid Alamach at least $488,000 for services, according to forest commission agendas.<\/p>\n

Records show Alamach was dissolved May 4. Attempts to reach the venture’s members were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

The FBI is \u201cpart of the investigation,\u201d Pierotti said, along with the state’s attorney’s office. A spokeswoman in the FBI’s Chicago office declined to comment, as did a spokesman for DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin.<\/p>\n

Manning said heat from the probe didn’t lead him to retire \u2014 his reasons included family and health-related issues \u2014 though he acknowledges his last year on the job was tumultuous.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now I need some time for recuperation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Andrew Schroedter is a reporter for the Better Government Association. Elisabeth Mistretta is a Daily Herald staff writer.<\/p>\n