GOSHEN- The task force investigating the contract between Orange County and information technology (IT) vendor StarCIO wrapped up its third day of testimony on Tuesday. The only witness to appear before the committee was Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus.
Neuhaus told the committee that he voiced concerns about the contract to members of his staff long before questions were raised by members of the county legislature and State Senator James Skoufis.
He recounted that he told his staff members, “this thing continues to grow out of control – money, the high cost of this,” he told the special committee. “Now, do I think there was anything criminal or there was some inside job to hire the HR commissioner? No.”
Neuhaus said StarCIO was hired because a contract manager was needed to address issues with IT projects that were behind schedule. He credited the lack of a chief information officer as well as what he called a “Frankenstein” makeup of the department – partially county employees, and partially vendor services – as the problem.
Neuhaus said that in February or March of 2023 Alicia D’Amico, the county director of operations, and Samantha Sweikata, the commissioner of general services, first brought StarCIO’s owner to meet with him. At that meeting, Sacolick recommended the extension of his services to address issues he had identified in his first few months on the job.
StarCIO stayed on and during the summer Neuhaus convened a meeting to address problems with several of the county’s IT vendors, all of which he described as “good” companies. At the meeting, Neuhaus said all of the problems were smoothed out and progress continued to move forward.
In August 2023, Neuhaus signed a contract amendment that he said raised flags. He specifically recalled signing the contract on a Friday evening and holding it until Monday so it could be discussed with D’Amico and Sweikata. Neuhaus said that of the many contracts he signed over his 10 years in office, he questioned only a few in this manner. He said he voiced concerns over the cost of the agreement to D’Amico and Sweikata.
“Who the hell are these guys and are they really needed,” Neuhaus recalled asking. He says Sweikata and D’Amico confirmed the contract was necessary, which is why he signed the agreement.
Neuhaus said he relied on his department head and director of operations, as he usually does when it came to determining the necessity of the arrangement. Neuhaus recalled thinking, “If I take this guy out, I would leave the county beyond recognition.”
Committee Chairman Kevin Hines inquired as to when Neuhaus first discovered StarCIO owner Isaac Sacolick was the brother-in-law of county human resource commissioner Langdon Chapman. Referencing his first meeting with Sacolick, Neuhaus said, “I think after the first meeting they [D’Amico and Sweikata] might have said that like he was a distant in-law or whatever, so that’s the most I have gotten into it.”
When asked if he had any involvement in the process at all, Neuhaus replied “zero.”
Neuhaus took issue with the manner in which the Democratic members of the county legislature and Skoufis raised their concerns. He called their news conference a “complete hatchet job” and held that he and other members of his administration make themselves accessible to legislators.
When asked if he was contacted prior to the allegations being made public, he said he spoke briefly with Skoufis.
The county executive was also critical of the attendance of the Democratic members of the county legislature, which he says is poor when compared to their Republican counterparts. “If there is one thing that comes out of this, the county legislature should hire a truancy officer,” he said. Speaking to their questions about the contract he replied, “If you show up to work, you’ll find out about it.”
