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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">A Wake-up Call for the Oregon
Commission for the Blind</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Braille Monitor<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>January 2012</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">(</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">back)</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">(</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">contents)</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">(</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">next)</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">A Wake-up Call for the Oregon
Commission for the Blind</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">by Gary Wunder</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">In most organizations that handle
money, the words “audit” and “auditors” are enough to start the adrenaline
flowing. The purpose of an audit is minimally</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">to ensure that money received is
being handled in a way that can be tracked, is spent with appropriate
authorization, and is consistent with the purposes</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">and goals of the organization
receiving it. The need for this oversight, its value to the organization, and
the assurance it brings to contributors, taxpayers,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">and investors is clear; but the
emotional reaction to an audit can be quite different.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">In the fall of 2011 an audit of
the Oregon Commission for the Blind (OCB) was released. Its findings were
noteworthy, not because it revealed a significant</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">slight of hand or abuse of public
funds, but because the issues it highlights have been central in audits going
back to 1995. The failure to address longstanding</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">issues has drawn criticism from
the press, the Oregon general assembly, and the governor of the state.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">In an article appearing in the
Portland Tribune for October 13, 2011, this is how the audit and the conflict
between the Oregon Commission for the Blind</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">and the state's blind citizens
were characterized:</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Vendors Say State Commission's
Failures Hurt Their Businesses</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">by Steve Law</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Art StevensonBesieged Oregon
Commission for the Blind leaders vow to improve their management practices after
another blistering state audit--the fifth</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">since 1995--accused the
Portland-based agency of sloppy money management and misleading state lawmakers.
In a four-hour meeting Friday, the Commission's</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">seven-member board, packed with
four newcomers chosen by Governor John Kitzhaber, said it would take the audit
seriously and try to turn it into a model</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">agency. But several board members
also downplayed the audit findings, raising questions about their resolve to
change the culture of an agency charged</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">with aiding Oregon's
nineteen-thousand blind people.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Commission Administrator Linda
Mock and board Chairwoman Jodi Roth issued separate written responses to the
October 5 audit that were largely defensive.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Meanwhile, activists with the
agency's Business Enterprise Program, who have been at odds with the Commission
for years, are calling for heads to roll.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The new board should have held an
executive session to review Mock's performance, given the history of negative
audits, said Art Stevenson, president of</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">the National Federation of the
Blind of Oregon and a manager in the Business Enterprise Program. "I do not feel
that she should be the administrator of</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">the Oregon Commission for the
Blind," Stevenson said.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">In an interview Monday Mock said
she intends to remain at the helm of the agency. She stressed that her primary
concern remains job training, rehabilitation</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">services, and counseling to some
fifteen hundred blind people who are clients of the agency. However, she added,
"We realize that the business practices</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">of the agency need to support
that."</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Many of the controversies revolve
around the Business Enterprise Program, which stems from a federal law giving
blind people a monopoly on vending machines</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">and other food service in public
buildings. The program employs seventeen blind people.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Not Tracking the Money</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The new audit, similar to others
in 1995, 2000, 2001, and 2009, found a pattern of poor accounting and inept
recordkeeping at the agency Mock has run for</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">more than a decade. The
Commission for the Blind, which spends $7.8 million in federal and state money
each year, didn't have copies of contracts, didn't</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">track income of the blind vending
machine businesses, and had weak controls on spending and discrepancies in
financial records. These were among a host</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">of problems uncovered by six
state auditors. Agency leaders have failed to perform tasks that are
"fundamental expectations of any manager" in the state,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">said Gary Blackmer, Audits
Division director under Secretary of State Kate Brown.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">After a scathing 2009 audit the
agency was required to report how it rectified the problems to a legislative
committee in January 2010. Auditors concluded</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">that the agency falsely claimed
to have resolved many of its problems. "We found something different from what
they told the legislature," Blackmer says.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">In the follow-up audit the agency
was asked to produce signed contracts with outside food and beverage companies
that service state buildings. Some of</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">those contracts were only signed
that morning and not by both parties.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Walt Reyes, manager of the
agency's Business Enterprise Program, was placed on paid administrative leave in
August due to irregularities uncovered during</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">the audit. He is still on
leave.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Tracking money from vending
machines operated by blind businessmen was hard to do because accounting records
were incomplete and inconsistent, said Jamie</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Ralls, principal auditor for the
state. That's especially important because those machines operate on a cash
basis, she said. Auditors also couldn't track</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">the eleven percent cut that blind
business managers are supposed to give to the agency, Ralls said. "If they were
doing their job, they could track all</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">this information," she said.
