The city's outgoing captial projects director seems to have serious questions about the morals and ethics of some members of Mayor Ray Nagin's administration. The disturbing allegations from Bill Chrisman are made in City Hall internal documents, obtained Friday by FOX 8. Those documents paint the picture of a bitter dispute between Chrisman and other top Nagin administrators.
In a statement to FOX 8, Chrisman said he quit because in recent weeks, he's been faced with an "ethical dilemma, which he felt was not in the best interests of the recovery, our city and the next administration." He doesn't spell out the dilemma in his statement, but FOX 8 has obtained internal city hall documents dated last month that reveal Chrisman had expressed reservations about spending money on projects he was uncomfortable with.
In a letter to CAO Brenda Hatfield, Chrisman expressed concern about use of the state's revolver fund, a fund that allowed the city an advance on money for projects that would ultimately be reimbursed by FEMA. In regard to the revolver fund, Chrisman wrote Hatfield, "currently sufficient funding exists for project construction until September." However, he goes on to say, "the dollar value of some contracts will dramatically impact the remaining dollars.. and the fund will now be depleted by mid March."
Chrisman may have had good reason for his reservations. His internal memo explains that Haggerty Consulting's city contract in 2008, for example, was $298,000. Chrisman said the contract check sheet shows the dollar value has gone up to more than $2.3 million. "An 800-percent increase from the original contract value while essentially performing the same services," according to Chrisman.
In that same memo, he expresses concern about TDC's contract, Telecommunications Development Corporation. In October, its contract was valued at $450,000. Chrisman stated the contract in his words is "strangely once again amended" to a value of more than $4.5 million. Chrisman wrote, "a 1,000 percent increase in just three months."
In February, Harrison Boyd, another top administrator, sent a memo to Hatfield, requesting that Chrisman be removed from the process of approving capitol projects. In Chrisman's scathing statement, he told FOX 8 that his biggest regrets are that he was forced to leave the rebuilding "in the hands of individuals whose moral and ethical compass are questionable at best."
In those internal documents that FOX 8 has obtained, Chrisman explained the city will have well-financed consultants to manage the recovery, but no projects to build due to a lack of funding.
A Nagin spokesperson confirmed Chrisman no longer works for the city, but would not elaborate on his departure, citing that it is personnel matter. Deputy CAO, Cynthia Slyvain-Lear will oversee the responsibilities of capital projects.
