| Bardin Letter |
| Wednesday, 13 April 2011 09:57 |
|
Mr. John Stephen, Partner The Lucas Group 116 Huntington Ave., Suite 504 Boston, Massachusetts 02116-5749
Dear Mr. Stephen: I wanted to take a moment to thank you, your staff, and the Lucas Group for the exceptional evaluation you performed of South Carolina’s unemployment insurance tax and benefit system. We found that not only do you possess the expertise and experience required to analyze very unique and complicated governmental issues, but also you were able to clearly and cogently report your detailed concerns, findings and recommendations both in writing and through testimony in a way that our state leaders could quickly grasp. Your presentations, charts, and responses to the multiple questions posed in legislative committee meetings were extraordinary. When we first met in early January of this year, we discussed the numerous challenges that you and your team would face while conducting your work. These challenges included the difficulty you would have extracting vital data from the agency’s antiquated computer system, understanding the agency’s organizational and management structure, and helping us find management solutions for an agency that had been deemed “out of control” by leaders in our state legislature. We knew it would be difficult for you to complete your work by the deadline. However, your team did not shy away from any of these challenges. You provided well-documented reports that were timely, thorough, precise, and most importantly, responsive to the distinct needs and timelines that our state faced. We will keep you updated on the implementation of reforms and legislative changes that you have recommended. I have talked to a number of state officials concerning your reports, and all have stated that you have provided South Carolina a valuable “roadmap” for reform, and an insightful set of recommendations. These recommendations provide the direction needed to increase efficiencies and save tax funds. Your identification of savings opportunities of $1.2 billion, many of which the General Assembly is adopting, will help the state and those who rely on the unemployment system, not to mention help lower the business tax for quite some time. Please pass along our gratitude to your staff. I hope we have the opportunity to work with the Lucas Group again. Please call me if I can ever be of assistance to you or your staff.
Sincerely, Thomas J. Bardin, Jr. Director |