"They could spot when something doesn't seem right."</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Weak Board?</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Randy Hauth stands outside the
Oregon Commission for the Blind building with a picket sign reading “Abuse of
Power” in hand.Some observers say past boards</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">overseeing the agency have been
rather passive. Members relied on Mock and her predecessor--who resigned under
pressure after a negative audit in 1999--to</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">produce board agendas and
spoon-feed them financial reports. "The board has in the past liked it that
way," said Kae Seth, a past board member and current</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">president of the American Council
of the Blind of Oregon. Board meetings are only conducted every two months for
two hours, giving members twelve hours</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">a year to monitor the agency.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">"Basically, the board meetings
are like a dog and pony show," said Randy Hauth, a representative of the
seventeen blind business managers.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">At Friday's board meeting, when
Mock and her fiscal officer, Leslie Jones, presented a proposal for meeting a
potential 10.5 percent budget cut that may</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">be required by the legislature,
board member Richard Phay asked why the board didn't get individual department
budgets in the agency. "Honestly, we've</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">just provided a summary because
it's much easier to grasp," Jones said. The full agency budget would have been
too long to submit to the board, she said--ten</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">pages.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">At the meeting some members
defended the agency's management and were publicly dismissive of the audit
findings. "This audit looks like a witch hunt to</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">me," said Dr. John Wilkins, an
ophthalmologist. "I think this is an incredible waste of taxpayers' money."
Later he said, "We're not accountants. That's</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">not the primary goal of our
mission."</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Carla McQuillanMock complained
that the agency had requested a quality assurance staffer to resolve the
financial problems highlighted in past audits but</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">said state budget writers denied
the extra position. Roth, the board chairwoman, reiterated that complaint in her
written response to the audit. However,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Ralls said there was a half-time
person hired with federal stimulus funds to serve as a quality assurance officer
during the 2009-11 budget cycle, which</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">ended in June. Roth said she
wasn't aware of that position.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">New board member Carla McQuillan
said agency leaders should stop arguing that the state is "picking on us" and
improve their business management. "Things</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">have just been very sloppy,"
McQuillan said.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Roth appears to have softened her
stance after speaking with state auditors and Secretary of State Brown. In an
interview Tuesday the board chairwoman said</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">she would like to see "global
changes" in how the agency is managed and how the board functions. "I think that
our role is going to be vastly different</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">in the next months to come," she
said.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Clashes with Blind Managers</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The board and Mock also face an
ongoing state of rebellion by the blind business managers, who make a living
running vending machines, coffee carts, and</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">other food services in state,
county, and city buildings. The blind managers argue the Commission for the
Blind doesn't aggressively enforce the federal</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Randolph-Sheppard Act, enacted in
1936, and the companion state law, resulting in lost opportunities for blind
people to gain business in public buildings.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Nationally those programs provide
twenty-five hundred jobs to blind people, Stevenson said. But in Oregon the
agency has neglected the program, not even</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">offering training for the
managers, he said. "There has been a mindset in the Oregon Commission for the
Blind not to expand the program," or to use it</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">as a "dumping ground" to place
clients when they can't find any other jobs for them, Stevenson said.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Auditors found the agency has
paid $416,000 in legal bills since 2007 just to respond to claims filed by the
blind managers. In most cases those were claims,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">authorized by federal law, to
prod the state to court more contracts for the program. The managers fought to
get control of food concessions in state prisons,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">in the U.S. Post Office in
Northwest Portland, and in the SAIF headquarters in Salem, among other public
facilities. Seth said Stevenson has a conflict</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">of interest as a blind
businessman and president of the other major advocacy group, the National
Federation of the Blind of Oregon. However, she said there</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">had been poor communication
between the blind business managers and the agency for years. "It's like two
children fighting each other; you just want to</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">knock them in the head," Seth
said.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Mock often notes that the
Business Enterprise Program involves about one percent of the clients served by
her agency. She said that program, created in</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">1936, relies on an "outmoded
model" of rehabilitation for blind people that is very "paternalistic" and leads
to ongoing friction in the state agency.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The blind business owners have a
more expansive view of their legal rights to state and local government
buildings than state attorneys do, Mock said.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">In one sign of the dysfunction
within the agency and that program, Stevenson is one of the business owners who
is not operating with a signed contract.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Stevenson refused to sign one, he
said, because he didn't think it granted him due process rights if he was
terminated.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">There you have the article in the
Portland Tribune describing the way state taxpayers learned about problems in
the agency they support. The Monitor has</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">interviewed many of the people
quoted above, including agency consumers, state auditors, several members of the
seven-member Commission (including its</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">chairwoman, Jodi Roth), and the
