The chief of Macomb County's law division said an investigator for a county jobs placement board is mistaken in her claims that she has been threatened with a suspension because she prompted a federal investigation into questionable practices at the agency. George Brumbaugh, corporation counsel for the county, said the threat of a suspension issued to Dee Trevino, a monitor with the Macomb-St. Clair Workforce Development Board, was made because she had failed to comply with earlier requests for a list of the contracts she handles. John Bierbusse, executive director of the workforce board, issued a memorandum to Trevino on Monday, charging her with insubordination for not answering a March 17 letter about a report he wanted on the list of contractors she monitors. Trevino said the letter threatened to suspend her without pay if she failed to produce the list by Friday.
Monitors make sure contractors comply with federal and state laws and regulations.
Trevino monitors as many as 100 contracts a year, she said. Monday's letter came five days after a Detroit News article revealed a pending federal investigation on a series of allegations, including claims by another employee that Bierbusse tried to bribe him with a raise if he stopped sending reports of nepotism, favoritism and shredding of documents to investigators. Allen West made his claims in a 63-page sworn deposition last August. The U.S. Justice Department is looking into Trevino's original allegations, which involved destruction of documents, the hiring of relatives and a no-bid contract for an attorney. He didn't know an article was going to run.