Trail Ridge Debacle, Part 2
Where left off last, we were talking about how Republic Services had started the push for a competitive bid process in an effort to take the contract for the Trail Ridge Landfill, which was (and is still) managed by Waste Management.
As a quick recap, you may remember that the Trail Ridge Landfill needs to expand. There's 144 acres being used right now, and that's getting filled up. There's a total of 978 acres available. The City, which owns the landfill, is going to expand the operation to take up some more of the available space. At question , of course, is who gets to manage the landfill, and make tons of money - estimated around $750 million over 30 years or so - dealing with the tons of garbage.
Waste Management believes that their original contract from 1991 gives them the right to continue to operate the landfill. They believe it so much, they told the city to re-new the contract in a no-bid manner, or they'd sue the city for huge sums of money.
In the words of WM's lobbyist, mouthpiece (and known Jax politics insider & power broker) Paul Harden, "believe me...if you don't pass this [bill], it's retirement for me, because we will litigate it until the cows come home." No, really, their lobbyist actually said that. Smooth, Paul. Real smooth. Now, I've never been involved in trying to get a city to give me a multi-hundred-million-dollar contract, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that big threats don't help.
So WM thinks they're all set. Republic Services believes otherwise - well, obviously, there's $750 million at stake, of course they're willing to believe - they believe that the 1991 contract is only for the original 144 acres. So they put a bug in the ear of the city that going with Waste Management for the Trail Ridge expansion would be a mistake, that they could do a better job and the City really needed to look at other options. A competitive bid process was the answer!
And sadly, that's when the three ring circus began.
Both sides went out and hired the best local talent they could - power brokers (like the aformentioned, tough-talking Paul Harden, and PR man and former political operative Paul McCormick on the Republic Side) and all manner of other consultants.
Then came the big push - the PR blitz and the television ad campaigns.
And then came the shenanigans - at least, the obvious ones, like a Mayor's aide "unintentionally" giving help to Waste Management or former aides & friends of the Mayor suddenly ceasing to work for Republic. All the sort of sneaky, dirty, political baloney that we at Angry Jax Voters detest.
The sort of stuff that makes us - and my heroes over at Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County - really, really angry.
But while all this chicanery and unethical behavior was going on over Trail Ridge - looking like it was all on Waste Management's side - there was a deeper problem, one that would go unmentioned for a long, long time. City Councilmember Jack Webb was running around all over town talking up Republic and the competitive bid process, ostensibly because it would benefit the taxpayers.
We'd find out later that that just wasn't the case. We'll talk more about that next time, in Part 3. Stay tuned, kids. It only gets uglier - and more unethical.
Posts
I still cannot believe that Republic Services is still trying to bid on the landfill. I figured if they were smart they would have high-tailed it and ran as fast and far as possible from all of this Webb ethics stuff. But then again, I doubt Republic has any smarts to do so....as they seem to be unethical by hiring an elected official where they want to bid.
Robert, Mandarin
November 24, 2009 at 11:20 PMI cannot say that I am surprised about all of this. Most of the Council is corrupt one way or another, but I do have to say that Jack Webb IS surprising brazen about his corruptness. I think that the City should go after Webb for his corruption and deny Republic any chance for a contract with the City.
Janet
November 24, 2009 at 11:33 PMThis is just another example of an Abramoff type of politics: using political influence and connections to get what you want. After all we put up with during the Bush administration, it is not being seen in our backyards.
Anonymous
November 25, 2009 at 10:59 PMEthics? When has anyone assumed that Jack Webb had any to begin with? This Republic company should be investigated as well, and if either Webb or Republic is found to have done something unethical, they both should be kicked out of Jacksonville.
Jimmie R.
November 27, 2009 at 12:11 PM