agency's administrator, Linda Mock. While the newspaper article was thorough in
outlining major areas of concern, Monitor</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">readers will benefit from having
more detail as well as information about the events since its publication.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">In an interview with the Monitor,
state auditors expressed surprise at the state agency's defense of longstanding
problems and the reaction that Commission</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">officials are rehabilitation
professionals and not accountants. They say the OCB's response differs
significantly from other agencies they audit. They</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">describe their work with most
state agencies as a collaborative process designed, not only to ensure financial
accountability, but to help improve and</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">streamline services. They claim
that nothing revealed in an audit should come as a surprise to the agency since
findings are shared at every stage, both</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">to ensure that the auditors are
drawing appropriate conclusions from what they review and to develop with the
agency a plan to fix problems that are identified.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">They further argue that none of
the social service agencies they monitor are comprised of accountants and that
nothing they are expecting to see requires</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">accounting expertise. They expect
to see receipts for money spent, contracts when significant amounts of money are
frequently exchanged, and records that</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">are clear and easy to follow.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">An audit begins by determining
whether an agency demonstrates financial accountability. When expenditures can
be adequately tracked, auditors then conduct</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">what they call a performance
review. In this phase of an audit agencies are evaluated against similar
agencies and by how well they are carrying out their</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">duties as mandated by the state
and federal laws under which they operate. In the case of the Oregon Commission
for the Blind, auditors had wanted to look</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">at the timeliness of service, the
expenditures per client, and the success of the programs in helping blind people
find gainful employment. They had intended</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">to examine the Business
Enterprise Program thoroughly to determine whether it was actively pursuing new
locations and training blind people to fill them.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">In auditing the Commission,
however, auditors complain that problems observed in basic accounting procedures
never allowed them to do a performance audit</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">in the time allotted for the OCB.
So concerned were the auditors by the lack of progress on what they view as
longstanding issues that their report was</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">sent to the Commission board for
action, though traditionally audits are sent only to the agency for study and
resolution.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">In response to many of the
auditor's concerns, Administrator Mock says the agency has traditionally had a
flat management structure, by which she means</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">it has had relatively few
management positions and has focused on putting direct-service people in the
field. She says the agency has now concluded that</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">it has no choice but to reduce
some direct-service positions and focus more on centralizing accounting
functions and ensuring that all appropriate staff</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">know and follow procedures. She
says one thing the agency has learned is that implementing a policy not only
means drafting it but seeing that it is known</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">to staff and rigorously
followed.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Findings of concern to the
auditors included the lack of a reliable employee leave-tracking system,
automobiles belonging to the state being kept at the</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">homes of employees, cell phones
with monthly plans but no use, cell phones which were routinely used in excess
of their minute plans and which incurred</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">the steep charges companies levy
for overages, and employees receiving out-of-class pay. Some of these findings
require explanation.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Tracking employee leave is almost
as crucial as tracking employee pay. It is compensation, and a system must be in
place to ensure the employee receives</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">the time off he or she is due and
that the agency pays only what it is obligated to pay. The audit found that no
system was in place to ensure that leave</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">taken was reported and, when
reported, that it actually appeared on employee timesheets so that it was
recorded in the system. Given that no complaints</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">were received from employees, one
has to consider the likelihood that Oregon has paid for time off which it was
not obligated to cover.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The auditors found automobiles
being kept at employee homes in violation of state policy. Administrator Mock
says that in certain cases state law does allow</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">employees to take state vehicles
to their homes and that the agency failed to ensure that the circumstances that
caused those vehicles to be assigned still</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">warranted their use. She says
that after review this practice has been discontinued except for home-based
employees who need state vehicles for the transportation</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">of clients. Another point cited
by the auditors was state vehicles that evidenced little use each month. Mock
says these are used by mobility instructors</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">who take their students to nearby
locations to work, that the distances traveled are necessarily small, and that
expecting employees to transport students</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">in the employees’ vehicles causes
problems with liability and insurance.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Mock says that cell phone bills
can be hard to read, so in the past they were simply received and paid without
appropriate review. She says they are now</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">being examined by each
department, that some telephones have been eliminated, and that plans have been
adjusted to avoid extra charges stemming from greater</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">than anticipated use.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Out-of-class pay is a procedure
followed in Oregon when the job duties of employees are changed and they are no
longer being compensated adequately for</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">their new job responsibilities.
