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Former procurement officer in Philadelphia district says ex-superintendent steered contract
Jan 19, 2012 10:45 AM
From The Philadelphia Inquirer: The Philadelphia School District's onetime top procurement officer contends that former Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman, despite her frequent denials, personally directed the awarding of a $7.5 million no-bid contract for surveillance cameras to a small minority firm, and sought to deflect responsibility because she had a "personal relationship" with the company's president. John L. Byars, in a civil-rights lawsuit accusing Ackerman and several senior aides of libel and slander, says he was made the scapegoat for the controversy that erupted after the newspaper reported that Ackerman had pushed aside a suburban firm in favor of IBS Communications Inc.
