First-term governor ignored warning sign after warning sign of a Department in crisis

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Democratic Party Chairman John Zody issued the following statement after investigators updated the public on their review of the Department of Child Services.

“Crises demand leaders that act. To date, Holcomb has handled the crisis at DCS like a politician more interested in protecting his career than vulnerable children. He knew the Department was near collapse when he quietly padded the Department’s budget last year. And when the DCS ombudsman reprimanded the agency for failing to follow the law. And when the Department failed to meet statutory caseload standards over and over. Only when Director Bonaventura’s resignation made it politically problematic did Holcomb speak up. How can Hoosiers trust Holcomb has vulnerable children’s best interests in mind or that this audit goes far enough when he willingly ignored so many warning signs? Is this just another defensive, political maneuver designed to protect the governor’s political career? Any trust Hoosiers had in Holcomb’s intentions and leadership is long gone.”

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