All positions within an agency must be approved by the legislature, so in those
cases where a study has determined a worker</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">should receive more compensation,
state law allows for out-of-class pay until a legislative adjustment can be made
and the reclassification of the position</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">approved. The expectation is that
these adjustments will be submitted promptly to the legislature and that it will
act in a timely manner to approve them.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">State rules allow for
out-of-class pay to occur for no more than two years. The auditors say that
failure to receive legislative approval for the reclassification</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">of positions means agencies are
required to find the money from other parts of their personnel budget or reduce
employees’ responsibilities with a corresponding</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">reduction in their pay.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Mock says the Commission was
placed in a difficult situation when it was told by the Department of
Administrative Services that it was underpaying employees,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">increased their salaries under
this temporary spending authority, and then could not get the legislature to
approve their reclassification. The agency</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">has now reduced the hours of one
of its management staff to pay for the pay increases, a move that does not
require legislative approval.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The audit expressed concern about
the agency's spending of charitably contributed funds held by the secretary of
state. Their concerns were how the funds</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">have been spent and that
expenditures for several years have exceeded income. Tandem bicycling and boat
races are two examples in which the agency's use</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">of this money has been called
into question. Mock's response is that the agency has not interpreted the
limitations on spending charitably contributed</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">funds to be the same as for
taxpayer funds. In fact the agency has tried to use them to cover needs that
can't be handled through the federal-state program.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Whether this difference in
interpretation is a matter of law or a matter of policy that the agency can
change by setting up procedures for the use of the</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">charitably contributed funds is
unclear and is being explored.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Mock makes the point that one of
the major reasons why fund expenditures exceed income is that the legislature
has decided to appropriate this money to</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">replace funding normally provided
by state general revenue. While the agency has no control over this legislative
prerogative and sees the value in using</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">this money to get a four-to-one
federal match, many donors are reluctant to have their money go for services
they believe should be covered by funding</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">from the state. They intend their
donations to stimulate greater opportunity, not to shift the financial burden
from taxpayers for things state revenue</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">has traditionally covered. Some
are still giving money, but they are restricting it to programs they consider
beneficial in the hope it will not be used</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">to replace general revenue from
the state treasury.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">While the Commission audit was
the impetus for the Braille Monitor to investigate and inform readers about an
important state resource for blind Oregonians,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">it soon became obvious that the
audit is but one area of concern there. Blind merchants who participate in the
Business Enterprise Program are adamant</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">in their belief that, when it
comes to participatory policy-making and management of their program, the agency
just doesn't get it. In their view the agency</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">does not understand or attempt to
develop a participatory relationship as envisioned in the amended
Randolph-Sheppard Act, in which, working together,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">consumer organizations, the
elected committee of blind vendors, and the agency arrive at policies to
encourage a strong and vital program to recruit, train,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">and advance blind managers.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Illustrative of the way the
agency regards its relationship with the Business Enterprise Consumer Committee
and the consumer organizations of the state,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">consumers and managers cite the
following example: Administrator Mock offered a proposal she calls "Modernizing
the Business Enterprise Program" without</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">first consulting any of the
managers who derive income from the current program or the National Federation
of the Blind, which worked for and has always</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">supported the concept of blind
managers operating facilities, including those in state and federal buildings.
