This just got a few degrees, more real ... Congress wants to know where their hard-fought Sandy Relief money has been going?
Christie’s Ending of Sandy Contract Draws Call for Probe
by Elise Young, bloomberg.com -- Jan 29, 2014
Republican Governor Chris Christie’s termination of a Hurricane Sandy contract led two Democratic U.S. congressmen from New Jersey to request a federal investigation.
Representatives Frank Pallone and Bill Pascrell Jr. today asked U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan to review the “sudden cancellation” of a $68 million deal with Hammerman & Gainer Inc. The New Orleans-based company was hired in May to oversee the distribution of $600 million in federal homeowner relief after Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of New Jersey’s coast in 2012.
[...]
Christie’s office referred questions to the state’s Community Affairs department. Lisa Ryan, a spokeswoman, said the department will cooperate with HUD and “is confident any review will show the state continues to manage Sandy recovery funds in the best interests of the people of New Jersey.”
“The conclusion of our relationship with HGI was coordinated and efficient, with no interruption in services, following a mutual agreement between the parties as the state transitions into the next phase of the housing recovery programs,” Ryan said in an e-mail.
[...]
Pascrell, Pallone Call for Federal Investigation into Handling of Sandy Recovery Funds
pallone.house.gov -- Jan 29, 2014
Issues: New Jersey
The Honorable Shaun Donovan
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street S.W.
Washington, DC 20410
Dear Secretary Donovan:
We write today to express our concerns regarding accountability and transparency with certain Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funded Hurricane Sandy recovery programs in New Jersey.
It has recently come to light that in December, 2013, the State of New Jersey canceled its contract with Hammerman & Gainer Inc. (HGI), a Louisiana firm hired to administer hundreds of millions of dollars in New Jersey’s Hurricane Sandy housing recovery programs. As you know, these programs are funded with federal CDBG-DR dollars provided through the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act approved by Congress in January, 2013. We respectfully request that your Department investigate the circumstances surrounding the termination of this contract and appoint an official within the Department of Housing and Urban Development to independently monitor New Jersey’s usage of these CDBG-DR funds.
Throughout the Sandy recovery process, there have been complaints of a lack of transparency with the selection criteria and distribution process of certain CDBG-DR funded programs in New Jersey administered by HGI. The State of New Jersey was well aware of similar criticism surrounding HGI’s management of Hurricane Katrina recovery programs prior to awarding the contract. We are particularly concerned that the State of New Jersey did not disclose the news of the contract termination for seven weeks following its initial settlement with HGI. To date, neither HGI nor the State of New Jersey have provided any details as to the reason for termination or the plans for administering the impacted recovery programs moving forward. The termination of this contract also raises questions regarding the allegations of mismanagement surrounding these programs, as well as the millions of federal dollars paid to HGI during the course of this contract - which could have gone a long way toward making Sandy impacted residents whole. The people of New Jersey deserve answers to these questions.
Again, we ask that you investigate the State of New Jersey’s dealings with HGI and appoint an official at HUD to oversee the usage of CDBG-DR funds in New Jersey. We fought too hard for these federal disaster recovery dollars to stand by while they are recklessly mismanaged. New Jerseyans who are still struggling to put their lives back together over a year after Hurricane Sandy deserve better. Thank you for your attention to this request.
Sincerely,
Bill Pascrell, Jr. Member of Congress
Frank Pallone Member of Congress
Good Questions.
What took them so long -- to ensure the NJ citizens get the help, that the Congress intended?
Somehow these Christie Crew assurances, are starting to "ring hollow" ...
Fool me one, shame on you ... Fool me twice, and guess who's the real fool ...
N.J. terminates Sandy recovery contractor
by Maddie Hanna, Inquirer Trenton Bureau -- January 26, 2014
[...]
In terminating the contract, the state agreed to pay the company $10.5 million - $9 million in unpaid balance and $1.5 million in compensation for work done during the transition period, according to the documents.
Hammerman & Gainer administered the federally funded, $600 million Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) program, which gives grants of up to $150,000 to residents to repair and rebuild homes damaged by Sandy.
[...]
On Friday, Christie aides directed questions about the termination of HGI to the Department of Community Affairs (DCA).
In a statement provided by Ryan, DCA Commissioner Richard Constable said the terminated contract had not affected the housing recovery centers, call center, or reNew Jersey Stronger website.
[...]
While Congress and HUD are busy accounting for the Cristie discretionary Billions -- they should do a serious "reality check" on the Christie "
CDBG-DR Action Plan":
New Jersey Department of Community Affairs [DCA]
Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery {12 MB pdf}
ACTION PLAN -- www.nj.gov
Chris Christie, Governor
Kim Guadago, Lt. Governor
Richard E. Constable, III, Commissioner
While Congress and HUD are busy doing their jobs -- they should also find out WHY some of
the 9 NJ Counties,
intended to receive "CDBG-DR Funding" --
only got a tiny fraction of what would be considered their fair NJ share:
Superstorm Sandy CDBG-DR Dashboard
Here's a bit more contextual "background info," in case they need some more detailed orientation:
The Economic Football locally known as the Post-Sandy Planning Grants
by jamess -- Jan 20, 2014
Complete with some back of the envelope summary math -- for the Accounting-challenged. A more in-depth look at the CDBG-DR Funding dispersals by County, by Need, continues here:
NJ: DCA is Weak Link in Christie's Defense
by hannah -- Jan 22, 2014