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State Attorney Launches Investigation Into Commissioner, Contract Rebid
January 20, 2010
The State Attorney’s Office has launched a review into the county commission’s rebid process and a meeting between a contractor and Commissioner Gene Valentino.
After a complaint from a citizen, the State Attorney’s office announced the “review” — which is the process of looking at the facts prior to beginning any full scale investigation.
When bids were opened on November 18 for a Maplewoods drainage project, Gulf Equipment Company of Mobile was low bidder at $1,768,621. Road, Inc. of Cantonment’s bid was $22,982.26 more. The county’s purchasing department recommended to the Escambia County Commission that they approve the Gulf Equipment bid.
Six days later, on November 24, Valentino admits that he met for about 45 minutes in his office with Roads, Inc. officials, including the company’s president Cody Rawson. Valentino tell the daily newspaper that he met with Rawson to ask for campaign support, but retracts that statement but not explain what was discussed in the meeting.
Roads, Inc. officials then contacted commissioners Kevin White, Grover Robinson and Wilson Robertson, telling them that they could correct a mistake on their bid and save the county $100,000.
Valentino made a motion on January 7 to rebid the project because of errors made by county staff. County Administrator Bob McLaughlin and staff members object. The motion passed 4-1, with Commissioner Marie Young against.
A week later, January 14, White made a motion at a Committee of the Whole meeting to reverse the rebid. White, Robinson and Robertson apologized, while Valentino points blame at county staff and the bid process. The vote to reverse the rebid and award the contract to Gulf Equipment will come at the January 21 meeting.
“I can assure you that I have never intentionally misstated or acted illegally on this or any other issue. However, I am embarrassed and ashamed if it appears that I may have compromised my office. I have not and will not,” Valentino wrote in a statement issued Tuesday.
To read Valentino’s complete statement, click here.
Comments
6 Responses to “State Attorney Launches Investigation Into Commissioner, Contract Rebid”
There goes the public trust again, down the big “T”. All the ethics training in the world for supervisors and empoyees, yet the big guys don’t attend. GO FIGURE!!!
“When are we going to start keeping our jobs here and award only to locals?”
Do local contractors even *want* a rule like that? I heard one of them say (at the BCC meeting, I think) that if Escambia County institutes local company preferences, then they will be subject to less favorable status in other counties/states that they bid in. He said that they have to sign a statement that said that Escambia County doesn’t favor local bidders to receive the same treatment elsewhere.
Roads Inc. does jobs all over…here and in AL. Would *they* even want a rule like that?!
This whole issue was about changing the criteria AFTER the bid specs were published and a lowest bidder was recognized. But the BCC better carefully consider any measures to give preference to local companies and make sure that the contractors really want this! No more uniformed “mistakes”.
When ae we going to start keeping our jobs here and award only to locals?
Good Job Oversight; What a complete disregard for the people who put these clowns in office. Each should resign as quickly as possible and let the people search for someone that we can trust. House cleaning is going to happen and elected officials should take notice. Come election time if your ship is not in good order you’re gonna be in trouble.
The “Croney” politics is the cancer of America and it is rampant at all levels. “You shall know a tree by it’s fruit. ” Look for CHACTER, not “chacters” as leaders.
Two months after the orginal bid process, which was done correctly by the way, the orginal bid winner has yet to get started on this project. The real loosers in this are the public trust in our county’s elected board and the residents who’ll benift from the project. Gulf Coast should take the BOCC to the cleaners for this sharade of Valentoino’s (along with Kevin, Wilson, and Grover). I don’t hold any hope that the State’s Attorney will find any wrong doing, but findings of politics as usual for Escambia County.