Friday, November 16, 2007
Ceeon Quiett explains the city's position
It's actually quite simple: if you're ninety year-old grandmother, or a man who's just had a hernia operation, couldn't safely carry it down the porch stairs and out to the curb, it must be storm-related.
As Ms. Quiett put it in a letter to the editor:
So it only makes sense that the city enacted an ordinance that left residents responsible for the disposal of any waste that must be storm-related:
To be fair, the "industry norms" excuse that the garbage haulers give doesn't sound completely ridiculous, but there was a paucity of bids for the contracts and potential bidders claim that the "unlimited pickup' provision was the reason that they dropped out of the bidding. In her letter, Ceeon Quiett claims that the contracts were publicly bid, but she also calls her boss a "champion of transparency". If city government really were transparent, i.e. if all city RFP's were viewable by any visitor to the city's website, we'd all have a much better idea whether misleading RFP's were really publicized to frighten away competition.
Also in Quiett's letter:
"Fleecing of America" here we come. Let's give the feds even more to investigate.
Yep, I have real empathy for anybody who's still agonizing over the Hobson's choice tomorrow between a council candidate who says mean things about homeless people and one who writes ordinances to help her campaign contributors make millions -- at the city's expense. Oh wait, FEMA will pay for it. I wouldn't want Ms. Quiett to think that I'm being counterproductive.
As Ms. Quiett put it in a letter to the editor:
SDT, Richards Disposal and Metro Disposal, vendors secured via the public bid process, face similar requirements under the city's solid waste collection contracts, except that SDT's agreement does not include construction material and is the only contract that includes sidewalk cleaning and sweeping.
What is not included in any of the solid waste agreements is the collection of storm-related debris.
So it only makes sense that the city enacted an ordinance that left residents responsible for the disposal of any waste that must be storm-related:
White said the city's trash vendors are in compliance with their contracts. She pointed to a section of the city code that places strict limits on "bulky waste," including a 25-pound cap on bundled construction and demolition waste and a provision that says debris generated by private contractors or at small-business locations is not covered.
...
the ordinance was adopted by the City Council in April, five months after Nagin signed the sanitation contracts and six months before FEMA terminated its mission to provide free debris pickup in New Orleans.
The measure was drafted by the Nagin administration and sponsored by Willard-Lewis.
To be fair, the "industry norms" excuse that the garbage haulers give doesn't sound completely ridiculous, but there was a paucity of bids for the contracts and potential bidders claim that the "unlimited pickup' provision was the reason that they dropped out of the bidding. In her letter, Ceeon Quiett claims that the contracts were publicly bid, but she also calls her boss a "champion of transparency". If city government really were transparent, i.e. if all city RFP's were viewable by any visitor to the city's website, we'd all have a much better idea whether misleading RFP's were really publicized to frighten away competition.
Also in Quiett's letter:
The city cannot afford to ignore any opportunity for federal reimbursement.
"Fleecing of America" here we come. Let's give the feds even more to investigate.
Yep, I have real empathy for anybody who's still agonizing over the Hobson's choice tomorrow between a council candidate who says mean things about homeless people and one who writes ordinances to help her campaign contributors make millions -- at the city's expense. Oh wait, FEMA will pay for it. I wouldn't want Ms. Quiett to think that I'm being counterproductive.
Labels: Ceeon Quiett, Cynthia Willard-Lewis, garbage collection
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Old news worth remembering
The following will appear somewhere in tomorrow's Picayune:
I hope the Picayune isn't getting back into the old habit (that Adrastos* and I used to scream about) of emphasizing Morial connections and downplaying Nagin connections:
That little tidbit was buried deep in a story about Morial pals -- like Nagin business associate Roy Rodney.
The Nagin administration also engaged in some convoluted reasoning to defend the landfill's operation:
Also worth remembering, Cynthia Willard-Lewis was a forceful advocate for the New Orleans East Vietnamese Community's demand that an eastern New Orleans landfill be closed. But that was the Chef Menteur Landfill, owned by Waste Management, not the Old Gentilly Landfill, owned by AMID/Metro.
