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Lafayette, La., Names Kevin Samples CIO in Wake of Scandal

Kevin Samples was formerly the information systems director for the Corpus Christi, Texas, Independent School District.

Kevin Samples has been appointed the new CIO of Lafayette, La., by the city-parish consolidated government. Samples was formerly the information systems director for the Corpus Christi, Texas, Independent School District.

He’s scheduled to begin working for Lafayette on June 27.

City-parish President Joey Durel appointed Samples, who has 25 years of experience in the IT industry, to replace Keith Thibodeaux, Lafayette’s first CIO.

Samples will be in charge of Lafayette’s Information Services and Technology Department, which manages the municipal government’s ERP, GIS, applications, and data and telecom infrastructure.

Durel fired Thibodeaux last October because of Thibodeaux’s alleged involvement in a kickback scandal involving technology contracts. Although Thibodeaux hasn’t been charged with a crime, he was terminated because his actions violated city-parish policy, Durel said.

Last month, former technology vendor Mark St. Pierre was convicted on multiple counts in federal court of paying $880,000 in bribes to help land no-bid contracts from the New Orleans city government. Former New Orleans CIO Greg Meffert, who had previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and faces prison time, reportedly testified that the kickbacks scheme extended into Lafayette and involved Thibodeaux and a consulting job given to Thibodeaux’s wife.

According to Lafayette newspaper The Advertiser, “[Lafayette] Chief Administrative Officer Dee Stanley testified in federal court that Thibodeaux awarded a $45,000 no-bid contract to one of St. Pierre's companies, which did "zero" work it was paid to do.”
 

Miriam Jones is a former chief copy editor of Government Technology, Governing, Public CIO and Emergency Management magazines.