Instead the concept was advanced to the governor</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">and only afterward did blind
people learn about it. The reaction was predictable--surprise, outrage, and
fear. Mock says her intent was not to do away</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">with the Business Enterprise
Program but to modernize it. She is still surprised that the move didn't get
more traction and believes it never was given</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">a fair hearing. Consumers and
managers say they were never a part of framing the proposal or even discussing
the need for modernization. They heard of</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">the plan two days before it was
taken to the Oregon Commission board, and, though the Business Enterprise
Consumer Committee opposed it, the proposal was</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">still advanced. The Commission
board said there was not enough time to act on it, effectively halting its
progress, while endorsing the concept of exploring</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">modernization.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">In the opinion of blind consumers
and vendors, the proposal would have eliminated the state statute giving blind
managers priority. In Mock’s opinion the</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">proposal would have updated the
Oregon law by allowing managers to hold contracts for the facilities they
operated, freeing them from agency control and</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">strengthening the law by giving
the blind a priority and the right of first refusal instead of the right to bid,
which is what Mock and the attorney general</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">of the state now interpret the
law to mean.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">For five years now vendors have
been pressing the Commission to be more aggressive in seeking and keeping
facilities. Randy Hauth, who has been the chairman</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">of the Business Enterprise
Consumer Committee for eight years and a blind vendor for twenty-six, notes with
alarm that, when he received his first facility,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">thirty-three managers were
operating businesses in the program. Today there are seventeen. Consumers and
managers say the agency passes up facilities by</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">not bidding in a timely manner,
by agreeing to award them to outside interests with the option of revisiting the
decision at a later date, and by letting</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">building administrators terminate
their relationships with the Business Enterprise Program without reason.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Managers have been pressing the
Oregon Commission for the Blind and its board to join with them in testing the
statute and letting a judge determine whether</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">it grants blind people the right
to bid or something more expansive such as a priority in operating state
facilities and the right to first refusal. Managers</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">assert and Mock confirms that the
agency agreed to bring a test case involving a community college, but she says
that the Commission's council (the attorney</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">general of Oregon) scuttled that
idea, saying there is no right of first refusal in the law, only a requirement
to let blind people bid on the facility</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">and then, if it is not awarded to
them, to explain to them in writing why their bid was not accepted.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Consumers and business enterprise
managers contend that the law says the state will give priority to services
provided by the blind, that the agency has</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">the right to survey any property
where the state plans to offer vending services, and that the refusal by
building management to award a facility to the</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">blind is not permitted if the
agency proposal offers the same quality, quantity, and price.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">NFB of Oregon President Art
Stevenson says that, if the agency won't join in getting a judge to decide the
issue, the affiliate and the national body will</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">join forces in bringing a suit.
Scott LaBarre, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado and
a leading attorney coordinating many of</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">the Federation's cases, says that
the NFB is considering a variety of legal remedies and has already filed
administrative complaints and requests for fair</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">hearings pursuant to the
corresponding Randolph-Sheppard regulations. He says, “The OCB has now reached
out to us to discuss these matters, thanks in large</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">part to the work Carla McQuillan
has done as a new OCB Commission member. Any business or person has the right to
bid on these state contracts. The vendors</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">need no special law to give them
that right. Our reading of the applicable statute is that it gives OCB the right
of first refusal for these contracts</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">and much more than just the right
to bid on them. We are hopeful that the recently opened dialogue will lead
somewhere productive. If it does not, we plan</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">to take legal action to enforce
the Oregon statutes and protect the rights of the licensed managers there.”</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">As further evidence of the
Commission’s failure to work cooperatively with blind managers, Hauth and
Stevenson say that the hiring of Walt Reyes as the</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">head of the Business Enterprise
Program happened in violation of an agreement they had with Administrator Mock.
The elected committee expressed reservations</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">about elevating Reyes from his
position as a local vendor representative because of performance problems. They
agreed to Mock’s desire to hire him with</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">the understanding that the
Committee and Mock would be involved in evaluating him prior to expiration of
the six-month probation all employees must serve</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">prior to having their jobs
considered permanent. During Reyes’s probationary period managers expressed
concern about his performance as the acting head</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">of the program and said he should
not be hired. Mock disagreed and offered him a permanent position. As noted in
the newspaper article above, Reyes has</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">been on administrative leave
since August, and Mock says she is unable to discuss anything about the case—the
dispute over his hiring, his reason for being</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">placed on administrative leave,
and the state’s ongoing investigation by the Department of Administration and
the state Department of Justice. Managers</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">are anxious for the Commission to
find a permanent replacement for Reyes and are uncomfortable because the acting
director, in Reyes’s absence, is a man</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">he hired to assist him who is
both a personal friend and the godfather of Reyes’s son.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">One other observation begs to be
made here. Some are critical of and put off by what they see as the petty
squabbles between the National Federation of</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">the Blind and the American
Council of the Blind, but take a moment to consider the reaction of Kae Seth,
the Council's president in Oregon, as captured</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">in the Portland Tribune article.
