Election Law Center received a response from Paul Stenbjorn regarding yesterday's posting about the mounting problems detailed here  and here and the Virginia State Board of Elections.  The email requested that we remove all references to him.  We will not.  Government documents provided to us reveal problems with a single source contract let by Secretary Rodrigues to Mr. Stenbjorn, including payments to Mr. Stenbjorn which the documents say should not have occurred.  The government documents we have said Mr. Stenbjorn should have reimbursed the taxpayers.   We have asked Mr. Stenbjorn to provide us the documents supporting his assertions that these findings were later reversed and we will post them when and if he sends them.   Lastly, the second assertion below by Mr. Stenbjorn is that Secretary Rodrigues did not "negotiate this [single source] contract."  He blames staff.  The documents and many many emails we have reviewed make it pretty obvious who wanted the contract at the SBE and who did not. And it wasn't staff.   We post his response below in fairness. 

"1.) The information contained in your piece is inaccurate and out of date.  The final disposition of the investigation into my contract with the Commonwealth found no improprieties much less violations of the law.  The information you received was interim in nature and from internal state documents during findings of fact.  The Department of General Services, which now handles procurement for the State Board of Elections, found that the contract was valid. 

The Commonwealth of Virginia offers its employees the opportunity to bring fraud and abuse complaints anonymously against any person within the State Board of Elections (or any state agency) and these documents were artifacts of the disclosure and disposition of this review.  The contracting process resulting in the award to my firm was reviewed under such a complaint and was found to be valid.

 

2.) Procurement processes during the negotiation of this contract were not conducted with the Secretary but with staff responsible for the propriety of all contracts entered into by SBE.  The implication in your piece is the Secretary Rodrigues negotiated this contract and she did not; it was prepared by staff and approved by staff."