We have been told and again and again that the fireworks for the July 3 city program should be handled by the Recreation Board because they have been doing it for so long and doing it well. This year and last year the new aldermen Perez and Mayszak starting giving it a little scrutiny and decided to set some new rules over the objections of several aldermen, particularly Ald. Ankiewicz. With persistence they were able to demand that the fireworks go out for bids and that the bids be done by September or October and that this year would be the first time. This only makes sense because the pyro companies fill up their calendars rather quickly by fall and then proceed to make plans for the scheduled cities summer fireworks.
It seems that there was some poor communication in October and the Recreation Board decided to wait until November to open the bids. Tonight was the night and there were bids from 3 companies and one had a representative present. They asked if he wished to speak and he acknowledged that he did and would like to speak after the bids were open and the board refused that and he was required to speak early in the meeting.
Now keep in mind that the board has been hiring the pyrotechnics for years and it was usually the same company. The bids were opened and they appeared not to understand or be able to determine what was being offered by the company we usually use. After some mumbling and stumbling, they decided that they would not tell us the company who was the successful bidder because evidently they were unable to figure it out is my only guess. I'm sorry but I smell something in all this. Why should they be confused by the bids which were evidently to be chosen by shell count? Not sure if they actually took a vote to table the bids or not but it was put off for another month.
Alderman Ankiewicz seemed to be sitting on the edge of his seat all evening and while Ald. Mayszak asked for and received a copy of all the bids, Ald. Ankiewicz said he didn't need copies as he trusted the Rec. Board. I'm sure I need tell you no more, it appears that there is more than seen by the naked eye.
16 comments:
Does Ank get any perks, from this company?
If memory serves me correctly I believe they only got three bids because that's all the requests they sent out?
i think ald. mayzak should post the copy on here for people to see so when they announce the winner we'll see who's doing who ! more or less !
8:09
Sure does make one wonder........
I smell a skunk! "Oh what a tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive!" Please keep this in mind Board Members. The states, and even the Feds, are starting to prosecute fraud. I hope this lack of competent bidding is not a result of fraud. When the ball starts to roll, there will be quite a few falling down the hill. Keep it honest and straight and there shouldn't be anything to hide. Don't worry, somebody will slip up and tell the truth some day.
One person believes the odor is that of a skunk, another thinks it smells fishy. Both familiar to the environment of the river, others are getting a whiff of what perks are in it for me, a rather familiar stink emitted by a few present local politicians. No matter how you care to term it, the general agreement is it reeks of favoritism and dishonesty. Thank you Sherry for your inquires now it is up to the citizens to do something about them.
I question what Mayor Harl believes are honest reasons for not accepting one of the three bids opened Tuesday at the Rec. Bd. Meeting?
Bid rigging is a serious case of fraud and if any citizen or city representative suspects it, it should be reported for investigation.
People looking nervous or antsy is a subjective observation, and usually irrelevant. But there are facts and indicators in the process that could warrant investigation.
Hopefully all the meeting have been audio recorded at least.
I read about fishy smell and skunks. Let's not forget what happens when a can of worms gets opened EVERYTHING COMES OUT AND THE WORMS REGENERATE. How great that is. Some people aren't smart enough not to open the can in the first place and they dig their own hole in the dirt, and even more worms come out. In agreement with all the above blogs.
I wonder what official gave the following quote to the news tribune regarding tonight's city council meeting "THE BIG PICKLE BALL SHOWDOWN". I don't think that is a very professional thing to report.
4:17 I agree, but what else do you expect from city hall. They think everything is a big joke.
Re:4:17 blog. My opinion is that a very arrogant, self-serving, uneducated, cocky person who loves controversy would use the word "showdown." WONDER IF IT WERE AN ALDERMAN? Let me guess. Which Hollywood Square celebrity could it be?
WHERE IS THE AMBASSADOR OF DEER SPOTTING? SELF-APPOINTED AND HAS MANY FOLLOWERS. COULD HE BE BUSY SPOTTING THE DEER THIS TIME OF YEAR? Everybody needs to read blogs under title, ok, I needed a laugh.
Who was responsible to hang onto the Firework sealed bids until the opening? It's very easy to open an envelope and reseal, especially if its manilla.It will be nice to see if the same company who's been doing it for years will win it again this year. Could Sherry or Rodney compare the bids from last year?
Was that meeting recorded during the bid opening?
The official who quoted tonight's city council meeting as "THE BIG PICKLE BALL SHOWDOWN", appears to be about as astute as General George Custer speaking of "CUSTERS' LAST STAND" before he saw all the Indians.
5:08
I assure you, just because a city official believes they can declare something a "showdown" does not make it the end of an issue. Instead of working to present compromise positions and inviting the affected citizens to an informal fact finding gathering, the city chooses its typical us vs them, union vs non union, my high school team against yours backwoods mentality.
These officials are in way over their heads.
4:48
Hello all
It is the ambassador of DS with a quick note. As many of you may know , Friday marks the beginning of Deer Hunting season with guns. Two of our five committees have pointed out this might put a damper in our Deer Spotting , especially given our recent decision regarding new Antler headgear. Few things ruin a days deer spotting more than getting Cheneyed. Our insurance is already sky high since the unfortunate incident with the cows.
The long and short of it, our Deer Spotting season must come to a close. We have appreciated the massive community support, and are even hopeful to continue our new sport with a winter version at the Y. The major hang up seems to be training the deer to use the tag swipe at the entry, but we are confident that Chamlin will provide an engineered solution. Unfortunately their first draft only allowed the deer to turn right and gave them no way to exit without going through the yoga classes. But as the engineers always say, if it were easy we couldn't charge 150 an hour. You can't argue with that.
As we always say when we are hunkered in the weeds, keep your eyes open and your sticks out.
A of DS
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