Participants in a discussion as important as agency accountability and their own
livelihoods she characterizes as children</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">who should have their heads
knocked together. From what state child welfare manual is this prescription for
better behavior taken?</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">When it comes to the Commission
board’s meeting only twelve hours a year to oversee the work of the agency, get
consumer input, address appeals from agency</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">clients, and help the Commission
plan for its future, the response of Seth is that the board has liked it that
way. One has to wonder whether past boards</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">have actually considered their
critical function in running a citizen-directed agency or whether they have seen
their role as ceremonial, a chance for</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">a bit of public recognition and a
way to build a résumé.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">And what can be said about the
comment that Art Stevenson's participation represents a conflict of interest
because he is a manager in the Business Enterprise</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Program and the president of the
National Federation of the Blind? Wouldn't his stake in preserving his
livelihood and his obligation to protect the interest</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">of blind Oregonians he has been
elected to serve create, not a conflict of interest, but a vested interest
arguing for and even mandating his active participation</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">and involvement? It is difficult
to see in what way Seth's comments could bring about better service, support
accountability, or bring unity in work with</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">the blind at a time when all of
our programs face the possibility of devastating cuts and a threat to their very
existence.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Since the publication of the
audit and the appointment of four new members to the Commission board, the time
allotted for meetings has doubled, meetings</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">beyond those scheduled every two
months have occurred, and board members are demanding more information to use in
decision-making. Commission Chairwoman</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Roth expresses optimism that the
board and staff will respond affirmatively in addressing the findings of the
audit and in addressing the concerns of blind</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">managers. She says that, while
the first reaction of the board and the commission was defensive and protective,
a little time and reflection make it clear</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">that the agency will best be
served by doing what it must to implement the recommendations of the auditors
and by welcoming a good, hard look in six months</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">both by the auditors and by the
Braille Monitor. She says the presence of four new members on the board is
helpful because they will bring a fresh perspective</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">to the body, they will not feel
the need to defend previous practices, and they will bring time and energy to
the task of becoming more involved in Commission</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">decisions.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Some Commission members have been
told by state officials that either they will address the Commission’s problems,
or others will step in to do it, with</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">the likelihood that the
Commission will no longer be a consumer-managed entity. Mock believes this would
be unfortunate, noting that Oregon has what she</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">considers to be the best
structure for providing services to blind people. Roth says that, in her
meetings with the secretary of state or staff in the</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">office of the governor, she has
never been issued an ultimatum to act, but she has no doubt that a failure to
address identified problems would have consequences</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">no one will like.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Stevenson, Hauth, and others
agree that the consumer-dominated Commission is unquestionably the best
structure but contend that for too long the structure</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">has been subverted by a cozy
relationship between the administrator and the governor's office, with the
result that boards hand-picked by the director</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">simply went along with whatever
he or she decreed. They are hopeful that the addition of four new members will
result in positive change but still believe</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">that pressure from outside the
agency to test the scope of the law and demand accountability will be required.
They, and many other blind citizens in Oregon,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">also believe that the Oregon
Commission will embrace real change only when someone new heads the Commission.
One commissioner reports having been told</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">that either the Commission will
make the changes necessary to right itself and remove it from public
controversy, or elected officials in the state will</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">actively consider changing the
form of the Commission so that it is under their control.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Administrator Mock, for her part,
says she plans to remain as the Commission’s administrator and says the
controversy over the audit and the complaint by</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">managers in the Business
Enterprise Program obscure the good work done by the Commission. One cannot
detect Mock’s extending an olive branch to forge an</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">alliance at a time when state
funding cuts are inevitable and federal cuts likely. Whether business as usual
between the Commission and blind entrepreneurs</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">represents a false sense of
security or a determination that nothing she can do will make a difference is
anyone’s guess, but the potential problems for</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">the blind of Oregon are
undeniable, and the need for positive action is beyond debate. Let us hope that
the administrator, like former President Lyndon</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Johnson, makes a heart-felt plea,
“Come, let us reason together,” or, as he eventually did, steps aside knowing he
could not weather the storms of a public</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">upset with his policies and
demanding change.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">(</P>
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