Legal Cone of Silence Descends on BlueWare Public Records Request
Would you believe............
“I don’t know of any role Matt DuPree has with BlueWare”: Mitch Needelman, May 24th [2012] Forum.
I received the following letter (with the bill) today from the Clerk’s Office. It looks like $100.70 for
a public document which was posted out to vendors on May 4th [2012]. I finally got my own copy from a vendor, but
what the heck is the $100 for, anyway?
There is more legal obfuscation more or less telling me much of what I requested on BlueWare and the bogus ITN
(Invitation to Negotiate) is NOT public record. This comes from the office of the man who claims to have all the
records (while I have none). The truth is Mitch Needelman and the Brevard County Clerk’s Office do everything they
can to withhold public records while gouging for whatever they do produce after extended periods of time.
I don’t blame them for stonewalling this one. There may be some serious ramifications. Honestly, “A contract was let” but
“We will select one or more of the submittals”? The whole letter is baloney designed to provide cover for the shenanigans in
the office awarding no-bid or sham-bid contracts to firms represented by FoM (Friends of Mitch).
On May 28th [2012] Mike McDaniel, the Director of Finance for the Clerk who was handling the Invitation to Negotiate for the
document imaging, told an inquiring vendor:
"Thank you for your interest in our Invitation to Negotiate. We have awarded the contract to another
vendor but look forward to working with you in the future on other items that may come up for negotiation.
"Michael McDaniel
"Finance Director
"(321) 637-2002
"(321) 225-3051 Fax
"michael.mcdaniel@brevardclerk.us"
Now that sure sounds like the ITN was awarded. Should there be any question on the role of Mr. McDaniel (and why not the
Supervisor in Information Technology and/or Records Management), the Onvia seven day posting of the work was very clear:
"Agency Contact
"Buyer: Michael McDaniel
"Buyer Job Title: Finance Director
"Buyer Department: Finance
"Buyer Address: Titusville, Florida 32780
"Buyer Email: michael.mcdaniel@brevardclerk.us
"Buyer Phone: (321) 637-2002"
The goodwill of the Clerk [Mitch Needelman] to BlueWare does not end with the Documents Digitizing ITN. Ms. Renee McGrory,
promoted to Administrative Assistant to the Clerk with the new regime, has sent out messages to the Police Departments of
Brevard County to come to a meeting where another BlueWare product, the data pen, will be demonstrated. Evidently the Clerk
is intent to drum up more business for the firm.
I suspect, as did most of the vendors, the winning bidder was already selected before the ITN hit the street. I also suspect
BlueWare has been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars already to do work towards the Document Digitizing of the ITN, large sums
of money paid without any contract whatsoever.
I’ll know more based on what is provided, and what is hidden, in my recent BlueWare public records request.
Scott [Ellis]
Paid political advertisement, paid for and approved by Scott Ellis, Republican for Clerk of the Court.
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