Management Material

As many of you may have heard, there was a significant data breach at the Comptroller's office that was discovered March 31, 2011.  3.5 million Texans were affected, a majority being former or current public employees.  The public is rightfully outraged over such a massive security breach, but, even more outlandish then the size of the breach was the behavior by Mrs. Combs. 

From the onset, it appeared that Mrs. Combs did not want her name associated with the breach, even though it was taking place in the agency she is responsible for.  The letters sent to Texans affected by the breach were signed by the now former Technology Officer Victor Gonzalez.  The letter was insincere and almost seemed to shift blame onto the public. It offered a "reduced priced" credit monitoring service, who just happened to be a campaign contributor to Mrs. Combs.  Nothing reeks of corruption more than using a campaign donor as your vendor.

 It is no secret that the Republican political machine considers her a top contender for Lt. Governor, and she spends more time raising her public profile than actually attending to the corroding agency in which she presides.  Employees throughout the agency were not surprised by the lax in security protocol, but they were surprised by the lack of leadership she displayed to her employees.  Employees found out about the breach after the story broke in the press, confirmation was sent from internal communications, not from Mrs. Combs herself. 

 It took a threat of a lawsuit for the Comptroller to do the right thing and offer free credit monitoring, but, the damage had already been done.  No doubt the media will once again harp on the fact that the company chosen to offer the free service is a donor to the Comptroller.  Additionally, the Comptroller is using campaign funds to pay for the free credit monitoring services.  The use of campaign funds is legal according to § 253.035 in The TEXAS ETHICS COMMISSION TITLE 15, ELECTION CODE, REGULATING POLITICAL FUNDS AND CAMPAIGNs.  So, while it may appear unethical it is actually within the boundaries of the law.   

Appearing unethical can be just as bad as being unethical.  At this point, Mrs. Combs has lost the respect of the public and her employees.  The extra steps taken to appease the public will not stem a lawsuit, nor will it help her fight off an opponent in an reelection campaign, or election into another office. She will need to partake in extensive damage control to repair her reputation.  Ultimately, only time will tell if the public will forgive and forget at the polls next election.