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The slow-motion disaster formerly known as Cover Oregon continues to reverberate through state government.
Lawmakers voted to abolish the state's ill-fated online health insurance exchange recently, folding it into another state agency after Oregon spent $300 million of federal money on a website that never functioned.
Now a top state information technology official named Julie Bozzi has filed a tort claim notice, alleging that Michael Jordan, until recently the state's chief operating officer and the director of the Department of Administrative Services, was responsible for "major violations of IT and contract law."
Bozzi says that when she refused in 2012 to approve an exception to state contracting laws in order to allow the implementation of Cover Oregon using "non-owned state infrastructure assets," Jordan overruled her. Bozzi alleges that "millions of dollars would be wasted by the granting of the exception."
Bozzi's attorney, Martin Dolan, filed the claim with the state on April 20. In it, Dolan writes Bozzi says she was demoted and will be terminated for blowing the whistle on Jordan after sharing her concerns with The Oregonian.
Matt Shelby, a DAS spokesman, says the state has received the tort claim notice but doesn't comment on potential or pending litigation.
Jordan abruptly resigned his position on March 5, after launching a criminal investigation into the leak of former Gov. John Kitzhaber's emails without first clearing that investigation with his new boss, Gov. Kate Brown. The Oregonian reported today Jordan is one of three finalists for the vacant position as Portland's next Bureau of Environmental Services director.
Here is the tort claim notice Bozzi filed:
WWeek 2015