ChicagoClout

April 7, 2008

BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter fspielman@suntimes.com
The Daley administration has awarded more than $153 million in contracts over the past two months for testing, recruiting and hiring city employees.

The unprecedented wave of consulting contracts comes just two months after Human Resources Commissioner Jacqueline King abruptly abandoned her $147,156-a-year job.

King's decision to return to her old job -- as head of Graphics and Reproduction -- followed a scathing report by federal hiring monitor Noelle Brennan that accused the city of regressing in its efforts to implement a hiring system free of politics.

Five-year contracts for "examination, administration and security" of employee selection tests and operation of "assessment centers" were awarded to: Aon Consulting ($40 million); I/O Solutions ($40 million); Affiliated Computer Services Inc.-State and Local Solutions ($30 million); Ernst & Young ($20 million); and Valtera Corp. ($20 million).

Three other contracts of $1 million apiece -- for "executive talent identification and recruiting" -- were awarded to: Blumental Hart Ltd.; Hollins Group Inc.; and David Gomez & Associates.

Aon is an insurance brokerage and consulting firm founded by longtime Daley friend Patrick Ryan, chairman of the Olympics organizing committee known as Chicago 2016. Ernst & Young had a seven-year, $15 million contract for test development that expired in 2007. Gomez recently conducted one of two nationwide searches for police superintendent.

Human Resources spokeswoman Connie Buscemi insisted the avalanche of personnel-related contracts do not mean the Human Resources Department is being phased out.

In fact, the department's employee services division has been reorganized to comply with a federal court agreement in the Shakman case "and we have put new people on," Buscemi said.

Greetings,
Can I ask you a question? mayor daleys kid Patrick ran to the army to hide from all his bogus shell business deals his father got him. What protection does the army offer someone if they are a wanted criminal for major theft of taxpayer funds and tax evasion? Does the army allow you to be tried as a soldier? Why did Patrick run away to the army? Does the army somehow shield criminal wrong doing as a citizen?

(Response) Look forward to his day in court soon. This is not done yet. Patrick