Official Quits After Questions

A top official in the state Department of Fish and Game has resigned, amid questions about his management of a contract that benefited the official’s business partner in an outside venture.

The official, Paul Ideker, quit his job last week as special assistant to Director Robert C. Hight after The Times inquired about the outside public relations contract, state officials said.

Ideker recommended $42,000 worth of additions to the $94,000 contract -- for advising on a new marketing and communications strategy -- before the assignment was completed in June 2001, according to the department.

State law prohibits state officials from making financial decisions on contracts with people with whom they have engaged in business transactions not available to the public.

Ideker did not return calls Friday about his resignation. His business partner, Jeanne “Bourge” Hathaway, said she was baffled by the turn of events. She said the contract had been handled properly and top officials, including Hight, had known of her professional relationship with Ideker.

“This contract was approved and was completely reviewed with the knowledge of the director of the department,” Hathaway said. “There were no secrets here.”

In an interview before he resigned, Ideker said he had done nothing wrong and had seen no financial gain from the contract, which was signed in March 2000. He said that others at Fish and Game had known of his association with contractor Hathaway, and that he was qualified to evaluate his business partner’s performance.

“I have no problems being objective about good work or bad work,” Ideker said. Delivering a message about bad work, “if it’s necessary, might be more difficult, but I have no problem knowing good work or bad work.”

Steve Matarano, a spokesman for Fish and Game, said that, after an employee complained about the connection last year, the issue was reviewed and “appropriate action” was taken. On Friday, Matarano said the matter had been referred to the state Fair Political Practices Commission. Still, Ideker for months retained his $70,200-a-year job with Fish and Game. He said the job left him spare time to work for Ordinary Magic, the Colorado marketing and strategic planning firm that lists him and Hathaway as its two partners.

Ideker said he and Hathaway have been business partners for about five years.

Until The Times inquired about Ideker’s role in the contract last month, Ordinary Magic’s Web site listed the California Fish and Game Department and the state Lands Commission as clients, along with the Los Angeles Opera and various other philanthropic and government agencies in the Southwest. The site also listed Ideker as a Fish and Game official.

All references to Fish and Game have since been deleted from the company’s Web site.

In 2000, Fish and Game officials launched an initiative called Marcomm, short for Marketing and Communications. Ideker, whose responsibilities at Fish and Game included special projects and communications, was in charge of the undertaking, and was one of three people who evaluated bids from outside vendors for an advisory contract.

Five entities, including Hathaway, bid for the contract. With Ideker exempting himself from evaluating her bid, Hathaway was ranked at the top, with a score of 97 out of 100, Matarano said. Ideker said he had exempted himself from evaluating her bid but had ranked her competitors.

After completing the Marcomm work, including the $42,000 worth of additional tasks, Hathaway landed a second contract with Fish and Game to advise it on a new customer service system. Ideker said that he was not involved in that $56,000 contract, but that it “grew out of” the public relations contract.

Matarano said another company ranked higher than Hathaway in the bid for the customer service contract but because Hathaway was the lowest bidder -- by $3,000 -- she was awarded the deal.

It was later augmented by $16,000, for a total of $72,000.

Ideker said he believes the public has benefited from his business partner’s work for the state.

“Work was needed; work was sought,” he said. “The work was completed, completed at a high level of performance. We continue to benefit from that.”