A top official who supervises key library and police projects for the District of Columbia’s troubled contracting office has been suspended, a source told The Examiner.
Karen Hester, a commodity manager in the Office of Contracting and Procurement, was relieved of her duties last week after a meeting with Assistant Director Esther M. Scarborough, a source in the office told The Examiner. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because of a fear of retribution from supervisors.
Hester, who supervises millions in contracts for the city libraries and police department, couldn’t be reached for comment. Bryant Coleman, spokesman for the contracting office, declined to comment.
Earlier this year, the Government Accountability Office blasted D.C.’s contracting office, saying that officials there had little control over nearly $2 billion in transactions.
Both library and police contracts have been the center of controversy. Two years ago, the city canceled a multimillion-dollar library-design contract several months into the project. Earlier this summer, officials slipped two new design contracts past the D.C. Council without having them reviewed.
And the D.C. police department’s efforts to build its own DNA laboratory have been hamstrung from the beginning by delays and cost overruns.
Council Member Phil Mendelson, D-at large, has been increasingly frustrated with the delays in the DNA project. He refused to comment on Hester’s suspension, but he said in an e-mail statement that he hopes that the contracting office can get its act together.
“The completion of the forensics lab directly affects the District’s ability to fight crime,” Mendelson said. “Without an efficient contracting office, critical projects such as the lab can be in serious jeopardy.”
Got a tip on this topic? Call Bill Myers at 202-459-4956 or e-mail
