A Comment Worthy of Response

I received a comment from my old pal, "Anonymous". Normally, A's comments aren't worth the time to respond to, but this time Ol' Anon has actually come through with a good one.

The comment, which was posted under my earlier story "What Garbage" below, is as follows:

Why exactly should Republic withdraw from the bidding process ?

Leaving us the taxpayers what ? NO competition for a $750 "Deal" that Peyton would LOVE to see go to his pal Paul Harden's Client ? (i.e. waste management)

What problem are you trying to solve exactly ?

A transparent bidding process is the ONLY thing between Jax and the "Shaft" as you so eloquently put it.

So why would you want ANY potential bidder removed from the process ?

Okay, my old buddy Anon clearly has misunderstood me. I don't mind - in fact I'd say I support - a bid process. But as you say, Anon, it has to be a TRANSPARENT bidding process.

The all-too-cozy relationship between Jack Webb and Republic - which is CLEARLY spelled out in the Times-Union here, here and here has tainted that process.

If you read those linked stories, it is clear - I mean it is FACT - that Jack Webb was a very vocal proponent of the competitive bid process and a vocal opponent of Peyton's plan. It is a FACT that Webb was pursuing Republic as a business client. And it is a FACT that after Webb spent all that time working toward a competitive bid that would benefit Republic, Republic called HIM to hire him and his firm.

And then...Webb told nobody. Not the Mayor, not his colleagues on the City Council, not the Ethics Commission.

Republic told...nobody.

They kept it a secret. If there was really no conflict, if there was really no ethics violation, why would they keep it a secret?

There's no actual proof - yet - that Republic (in a premeditated and planned way) bought themselves a City Councilor to push their agenda. But it sure looks like they did, even to those of us who aren't rocket scientists or brain surgeons. In fact, in his story on JaxPolticsOnline.com (here), Abel Harding talks about how really bad this looks.

In answer to Anon's question, I'll say this. The problem I'm trying to solve is that I don't want politicians and big business getting together to further their interests rather than the interests of us, the taxpayers. Republic and Webb were doing just that, and the fact that they did it in secret (until the Times-Union found evidence of their misdeeds) just shows that they aren't interested in transparency or competition at all.

Republic should be disqualified from the bid process, both as punishment and as a warning to anyone who'd try to do what they did.

Stay tuned for more on this story...