Answer: At SDCOE-JPA, the answer seems to be that Diane Crosier decides. Most superintendents support her choice (almost always it's Daniel Shinoff) because they want someone who will do what it takes to win.
Keenan & Associates also prefers Stutz lawyers, including Dan Shinoff and Jack Sleeth, but there is more discussion and disagreement at some of their meetings than at SDCOE. Here's a snippet from a SWACC meeting:
SWACC Annual Board of Directors Meeting
January 30, 2003
Manager: Keenan & Associates
2355 Crenshaw Boulevard, Ste. 200, Torrance, CA. 90501
...DEFENSE ATTORNEY PANEL 02/03-040
Graham Grice reported that enclosed within the agenda packet is the current list of Approved Defense Attorney’s and that the evaluations were an annual process. Graham noted that any new requests or attorney removals would need to be placed on the agenda for the Claims & Coverage Committee’s review in April.
...DEFENSE COUNSEL ASSIGNMENTS 02/03-041
Graham Grice reported the Claims Committee had requested information regarding issues that come up, particularly in employment cases, as to which Defense Counsel should be used to defend a District in a lawsuit. Graham advised that the Claims Committee had reviewed a draft of the Guidelines for Defense Counsel Assignments at their last meeting and a copy is included in the agenda packet for review. Thomas Fallo noted that the Committee had, had quite a bit of discussion on this and requested the Manager to bring some cases to the next Claims and Coverage Committee meeting for review...
MEMBERS:
BAY AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICTS JPA Larry Carrier
COAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT C.M. Brahmbhatt
DESERT COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT Jo Ann Higdon
EL CAMINO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT Thomas Fallo
GROSSMONT-CUYAMACA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT Bob Eygenhuysen
IMPERIAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT Carlos Fletes
MT. SAN JACINTO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DIST. Barbara Oberg
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES JPA John Nahlen
PALOMAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTICT Jerry Patton
PASADENA AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT Sherry Hassan
SAN FRANCISCO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT Peter Goldstein
SONOMA COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT Ron Root
SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY COMM. COLL. DIST. Earl Pagal
VENTURA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT Michael Gregoryk
MANAGER:
KEENAN & ASSOCIATES
Graham Grice
Bill Poland
Cindy Floyd
Jim Kubalik
SETECH (a Division of Keenan & Associates)
Mary Boyer
Bridget Silva
Manager: Keenan & Associates
John Stephens
Doug Ross
Ron Martin
Rick McHale
Tim Keenan
Vince Keenan
Jonathan Lord
Paul Kaump
Showing posts with label San Francisco School District v. Keenan and Associates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Francisco School District v. Keenan and Associates. Show all posts
Friday, October 02, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Capistrano teachers union objects to Keenan & Associates as insurance carrier
See all blog posts re Capistrano Unified School District.
See all blog posts re Keenan & Associates.
Union Questions Trustees' Vote on Insurance Carrier
Beyond the Blackboard
The Capistrano Unified Education Association, which represents CUSD's teachers, is questioning whether trustees acted properly when they rejected staff's recommendation on an insurance broker and went with another.
The problem: Trustee Anna Bryson announced the staff-recommended firm, Marsh USA, had been sued in another state for alleged kickbacks and other issues. It would irresponsible, she said, to give them CUSD's business. But she didn't note that the company the board went with instead, Keenan Associates, had also been sued, in California, for alleged kickbacks and other issues.
That lawsuit, which also named Driver Alliant Services, was filed by attorneys representing the county of Santa Clara, San Francisco City College District, the SF Unified School District and Tuolumne Joint Powers Authority in 2006, reportedly settled for $3.2 million.
Another problem: John Stephens, a senior vice president of Keenan, donated $1,000 to the CUSD Recall Committee in May of 2008. Nothing illegal there, of course, but the whole CUSD-contractors-giving-political-donations-to-trustees thing was often cited as an example of the alleged "corruptness" of the old board.
The CUSD Recall Committee backed and financially supported all seven trustees in office.
