GOSHEN- State Senator James Skoufis (D, Cornwall) has responded to a statement released by Orange County Attorney Rick Golden following allegations Skoufis lodged against County Human Resources Commissioner Langdon Chapman. Skoufis alleged that Chapman orchestrated a scheme to deliver his brother-in-law a series of no-bid contracts worth over $800,000.
Golden maintains that the contract and subsequent extensions were procured in accordance with the law and that Chapman had nothing to do with the selection of StarCIO and its owner Isaac Sacolick.
“It’s first important to note the county has not disputed a single fact presented,” the senator said on Thursday. He highlighted that the county didn’t argue key facts such as the relationship between Chapman and Sacolick, that they had awarded more than $800,000 in no-bid contracts to the firm, exceeded the $100,000 threshold, and that the company lacked a physical office location and had an expired business registration.
The county also did not dispute Skoufis’ allegation that the other two quotes were from companies the county never actually contacted, but Golden offered an explanation.
“Two of the written quotes considered were not sent in by the companies, and there was no legal requirement for that to happen,” responded Golden. “These two quotes were taken from the federal government’s procurement database, which is a proper procurement method.”
Golden also maintained that the original contract, it’s five extensions, and two amendments totaling 12 times the value of the contract originally quoted was legal.
“Contract amendments routinely occur in many of the County’s (and non-County) contracts. They are needed to add additional services or extend the contract time or both. The amendments under both State and County law do not need to be subject to a new round of procurement, nor would it make sense to do so, as you would then have separate contractors/vendors overlapping on the…
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