The Democratic Candidate for Sangamon County Auditor wants to know why more attention isn't being paid to a multi-million dollar contract with Pacific Management, run by the daughter of indicted powerbroker Bill Cellini.
Chris Boyster says Cellini-backed organizations made more than $22,000 in donations to incumbent Paul Palazzolo, and Claudia Cellini's management company now handles operations for the Sangamon County Juvenile Detention Center.
"Connect the dots here," says Boyster. "You have a $5.8 million contract given by a political contributor, he didn't talk about it. And when he was silent, the people who suffered were the taxpayers of Sangamon County."
Pacific Management has been paid $5.8 million since the contract's inception for services ranging from lawn mowing to janitorial services to utility payments. Palazzolo says the county board voted weeks ago to end all current contracts by the end of the year.
"...including Pacific Management, that had business with the Juvenile Detention Center, and my opponent, who's making these charges today, voted no, not to sever the contract."
Pacific Management still oversees the detention center, but Palazzolo says it's not currently under contract to do so.
As for the donations? Palazzolo says anything donated by the Cellini-run Good Government Council has been donated to charity, but not donations from various Sangamon County Republican organizations, for which Cellini was only treasurer.
(posted 4:26 p.m. 10/03/2012 by Alex Degman)