On the campaign disclosure form, Stephens is listed as an insurance consultant. I called Keenan's San Clemente office today and verified he works there. Additionally, Stephens was a speaker at an event that Keenan co-sponsored on Internet safety for children.
That event was a month before the trustees voted on the insurance deal. Looking at the photographs from the event here, you can see Anna Bryson attended.
The teachers' union also raises questions about whether trustees gave the issue enough thought and consideration. In the May 19 letter, the union is calling on the board to rescind the contract.
I emailed each of the trustees today asking for their response, especially in light they'd run on the platform of integrity and openness, and have yet to receive a reply. I will post them verbatium when I do.
(As a sidenote, I have in the past and continue to offer any and all trustees the opportunity to write columns in our papers. Those would run as they wrote them with no filtering. None are taking me up on it.)
Here's a copy of the CUEA letter
Here's a copy of the Keenan lawsuit (21 MB file)
Here's a copy of the campaign-disclosure form.
UPDATE:
From Trustee Ken Maddox:
I believed Keenan and Associates provided the superior proposal. I disagreed with the staff's recommendation. For the record, I spent five years on the State Assembly's Insurance Committee as Vice-Chair and was the Republican Caucus lead on a bi-partisan committee to reform the workers compensation system.
My vote was cast solely on what I believe to be in the best interest of the district. Effective risk management is a critical component of maintaining our financial position as a District. I have every confidence the Board made the right selection.
Respectfully,
Ken Lopez-Maddox
See all blog posts re Keenan & Associates.
Union Questions Trustees' Vote on Insurance Carrier
Beyond the Blackboard
The Capistrano Unified Education Association, which represents CUSD's teachers, is questioning whether trustees acted properly when they rejected staff's recommendation on an insurance broker and went with another.
The problem: Trustee Anna Bryson announced the staff-recommended firm, Marsh USA, had been sued in another state for alleged kickbacks and other issues. It would irresponsible, she said, to give them CUSD's business. But she didn't note that the company the board went with instead, Keenan Associates, had also been sued, in California, for alleged kickbacks and other issues.
That lawsuit, which also named Driver Alliant Services, was filed by attorneys representing the county of Santa Clara, San Francisco City College District, the SF Unified School District and Tuolumne Joint Powers Authority in 2006, reportedly settled for $3.2 million.
Another problem: John Stephens, a senior vice president of Keenan, donated $1,000 to the CUSD Recall Committee in May of 2008. Nothing illegal there, of course, but the whole CUSD-contractors-giving-political-donations-to-trustees thing was often cited as an example of the alleged "corruptness" of the old board.
The CUSD Recall Committee backed and financially supported all seven trustees in office.
On the campaign disclosure form, Stephens is listed as an insurance consultant. I called Keenan's San Clemente office today and verified he works there. Additionally, Stephens was a speaker at an event that Keenan co-sponsored on Internet safety for children.
That event was a month before the trustees voted on the insurance deal. Looking at the photographs from the event here, you can see Anna Bryson attended.
The teachers' union also raises questions about whether trustees gave the issue enough thought and consideration. In the May 19 letter, the union is calling on the board to rescind the contract.
I emailed each of the trustees today asking for their response, especially in light they'd run on the platform of integrity and openness, and have yet to receive a reply. I will post them verbatium when I do.
(As a sidenote, I have in the past and continue to offer any and all trustees the opportunity to write columns in our papers. Those would run as they wrote them with no filtering. None are taking me up on it.)
Here's a copy of the CUEA letter
Here's a copy of the Keenan lawsuit (21 MB file)
Here's a copy of the campaign-disclosure form.
UPDATE:
From Trustee Ken Maddox:
I believed Keenan and Associates provided the superior proposal. I disagreed with the staff's recommendation. For the record, I spent five years on the State Assembly's Insurance Committee as Vice-Chair and was the Republican Caucus lead on a bi-partisan committee to reform the workers compensation system.
My vote was cast solely on what I believe to be in the best interest of the district. Effective risk management is a critical component of maintaining our financial position as a District. I have every confidence the Board made the right selection.
Respectfully,
Ken Lopez-Maddox
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