Not my job: Relatives were bidding on government jobs. This man knew and said nothing

A Macon-Bibb County department director said he was aware that relatives of the county's former top industry recruiter were connected to businesses now accused of improper billing practices.

James Bumpus' last day as director of the Small Business Affairs office is May 25, but on Tuesday he said he did not have any illegal transactions with the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority and its former chairman and executive director, Cliffard Whitby. Bumpus said he decided last month to resign because of what he called a hostile work environment, including attacks on his integrity.

Whitby stepped down in August after being indicted in a federal public corruption probe. In April, documents from an open records request revealed that the Industrial Authority had demanded $2 million in repayment from three companies. The authority claims it was billed for unfinished work performed at Allied Industrial Park, and a couple of other sites.

Two of those companies' owners were relatives of Whitby, who the authority has said signed the invoices to pay the companies. Bumpus said that in 2015 he gave the Industrial Authority the names of the companies because they had expressed interest in bidding on demolition and rehabilitation work at the Allied site.

Fielding questions from Macon-Bibb County commissioners Tuesday, he said he knew there were personal connections to Whitby with two of the companies, but he said it was up to the Industrial Authority to fully vet the companies before deciding to contract with them.

"I knew those business owners from over the years (working in) the community," Bumpus said at the commission meeting. "I was not responsible for the procurement process, only responsible for identifying interest. Anything beyond that would have been taken up" by the Industrial Authority.

One of the companies involved in Allied, Armstead Management LLC, also has a relative that is connected to an alleged fraudulent technology sale to the Bibb County school system.

Tyrone Lewis, Whitby's brother-in-law, was involved with Integrated Technology Consulting. Integrated was a partner in an investment venture with the company accused of fraudulently receiving nearly $3.7 million from the school district.

Lewis also is the person whom the Industrial Authority sent a letter to demanding that Armstead Management LLC repay about $77,000 for an invoice involving work at Allied that the authority says it was double-billed for.

But mentioning that connection, as well as Whitby's son-in-law, being involved with another company contracted to perform services at Allied, was not his job, Bumpus said. That relative is Dante Prater at New Age Concept and Consulting LLC in Macon, a company that the authority maintains also owes it money.

Stephen Adams, now acting director of the Industrial Authority, said they were informed in September 2017 of the connections that two of the companies had with Whitby.

Another company, W.M. Construction, is also accused by the Industrial Authority of improper billing at Allied, but the principal owner is not a family member of Whitby, Adams said.

Small business affairs

Bumpus told commissioners Tuesday that his role with the Allied Industrial Park contracts was similar to what he does when other projects are going to be up for bid: He reaches out to companies that may be interested in applying for those contracts.

Bumpus said he had verified that the companies interested in the Allied projects were minority owned and had their proper business licenses before they were passed on to Whitby.

"The office works with small local business owners who seek these business opportunities in Macon-Bibb County through outreach events, educational programs, technical assistance and networking," he wrote in a statement sent to The Telegraph last week. "The director of the Office of Small Business Affairs does not manage a procurement process — (i.e. proposal preparation, proposal evaluation, contract award, invoicing, and accounting)."

Emails obtained by The Telegraph through an open records request show that in September 2015, Bumpus emailed Whitby to say that representatives from Armstead Management, New Age and Integrated Technology Consulting wanted to meet with the Industrial Authority at the business park about the projects.

Integrated is not one of the companies that the Industrial Authority is demanding repayment from.

Hostile work environment

Bumpus read a statement Tuesday that he wants to pursue other interests and that the last straw was "negative comments" made by Julie Moore, the assistant to the county manager for budget and strategic planning. He did not elaborate.

Bumpus also mentioned that he was frustrated by budget constraints on his office.

Just seven days earlier at another County Commission meeting, a string of business owners and others who have worked with the Small Business Affairs office touted its success.

They cited everything from the networking opportunities it has provided to how larger companies are more often working with smaller contractors on projects with Macon-Bibb, local universities and other government agencies.

The department also helped bring to Macon Operation HOPE, a financial counseling program that's been used by 1,412 area residents since January 2016.

Bumpus said he is proud of what the office has accomplished in its three-plus years, including getting a higher participation rate from businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged groups to apply for government contracts.

That includes businesses owned by women, minorities and the disabled receiving more than 30 percent of contract award dollars for both blight remediation projects and those involving special purpose sales tax proceeds.

"What we've been able to accomplish in the first three years is significant and has made a difference in the community in terms of ... creating an opportunity for the small business guy to have a shot," Bumpus said in an interview with The Telegraph.

He added, "A part of the rationale for what I do is because I want to see Macon win. I think this has been a tremendous success across the board."

This story was originally published May 2, 2018 at 11:10 AM with the headline "Not my job: Relatives were bidding on government jobs. This man knew and said nothing."