Author Archives: browardstaff

Plantation Moving Forward Under New Management

If you haven’t seen the excellent article about behind-the-scenes Plantation by former Sun-Sentinel political reporter Buddy Nevins, you’re missing out on the inside scoop about the biggest story in town. But there’s more to the story that Buddy only alluded to….

Since the election, our city has made great strides. Yet when the City Attorney was picked from a fair and open bidding process after 40 years of a no-bid contract, one commissioner who wanted to protect their campaign supporters had the nerve to complain about the process. Only one tried to put her thumb on the scale by having the same “gadflies” and “insiders” make noise on Facebook and at meetings.

This commissioner and the old guard insiders” are organizing behind the scenes to thwart the voters and bring us back to the bad ol’ days when the good ol’ boy system of nepotism and cronyism decided the direction of our city, not good ideas. They have decided the way to get there is by creating division and bashing and bullying the mayor via the same obvious proxies and lackies they’ve been using for years.

Plantation residents want what is good for our neighborhoods, not what is good for a small group of individuals to regain power.

They are already seeking out candidates to run in 2020 and think being loud on Facebook and at Council meetings will bring them back to power. They are wrong.

The electorate is more educated then ever and last year, voters set the City of Plantation in a new direction by overwhelmingly rejecting the candidates who wanted a continuation of the same old way of doing things. Instead, our neighbors decided to move our city forward to prevent our city and our neighborhoods from becoming stagnant and blighted.

Residents overwhelmingly rejected the stale policies of Mayor Diane Veltri-Bendekoic and her hand-picked successor Pete Tingom, who ran specifically on a “more of the same” platform. While she and her allies at the Chamber blamed conspiracies and games, Plantation voters simply wanted change. We are ready to move forward.

When this small group of insiders can pick and choose which new businesses can open in the City based on their personal tastes and dislikes, or use their office for electoral revenge, it’s bad for our residents and our neighborhoods.

Plantation residents should be proud of the new direction our city is taking and we must vow to never go back to the old way of doing business.
8044B01D-E8E1-44B7-9732-C0E943035218

Sponsored by a concerned Plantation resident 

Protest Filed In Broward County Deal For New Public Safety Dispatch System

Last month, the Sun-Sentinel reported that a new Broward County 911 dispatch system is planned to launch during 2017. Broward’s radio system is expected to be replaced in 2018. Despite budget pressures, operational issues and important political and public policy questions, Broward County staff hastily recommended the purchase of a more expensive radio system from the incumbent vendor, Motorola. With a history of problems with the current system, provided by Motorola,some believe Broward County and local cities planning to use the new Motorola radio system would be wise to slow down the process in order to ask critical questions about this important decision.

According to sources, Broward County staff rushed through the procurement process with a series of check-box forms that did not probe or assess the claims made by the two bidders on the project. Some of these claims, especially on Motorola’s side, were met with documentation “promising” to perform as required. When the time came to award the bid and the points were tabulated, the incumbent vendor’s proposal squeezed by 2% ahead (609 v. 594 points), even though Harris Corporation, a multi-billion communications vendor from neighboring Brevard County, can provide the required radio system at a 20% cost savings to taxpayers.

According to published reports, the Motorola dispatch system has had numerous, well-documented problems. The Sun-Sentinel reported, “past system complaints have included cell phone callers who were transferred between centers, unanswered calls due to technology issues and first responders sent to incorrect addresses.”

Why is Broward County set to reward a company that has a problematic service history and has significantly scaled back their presence in our community? Is Broward County willing to spend $4 million more for the new radio system when there is a much better offer on the table?

A bid protest filed by Harris with Broward County alleges serious problems with the bidding may offer some clues. The protest claims Motorola failed to provide material information to Broward County staff. Harris claims Motorola was allowed to change its proposal after the submission deadline and waive or negotiate 33 changes they proposed to the Broward County’s required contract form.

Did Motorola do this after seeing Harris proposed no changes to the contract form?

Bottom Line: The County and its municipalities should slow down and discuss this critical public safety issue before rushing into a purchase decision and spending an extra $4 million of the taxpayers’ money.

 

***Editor’s Note—-This Post was sponsored by Chelsey Road Consulting.***