Goffredo said that all bidders were good, but he preferred to go with Boyle and ONS because their bids were lower and would save the county $250,000. He added that public works director Mike Emili agreed with him.
Executive Lamont McClure, however, has asked that the contracts be pulled from Thursday night's agenda. He said the selection committee had made a decision by points, but noted that Skanska and Boyle were actually tied. He believes the committee needs to "go back to the drawing board" and come up with a consensus. If not, he will reject the bids and start over.
McClure said he was also bothered by Goffredo's disclosure, in an email to McClure, that Goffredo's company has had prior dealings with Boyle.
"I have business relationships with everybody on this sheet," said Goffredo.
"Then maybe you shouldn't be evaluating them. Maybe you --
"Why would that disqualify me?
"Then maybe you should recuse yourself from that?
"I would disagree. I would say I'm going to recuse myself from bidding on the project because that would be in bad taste, but my information is perfectly valid."
"I'm not questioning your expertise for purposes of ---
"What are you questioning, my integrity?
"But if you have business relationships with people you are advocating that we hire, you might want to recuse yourself from that discussion."
"I want to save the county money. Do you have a financial interest in this, Mr. McClure?"
"No, I do not. I, unlike you, didn't do business with companies you're reviewing. You should have disclosed that and recused yourself."
In understand that Goffredo has insight into construction that is missing from others on Council. He provides expertise. But he should recuse himself. His participation on the selection is a quasi-judicial function. While he has no personal interest in the outcome, the Pa Supreme Court has ruled that the decision-maker must avoid even the slightest appearance of bias.
Optics matter. Or as Caesar put it, "Caesar's wife must be above reproach."
48 comments:
Caesar was a lying despot who destroyed the Roman republic. Your optics tests you have been touting seem to stop at the door of McClure/ Barron. Since McClure's own Director of Buildings agreed with Goffredo, why did McClure hasten to dump the favored pick of experts, when he didn't get the guys, he wanted. Why did he want them? Is there a connection? Optics would appear to be cloudy at best and deserve a closer look. Of course, you have a blind spot with this gang and, like Ceasar you have no use for a true representative body when McClure is in charge. You showed that when you applauded the endless double talk of a non-fiscal expert like Barron pretends to know what he is talking about. Have heard you and he text each other during the meetings.
Was is Lori Vargo letting this happen ?
To accuse him of an ethics violation at this point is not fair. He has experience with one of the interested parties and is offering his opinion based on that experience. When it comes to voting on the issue as long as he nor any of his family members have a pecuniary financial interest then he is free to vote.
Things McClure will say to deflect from not having embarrassing audits. I have more money in the bank than McClure's and Barron's poorly run county.
Mr. McClure, Can't believe you think you have so much POWER
Goffredo is doing the right thing by saving the county money
Maybe you should keep your hands out of the register.
Because of you ( McClure) a lot of projects get delayed . Example-- DIXIE
McClueless is on someone's dark payroll
The public works director agrees with him. He has the expertise in the field and is trying to save us money. I don’t see a problem here.
i disagree with Mclure -its better to have someone with the understanding of the business to go over the bids to make sure that there is no fluff as i call it and save the county ( taxpayers ) monies.
You can’t be awarding government contracts one week and getting a contract for your private business next week from that very same successful bidder. Even if there were to be know quid pro quo, the appearance of the possibility of one requires recusal of the public official.
Are these bids, low ball bids ? Will that require large “change orders” in the future ? This used to happen frequently in the Stoffa Era. John would always select the lowest bidder, and without fail they would be back in front of Council with change order after change order. By the time it was done, you could see that true contract price was something around the second or third lowest bidders price.
The didn’t “agree”. The Public Works Director had Skanska ranked second. Interestingly, Goffredo had Skanska ranked last. Which shows he was just playing games with the scoring.
4:12, In actuality, Caesar was trying to reform the republic, which had morphed into an oligarchy under which ordinary people were getting screwed. Senators were able to gobble up the ager publicus and evict Roman citizens who were often serving the republic in a legion. They grew their estates and replaced citizen farmers with slaves. Caesar wanted to reform that obscenity and curb the power of the senate. He did have himself named dictator in order to implement the much-needed reforms and was killed by the senators. They had also killed the Gracchi brothers (Tiberius and Gaius) who had earlier attempted these reforms. Whether Caesar intended to return Rome to more democratic rule is unclear.
6:58, I am going based on what John himself said. If he did not actually work for any of these outfits and in fact competes against them, there is no appearance of bias. But this needs to be cleaned up. Disappointed bidders do sue.
Pushing for a GC when your family specifically his brother does business with over a contractor that built the Forensic Center during COViD and came in on time and under budget when your claiming to save tax payer money seems shady. He should recuse himself and Lori Vargo Heffner, President of Council should demand it. I guess we will see
Which construction company or engineering company has made donations to Lamont campaign now or in the past? Who has made the biggest donation or promised the biggest? Maybe look into Lamonts books at the election office for donations if you wanna do some actual investigating
It's all in how the construction documents are prepared.
Having Goffredo involved would ensure that the documents are complete and bullet proof.
Stoffa wasn't a construction manager, Goffredo is.
It doesn’t matter if she demands it or doesn’t. He is independently elected.
Has Solicitor Spadoni opined on this?
And your proof is … ?
