Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Don't renegotiate the contracts

Hold Richards and Metro Disposal to their original contracts. From the Times Picayune:
Supporters of Richard's Disposal and Metro Disposal, both New Orleans companies owned and run by African-Americans, told council members during a hearing in advance of Friday's vote on the city's 2008 budget that any attempt by the council to change terms of the agreements, which Mayor Ray Nagin signed last year, would amount to racism and could incite activists to abandon the city in the throes of the winter tourism season.

"What is out of compliance if these men are doing their job?" Spiver Gordon, national treasurer of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, asked the council. "We don't need to come back here and dance around your cash registers. We're talking about economic boycott."

No white ministers threatened to dance around cash registers, when Nagin implied that white businesses that donated to Landrieu. But Nagin opened that can of worms when he made that suggestion and then gave huge contracts to his backers.

There doesn't seem to be a link on WWL's website, but Cedric Richmond and Austin Badon were on the Monday morning news saying that it would be terrible to try to force Metro and Richards to renegotiate. So, if it would be an act of blatant oppression to renegotiate the contracts, the obvious alternative is to hold the companies to the terms of the contracts -- all of the terms of the contracts.

I didn't see the SCLC rallying to Paulette Irons' support when a cabal, that included Jimmie Woods, helped sink her mayoral candidacy -- creating the opening for Ray Nagin to make the runoff in the 2002 mayor's race. Nor did it rally to the support of Total Sentencing Alternatives Program when it lost a city contract to Community Base Corrections. I'd explain, but it's a quick read, note that both Woods and one of his partners were part of the group that helped sink Iron's candidacy. I wonder if Woods contributes to the SCLC. And I'm still curious about the city's demolition contracts.

Comments:
They're victims of their own greed, not racism, seeing dollar signs instead of actually reading what the contract said. They should get half the money, as before, and residents should have to pay for anything over two cans a week. If it's construction debris from a flooded house that needs to be picked up, the city should spend additional money to help residents.
 
I assume you mean two cans twice a week. The old ordinance restricted it to four bags twice a week for most of the city -- the French quarter was different. Now it restricts it to building with four or fewer units. Veronica white insists it's the same, I suspect that the change was necessary to make the contracts legal and that the contracts were different than the RFP. I really can't believe that almost nobody is using the controversy to point out the need to make all RFP's viewable to all residents -- I know you have.

I'd like to see the contracts renegotiated, but i think the only way to get there is for the council to stop talking about renegotiation and start talking about holding the firms to the contracts. Make them bag. I predicted a year that the reformer who replaces Nagin will have to buy out the garbage contracts that his corrupt predecessor (Nagin) signed, just like the reformer we elected in 2002 had to buy out the RTA contract that his corrupt predecessor signed. If this isn't handled correctly, that will be the likely outcome.
 
Post a Comment



<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Old Favorites
  • Political Boxing (untitled)
  • Did Bush Take His Ball and Go Home
  • Teratogens and Plan B
  • Foghorn Leghorn Republicans
  • BayouBias.com
  • Quote of the Day
  • October's News(Dec.1)
  • untitled, Nov.19 (offshore revenue)
  • Remember Upton Sinclair
  • Oct. Liar of thr month
  • Jindal's True Colors
  • No bid contracts