Dr. Joanne Hale

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter Chanting the much-ballyhooed mantra of “streamlining government, transparency and efficiency,” the administration of Governor Robert Bentley and the Republican-controlled State House have green-lighted, perhaps, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on failed software systems. Last Monday, Bentley’s cabinet secretary for the Office of Information Technology (OIT), Dr. Joanne Hale, … Continued

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter For over a year, Governor Robert Bentley repeatedly received warnings concerning the many technological and systematic failures under the leadership of Acting Finance Director, Bill Newton, and his assistant, Rex McDowell. The time and attendance management system eSTART is just one of several software solutions to fail so badly; … Continued

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—Under the banner of “streamlining government,” Governor Robert Bentley issued Executive Order 44 on June 30, 2014. EO44 combined various agencies into one software system to administer and enroll individuals, in state and federal benefit programs such as, Medicaid, children’s services, public health and senior programs. After two years, … Continued

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—Even though the shoddily implemented STAARS accounting software is still causing major headaches for agencies and vendors, the Department of Finances is doubling down on a troubled new time and attendance system named eSTART. All agencies, major and minor, are reporting unanimously: eSTART doesn’t lives up to the hype. … Continued