The truth is that everyone knew that THA and Skanska were going to get the project. They did the study for the county. The study was awarded to USA architects who had now proposed to be a consultant to THa. They did this to avoid the public knowing that the same firms awarded the study were also awarded the actual project. Remember the guy from Skanska came to talk to the county about the budget they prepared for the “building”. The architects did a bait and switch to avoid people knowing. You have 2 architecture firms (THa and USA) working on designing a garage. Then you wonder why they are the most expensive.
I’d say LOL but there is nothing funny about this. https://newbrunswicktoday.com/2021/08/parking-deck-builder-remains-on-federal-board-after-indecent-assault-conviction/
I agree- he's totally McClueless, and is getting revealed
When it comes time for a vote then Mr. Goffredo should state his conflict and will probably not vote. There is nothing to recuse himself from at this point. Not until it is voted on.
That meeting last night and the night before was a shit show. The grandstanding by Mr. McClure is getting to be awful. And Barron provides the
Finance Committee with a report but as soon as they start asking questions
about it then he says you can rely on anything it says. You have to wait for the audit.
Bernie won't- he's been on the McClueless train for years now. He won't investigate his boy.
Public Works Director ! who cares what he thinks all his bridge projects have been screwed up and over budget.
Oh, there is game playing all around, but it isn't Goffredo. The gamemasters are McClure and Barron. O'Hare is oblivious because he thinks they are great. They get away with it because there is no real press scrutiny. McClure showboats every chance he gets.
Under HRC Administration Code
Section 17.03 Conduct prohibited
Subsection: a.
No elected official, officer, or employee of the county…shall act as representative or broker in dealings with the county
Subsection : b.
Voluntarily appear or represent …private interests in any legal or administrative proceedings in which ….any official of the county acting in his official duty is a party, except where the county solicitor finds that such interests are not compatible. With county interests.
If council’s lawyer feels there is a conflict of interest, as the executive stated to him, then he
Should recuse himself .
Goffredo couldn’t manage the construction of an outhouse. The company pours concrete. Goffredo sits around nailing wooden forms together all day long.
Council's solicitor said no conflict in the case of Goffredo. Keep reaching.
Emili is good at his job.
Ha, ha. Goffredo and his ilk love “change orders.”
Mr. Goffredo tainted the entire process. At this, even if the solicitor rules in his favor, the process has been comprised. The solicitors opinion may be in and of itself a conflict at this point since he will be putting the county at risk. He may not want to even make an opinion public. Just redo the process as McClure states. I redoing the process is the only way out of this one.
I hardly consider Spadoni a solicitor. The entire process has been tainted who knows who the successful bidders would have been if Goffredo wouldnt have been involved. You can make an evaluation but not a vote. Clown.
Goffredo , being on the committee, is a conflict of interest. You don’t need a lawyer to tell you that, Goffredo knows it is, yet he offered up his opinion on who to go with…regardless of money, he should stay the hell out of it, it’s a typical GOP move.
The county is gonna have to rebid this one. The whole process is now spoiled. If I were a losing bidder I’d be asking some serious questions. Safe play to avoid being sued is to reject and rebid.
Yes Emili is good at his job, but he has no say in deciding if Goferado has compromised himself or the contract.
If there is suspicion of conflict, at any level, the HRC and Admin Code address the proper action that is required.
Even the “slightest appearance” of a potential conflict of interest by ANY councilman sitting on any committee involving any county contracts should be considered to be placing the county and contract at risk for lawsuit. The simple answer to avoid is recusal.
So these 2 knuckleheads (Goffredo and McClure) engage in an online back-and-forth conversation about the bid and bidders. OK students, please turn to Chapter 1 of your textbook in our course “How to F-up a bidding process and ensure a winning lawsuit by unsuccessful bidders.”
Boyle was not the low bidder. CHA was. So, don’t give me your low-bidder bullshit. Goffredo made a mess of this entire process.
So there was a lower bidder than Boyle? And this guy is claiming he wants to save the taxpayer money? Goffredo is a joke. Boy o boy. This guy is gonna learn the hard way.
your an idiot. Only Goofy screwed up the bid by advocating for one of his GCs that give his family work
Goffredo made an issue with it. Now the other bidders know the process was tainted. They will have to rebid and give the bidders the parameters for which they will consider it.
She won’t say a word about her Republican buddy and Spadoni is a bigger joke than Lori.
Goffredo’s amateurish power play has unavoidably delayed this process. Any damage to County property or personal injury to anyone now falls squarely on John Paul Goffredo.
My guess is that about 90% of the attacks on Goffredo here are pure politics, nothing more, and are being posted by people who seems to know how each bidder responded and was ranked. Here's what I know now re Goffredo:
1) He has no business relationship with any of the bidders.
2) His company, not he, once did a project for Boyle. I believe that was many years ago.
Bases on what I learned, I do not see even an appearance of bias provided Goffredo provides an email explaining his past relationship.
Unsuccessful bidders always look for reasons to sue. But they have to get past the standing defense. Generally, an unsuccessful bidder lacks standing. Competitive bidding is for the benefit of the public, not the bidder.
.
your sure are turning Pro-MAGA these days ain't you
What about his brother’s company? I bet they do a lot of business with Boyle.
J.P. clearly says on the Youtuber that he, “does business with all of them.” Then he writes an email that he’s just a competitor. Well, I call bullshit. If a general contractor needs some concrete poured, then J.P. would bid on it. That ain’t competing.
J.P. isn't a competitor they build tiny things and are not a GC caliber Company they are a lowly sub contractor surviving on the crumbs of others
Post a Comment