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CMS’ Hoffman put in charge of fixing Quincy veterans’ home

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Illinois

* Press release…

Governor Bruce Rauner today tapped a key Administration executive to lead the next phase of the state’s response to the health crisis at the Quincy Veterans Home. Michael Hoffman, a retired Marine officer and current head of Illinois Central Management Services (CMS), becomes Senior Advisor to the Governor with operational oversight of the Quincy project.

CMS Chief Operating Officer Tim McDevitt will be promoted to replace Hoffman at the management agency. McDevitt brings knowledge and experience in key areas of CMS’s operations.

“Our response at the Quincy Veterans Home involves multiple state agencies, medical and epidemiological experts inside and outside state government, facilities and engineering experts, local government, elected officials, federal government and more,” Governor Rauner said. “The recent series of highly unusual winter disease episodes and the growing long-range complexities call for a center of operational control. Mike Hoffman is a problem solver. His project management skills and knowledge of the many agencies involved will bring together the people, resources, and ideas that are needed to best serve our veterans.”

Hoffman’s appointment to the team is designed to help achieve two important objectives. It centralizes responsibility and reporting for all aspects of the Quincy Home response. As important, it means that agency directors and staff in the health and veterans departments will have a single point of coordination for their Quincy focused plans and activities.

Prior to his service in state government, Hoffman spent over 15 years on active duty as a Marine Corps infantry officer. During his military service, Hoffman served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and was awarded two Bronze Star Medals, one for valor in combat. He has been acting head of CMS since January, 2016. His appointment is effective immediately.

McDevitt named head of CMS

The Governor promoted CMS Chief Operating Officer Tim McDevitt to succeed Hoffman. He previously held positions with the state as Deputy Director of Government Transformation and as Acting Director of the Illinois Lottery. McDevitt has been a senior advisor to the Governor on personnel, procurement, labor relations, and operational improvement initiatives.

“We are fortunate to have an executive of Tim’s caliber at the ready to step in at CMS,” Rauner said. “He has a strong agency management background, is familiar with the multi-faceted nature of CMS operations, and will seamlessly transition to lead CMS. Tim has the expertise to help modernize CMS and to continue important efforts to change the culture of State government.”

Before his state service, McDevitt was a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and a native of Charleston, Illinois. His appointment is also effective immediately.

Hoffman is a strong choice. I, for one, am beginning to feel a little better about this situation. We’ll see if that feeling lasts.

* Meanwhile…

State Senator Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) has called another meeting of the House and Senate’s Committees on Veterans Affairs to discuss why the Rauner administration did not take swift action on the 2016 recommendations of an engineering report that was made public last month.

The report, which provides a great deal of information and raises several questions, includes two-year-old recommendations by engineers that the state seriously consider replacing the plumbing in buildings at the Quincy Veterans Home.

Several federal Centers for Disease Control studies have pointed to biofilm within those aging pipes as harboring the Legionella bacteria that has caused 13 deaths and numerous other infections among residents, family and staff at the Quincy facility.

Last month there were four laboratory-confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease at the IVHQ.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 3:57 pm

Comments

Bruce Rauner’s Quincy home scandal represents towering incompetence and malpractice, inflicted on elderly veterans. Unreal that it took this long to name a leader to command the response.

Although Mr. Hoffman may be the *perfect* person for this mission, it’s painfully, recklessly, embarrassingly late for the Rauner Administration to set up a “center of operational control” in March 2018, with 13 deaths in 2015.

Comment by Sugar Corn Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:11 pm
Finally! I only hope there will be swift action now that fixes this incredible tragedy so that there are no more deaths.

Comment by Barrington Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:19 pm
Rauner must dream of a world in which he has complete control over the media and doesn’t have to deal with pesky distractions like this.

Comment by Cubs in '16 Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:20 pm
Given how tragic the Quincy mess has been, and how incompetently (and heartlessly) the Rauner administration handled it, I don’t know if you can say this is an overreaction. But it seems curious that the Guv removed one of his best cabinet members from one of his biggest and most complex agencies to focus solely on this problem. And his replacement McDevitt seems like a really smart guy, but his only professional experience is 7 years as an opera singer, 2 years at BCG, and now 3 years working for this mess of an organization. I don’t know.

The fact that they announce this late on a Friday afternoon tells me how the administration feels about this move.

Comment by Henry Francis Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:20 pm
If Hoffmann is as good a choice as people say, he needs to get those veterans out of that place. Put them up at the governor’s mansion if you have to, but get them out of there.

Comment by PublicServant Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:20 pm
So…..more white males that are part of the good old boys club. So much for diversity.

Also a shame that two agencies couldn’t have done more in TWO years that they need a “Legionella czar.”

And McDevitt - wasn’t he supposed to be part of the crack “transformation team” in the early years? What a joke. What did they transform?

Where are women and minoriry leaders in this administration??

Comment by Seriously? Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:22 pm
Rich, concur on Hoffman. As a former CMSer, I’m pretty hard on the place, but he’s been the best director there since Steve Schnorf in my opinion. I hope he gets the resources to fix IVHQ.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:22 pm
>the growing long-range complexities call for a center of operational control.

Illinois as a whole could use a person who is in charge as well. /s

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:26 pm
Apologies yet again. 4:26 is me.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:26 pm
So the Friday before the next hearing. They should hold hearings more often. Every time they hold a hearing the Governor actually does something the day before. Maybe they’re doing it in response to Jeanne’s newest ad?

Comment by DuPage Bard Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:27 pm
AA hit the $ nail on the head. For the vets sake, let’s hope we’re on the way to a fix.

Comment by Norseman Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:28 pm
“Lead the next phase”?

Rauner’s been promising immediate action for going on four months.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:28 pm
Rich, do you know who in the Rauner Office of the Governor was the “point person” on this crisis?

From the McKinney/Arnold reports it looks like Linda Lingle had some interest. Was she getting direction or reporting to anyone? Why weren’t more hands from Rauner’s inner circle all over this a long, long time ago?

I can’t understand how badly botched this was. But as we learn more it reads like the greatest sin may have been their inaction.

Comment by Sugar Corn Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:31 pm
“it means that agency directors and staff in the health and veterans departments will have a single point of coordination for their Quincy focused plans and activities.”

In other words, make sure to include Mr. Hoffman on all future FOIAs

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:32 pm
Better late than never.

Just hope they give him the fiscal resources …

Comment by RNUG Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:36 pm
The first and most important thing is the safety of the residents and helping now.

The politics and the fallout will still be around, the concern first and foremost is the safety of the residents.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 4:41 pm
There must be lots of infighting, stonewalling, and buck passing to require such a heavy hitter with a direct line to the Governor. Hope it works.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 5:14 pm