COD – US Bank Part 5 – Connections & Concerns

DuPage Co. – (ECWd) –

(Blue colored text are document links you can click to view)

Dave Carlin– Former COD Trustee 2007-2013, Emeritus COD Foundation Board Member / Robert Breuder – COD President, COD Foundation Ex-Officio, US Bank Advisory Board / Marsha Cruzan – COD Foundation Board member, Foundation Treasure, US Bank President Chicago

Candidate forum question for Carlin: If you had to fill out a conflict of interest form, what would be on it? (link to candidate forum question)

“I don’t have a conflict of interest”

TIMELINE

Interlocking boards, Conflict of Interests,
No-Bid Sweetheart Deals to insiders

• 2009 –Robert Breuder named Ex Officio for COD Foundation Board according to 990 form page 8
• 2010 Marsha Cruzan placed on COD Foundation Board and named Treasure according to 990 form page 8
• March 2011 – US Bank Forecloses on Dave Carlin  personal residence
• April 2011 – Dave Carlin selected as Chairman of the COD Board of trustees.
• May 2011 – COD issues RFP for Debit Card services
• July 2011 – Dave Carlin Foreclosure set for status hearing
• August 18, 2011 – COD Chairman Carlin – COD Selects US Bank for Debit Card Services – NO CONTRACT provided in Board Packet for trustee review! Passed on CONSENT agenda item- no transparency –see page 4&5 of minutes
• 2012 – Dave Carlin Still Chairman of COD Board of Trustees
• January 2012 – US Bank Files Motion & Order to Dismiss Carlin Foreclosure
• February 2012 – US Bank names Marsha Cruzan Market President
• Sometime in 2012 – Breuder claims; “U.S. Bank then approached the College about locating a customized, full service branch bank on campus” (Click here and read highlighted section of Board Approval Document)
• COD can not substantiate the claim US Bank approached them!   According to a FOIA response there is NO RECORD of that ever taking place! A response we obtained from OpenTheBooks.com shows ALL communications during that time frame. No reference was produced by COD in regard to US Bank wishing to move forward with Branch Services at COD. Was this all done verbally behind closed doors?
• October 2012 – COD enters into a no bid contract with US Bank however the immediate past branch services contract was established through an RFP process before Breuder came into the picture! The DuPage Credit Union contract referenced specific sections of an RFP dating back to 2005!
• This US Bank no bid contract connects Marsha Cruzan who is the President for US Bank Chicago and just happens to be the Board Treasurer and Member of the a COD Foundation.  This contract overlaps Branch Bank Services contract with DuPage Credit Union that ended December 31, 2012.
• April  2013 – COD Chairman Dave Carlin loses election
• August 2013 – Breuder appointed to US Bank Advisory Board
• November 2013 – Dave Carlin named emeritus COD Foundation Board Member 

Do you think Dave Carlin has a conflict of interest? Is Carlin so ethically compromised that he can’t see obvious conflicts?

All personal litigation involving a public vendor and that vendors contract negotiations with/involving the same chairman of a public body is a blatant conflict of interest and MUST be disclosed. The concept of “avoiding the appearance of impropriety” is one that seems to be missing from from those who have been in charge at COD.

Concerning Questions:

1. Was the fact US Bank Foreclosed on Carlin a factor that led to him feeling pressure to support a contract with US Bank 5 months later?  Or was there a quid pro quo?
2. Was there any internal pressure applied by Carlin for the review team to select US Bank for the debit card services?
3. Is it a coincidence that just over 3 three months after US Bank gets the debit card contract his foreclosure is dismissed?
4. Is it a coincidence that following the debit card contract award US Bank approaches COD for a Branch Services to be located at COD?
5. Is it a coincidence that COD failed to use the RFP process this time even though they did for the previous contract with DuPage Credit Union?
6. Why was DuPage Credit Union replaced with US Bank after 7 years of service to the college? Considering there was no RFP its hard to claim it was a savings or benefit to the college!
7. Did US Bank treat the personal mortgage of David Carlin different from any other foreclosure?
8. Was any special treatment afforded because Carlin was the Chairman of the College of DuPage Board of Trustees

Candidate forum question to Carlin: You were a BOT member when Brueder was hired and when his contract was extended, how can you now be trusted to clean up the current mess we are now in?

Carlin response: “When I was elected to the COD BOT there were two members suing each other, 2 resignations, somebody at COD trying to open a campus in Costa Rica.  I helped with transparency — we posted salaries on line, other things on line. COD was not in a good place. Breuder came with 30 years of experience. I talked with Harper faculty, others. All of them said that Breuder is a good candidate, he gets the job done. I would do it again today.”  (Forum questions link)

Does anyone see an answer to the “how can you now be trusted” question? His response tells us what was happening, what he did, and the condition of COD during that time and that he would do it all again.  He presented nothing pertaining to the question of how he can be trusted to clean up the current mess. 

All the mismanagement and illegal acts exposed over the last 9 months and this candidate for COD Board says he would DO IT AGAIN TODAY? 

Don’t let compromised historic failures ever set foot in a position of trust again! 

(Past articles on COD-US Bank – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 )