Sequoia and Essex County - the outrage continues

So, $8,000 apiece for a 1980s-era computer and $2,000 apiece for printers. Would you buy one of these for your home or office?
After paying top-dollar for antiquated voting systems, then seeing the vendor fail to deliver these machines by February 28, as specified in the contract, Essex County's Election Superintendent Carmine Casciano came back to the well to seek funds from the County capital budget -- $58,000 -- to pay Sequoia money to help receive and prepare the machines for use in June elections. The Elections Clerk, Linda Von Nessi,  asked for a similar amount to help the county train poll workers. $120,000 in all.

Let's go over this slowly: (1) virtually no negotiation for competitive pricing on a proven flawed voting system; (2) vendor failure to deliver as contractually obligated; (3) resulting time crunch for county officials to conduct needed testing and training and (4) the wayward vendor is rewarded with additional dollars to fill the void created by its earlier failure.

Way to advocate, Essex County!

Why isn't Essex terminating its contract with this vendor, at this point, or at very least suing for damages? And why on earth should *taxpayers* pay *Sequoia* a single cent more for its screw up?

(excerpts of story below)
Link Text

THURSDAY MAY 11, 2006
Voting machines are here, at last
By Lauren DeFilippo, Staff Writer

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ - Essex County's electronic voting machine drought is effectively over.  Several hundred machines have been delivered to the county in the last two weeks, making them fully equipped to handle June's primary election.

The machines were initially scheduled to arrive Feb. 28….

At the May 3 freeholder meeting, Casciano said the county's full order of 700 machines was expected to arrive by May 5….

To help handle the influx of new machines, Casciano asked the board to approve an additional $58,000 contract with Sequoia Voting Systems to cover the cost of testing and preparing the machines before they can be sent into the field, as well as providing additional training for board workers.

The additional funding will come from the county's capital account.

However, the actual services covered by the contract will be performed by Sequoia's sub-contractor, Elections Graphics.

Casciano said in a phone interview Friday that his staff is currently working overtime in preparation for this week's municipal elections in five towns. As a result, there is little time remaining for the staff to have the new machines ready for the primary. That lack of time was the reason for the new contract with Sequoia.

… Casciano said Friday he would be seeking an emergency approval of the funding prior to the meeting.

… Citizens and freeholders alike were not pleased about approving additional funding for Sequoia, which had already failed to meet the obligations of its original contract by not delivering the machines on time.

Previously, the board had discussed the potential of filing suit against Sequoia for failure to deliver the machines in a timely manner, and subjecting the county to possible state and federal infractions.

"This board shouldn't go five cents more contractually then it has already gone with the company," Freeholder Carol Clark said.

…The county's contract with the vendor has been nothing but contentious since it was first considered almost a year ago.

Local residents banded together in protest of the contract…

However, according to Montclair resident Richard Insley, who spoke at the May 3 meeting, the Sequoia machines are not compliant with the federal law, and are the most expensive option available to the county.

Frances Martin, also of Montclair, came equipped with a copy of Monmouth County's contract with Sequoia, which demonstrated some cost discrepancies.

Staff Writer Lauren DeFilippo can be reached at 908-686-7700, ext.
119, or essexcountyb@thelocalsource.com.