DuPage Co. (ECWd) –
The pattern is clear!
Prepare an approval document with minimal information, signatures of Administrators and the President, and place it on the agenda for approval, all while never including the very contracts being voted on! (Board Approval Document)
How many no-bid contracts to businesses owned or managed by COD Foundation members were awarded without including the contract in the Board packet for them to review? We have looked at three so far and all three follow the same pattern.
- Herricane Graphics – Carla Burkhart, Foundation Board member – No contract in the Board Packet for approval
- Roger C Marquardt & Company – Scott Marquardt, Foundation Board Member — No contract in the Board Packet for approval
- US Bank -Marsha Cruzan, Foundation Board Member — No contract in the Board Packet for approval
The interesting part of this is the fact so far, each and every contract issue we have been tipped off about has been handled the same way. No bid and no contract shared with the board for their review. Only a Board Approval Document. Nothing like keeping the keepers of the purse in the dark!
Is issuing a no bid “exclusive” lease agreement with a Bank to operate on Community College property legal?
From the contract: “College, to the best of its knowledge at the time of the execution of this Agreement, is unaware of any document or instrument of public record that the operation of the On-Site Branch or offering of any services therein by Bank is prohibited” (See Section 5.2 of COD/US Bank Lease Agreement)
Does anyone else find it odd that the College is basically saying since we can’t find anything that prohibits this action it must be OK for us to do it?
Again, this was a No Bid, No RFP contract with a business tied directly to a COD Foundation Board member.
Marsha Cruzan is the COD Foundation Treasurer, and according to information on the COD Foundation Member web-site she is Head of Commercial Banking (Chicago Division) and Market President U.S. Bank.
The US Bank code of Ethics and Business Conduct has an interesting 8 point questionnaire to guide their employees as it relates to Ethics and Business Conduct. (Click here for a copy of the Code of Ethics)
- Is it Legal? – Stay tuned for this multi-part series on that.
- Does it comply with our policies?
- Does it reflect our values?
- Does it protect US Bank’s interest?
- Would it look OK in the News? – I think we all know this DOES NOT look good in the news! US Bank President enters no bid contract with College where she is the Treasure of the College Foundation! Nope, that headline DOES NOT look good for US Bank……in my opinion.
- Would your managers, our leaders, and our shareholders approve?
- Would your friends, family, and community approve? – A fair number of the community does not approve!
- Is it the right thing to do? – You decide!
The best part of their 8 question guideline is what is just below it!
“If you answered “NO” to any of these questions, don’t do it.”
Ms. Cruzan has been attending numerous COD meetings and on multiple occasions voiced her opinion on matters to others from her seat in what appeared to be a confrontational manner. Her most recent spectacle was to get into a verbal spat with a citizen at the last COD meeting that ended up with Police intervention. After requesting the police to intervene in some type of verbal dispute, Cruzan ended up moving or being moved several rows back. The person she was complaining about stayed where he was seated.
She claims, with a clear caustic attitude, to be the Bank President however according to US Bank, the President is Richard K. Davis. Interestingly though, we find what is reported on the COD Foundation Board Member site is not quite what is listed with US Bank as it relates to her title. Keep in mind, titles do funny things to some people.
- From Foundation Web page – “Head of Commercial Banking (Chicago Division) and Market President”
- According to US Bank she is the “Market President for U.S. Bank in Chicago” (Click here to read US Bank Press Release)
Is she the “Head of Commercial Banking” or is that an attempt of creating self importance? If you are wondering why we even raise such a trivial issue, it is because of her response to being called a “Bank Manager” by John Kraft during his public comment portion of the meeting. Recognizing his error in calling her a “manager” instead of President he let her know that he was sorry for the mistake and would make sure he would reflect her proper title in the future.
Her response tells us all we need to know!
“Manager is too lowly a position for me”
I wonder how all the “Bank Managers” working at US Bank would feel about such a comment from one of their Market Presidents?
