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Cuomo aide defends high bidder for DMV licenses

A top Cuomo administration aide is weighing into a dispute over the awarding of a contract to produce new driver's licenses with black-and-white photos. He says the choice is the best safeguard against terrorists and identity thieves. WAMC’s Dave Lucas reports.

State Director of Operations Howard Glaser is criticizing two state senators who questioned the tentative award of an $88.5 million contract to a Canadian company that was 40 percent higher than the next bid.

Glaser says Thursday the senators should get their facts straight to see if they want to sacrifice New Yorkers' security by going with the lowest bidder.

The two apparent losing bidders complain that CBN Secure Technologies was unfairly chosen.

One competitor, De La Rue North America, says its proposal exceeded the state's security requirements and provides color photos.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.