State auditors allege former Iowa Communications Network Executive Director Ric Lumbard is responsible for $380,000 in misspent taxpayer money. Wochit
The shocking story about the executive director of the Iowa Communications Network misspending almost $400,000 of state money provided an astonishingly long list of his abilities to bilk the Iowa taxpayer. [State agency director fired, Jan. 19]
He hired friends who had no qualifications and gave them huge raises. He used state vehicles for private use costing us $50,000. He took trips to Belize with his "assistant" on state time. He funneled money for invalid expenditures to his Christian affiliate groups. He allowed expenditures on semi trailers that were diverted to his Christian group’s property and sold the telecommunications equipment on the trailers on eBay, never giving sales proceeds to state accounts. This is a short list of the varied activities of the ICN executive director.
The Iowa Telecommunications and Technology Commission is legally bound to oversee this ICN. I would question members' ability to understand what their state agency is doing and how its activities endanger the state taxpayers of Iowa. This demonstrates a perfect opportunity for Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds to privatize a state agency. God forbid there would have been a major mishap of the ICN that resulted in ID theft of Iowa taxpayers or worse.
— Diane Kolmer, West Des Moines