*Couldn't find the post that I had in mind. One thing that I will say for blogger, I'd rather search for a vaguely remembered post on blogspot than on some of the other blog services.
In 2001, Stumpf and Woods formed a joint venture and submitted the only proposal to operate the new facility. In the final days of the Morial administration in early 2002, they signed a deal under which -- provided the landfill received a state permit -- they would keep 97 percent of the proceeds, with the city getting the other 3 percent.
I hope the Picayune isn't getting back into the old habit (that Adrastos* and I used to scream about) of emphasizing Morial connections and downplaying Nagin connections:
Morial pals fail to clean up in deal
By Gordon Russell
(scroll down, until you reach)
Officials with the Nagin administration would not respond to questions about whether they have sought to renegotiate the Old Gentilly landfill deal.
Bob Brickner, a Virginia consultant who often helps governmental entities negotiate landfill deals with private firms, said he would have pushed for the city to receive a substantially higher share had he been hired for negotiations.
That little tidbit was buried deep in a story about Morial pals -- like Nagin business associate Roy Rodney.
The Nagin administration also engaged in some convoluted reasoning to defend the landfill's operation:
(yet another)Nagin spokesman David Robinson-Morris said it's the city's position that the landfill "was never technically 'closed.' "
The argument apparently rests on the fact that the landfill was ordered closed -- and stopped accepting trash as a result -- but had not completed the closure process required by the state, which involved placing a layer of clay atop it. During the 1990s, New Orleans voters approved a bond issue that in part was to pay for the clay cap, but the work was never finished.
But for the purposes of zoning, city law offers definitions of "open" and "closed" that have nothing to do with state environmental law.
Times Picayune
Also worth remembering, Cynthia Willard-Lewis was a forceful advocate for the New Orleans East Vietnamese Community's demand that an eastern New Orleans landfill be closed. But that was the Chef Menteur Landfill, owned by Waste Management, not the Old Gentilly Landfill, owned by AMID/Metro.
*Couldn't find the post that I had in mind. One thing that I will say for blogger, I'd rather search for a vaguely remembered post on blogspot than on some of the other blog services.
Labels: AMID/Metro, Cynthia Willard-Lewis, Landfills, Metro Disposal, Nagin morial connection
Monday, November 12, 2007
It's a serious question
It was tangential, at best, to the discussion at Oyster's, but I was serious when I asked who has the city contract for home demolitions. This piqued my curiosity:
It should go without saying that if Ray Nagin and Cynthia Willard-Lewis prevail in the debate over the meaning of the word "unlimited," Metro Disposal won't be required to pick up debris created by NOLA demolition.
Going back to an earlier question, I'd say outrageous. Jordan wasn't given a city job, but I can think of one non-profit that I won't be contributing to if I win the lottery this week. Maybe the foundation should update its website to say:
DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP REGISTRATIONS:
36398233J 03/05/2007 NOLA DEMOLITION GROUP 9641 OLD GENTILLY ROAD NEW ORLEANS, LA 70127
Partner: METRO DISPOSAL, INC., Partner 9641 OLD GENTILLY ROAD NEW ORLEANS, LA 70127
Partner: DURR HEAVY CONSTRUCTION, L.L.C., Partner 817 HICKORY AVE. HARAHAN, LA 70123
Partner: STRATEGIC PLANNING ASSOCIATES, L.L.C, Partner 527 WEST ESPLANADE AVE. KENNER, LA 70065
It should go without saying that if Ray Nagin and Cynthia Willard-Lewis prevail in the debate over the meaning of the word "unlimited," Metro Disposal won't be required to pick up debris created by NOLA demolition.
Going back to an earlier question, I'd say outrageous. Jordan wasn't given a city job, but I can think of one non-profit that I won't be contributing to if I win the lottery this week. Maybe the foundation should update its website to say:
But thanks to the support of generous individuals and organizations nationwide, the NOPJF has raised over $1.3 million in funds that will go directly to help police, fire and EMS personnel (and Eddie Jordan) rebuild their lives.
Labels: Cynthia Willard-Lewis, Eddie Jordan, Metro Disposal, Ray Nagin
