Another $200K flushed
Here's another royal screwup by a city bureau run by the fellow who's now Portland's illustrious mayor -- and his good-looking, but largely inept, staff.
Here's another royal screwup by a city bureau run by the fellow who's now Portland's illustrious mayor -- and his good-looking, but largely inept, staff.
Comments (12)
What's a couple hundred grand? Plenty more where that came from!!!
Posted by Bob | December 29, 2009 9:32 AM
That's an extra $33k for each of those workers. Quite a bonus.
Posted by Snards | December 29, 2009 9:37 AM
In the WWeek article, the "Humpty Dumpty" quote deriding the city's tenuous legal stance on this particular parking meter issue could just as well be applied to the WWeek's editorial decision not to cover the PGE Park/Major League Soccer issue.
How is it that the WWeek can spend so much time and effort doing such meticulous research on selected city issues, and then turn a blind eye to the mountain of evidence calling into question the PGE Park/MLS deal?
Posted by Peter Apanel | December 29, 2009 10:11 AM
So the City bypassed staff to hire a Canadian firm, which in turn immediately subcontracted with another Portland company. I'm having a hard time seeing a good reason for doing that.
I do, however, love the characterization of the city's defense being based upon "the Humpty Dumpty Principle."
I just did the math, and the 200K payout clocks out at $42.75 an hour.
Posted by Roger | December 29, 2009 10:14 AM
$200K? Isn't that what is costs about every four minutes to pay the interest on that $5.7B over there on the left column?....
Posted by RANZ | December 29, 2009 10:27 AM
How did the Portland voting public let this sketchy buffoon Adams become the city's senior executive? From what I've seen he probably couldn't run a coffee cart without bankrupting it within 3 months...
Posted by notjustforlooks | December 29, 2009 10:42 AM
There are many reasons to question Adams' competence to lead the city, but I'm skeptical this is one of them. Seems like this is more likely to be a screw-up by a lower-level bureaucrat who didn't read the small print of the union contract, and of course the union called him out on it. While Adams does get some of the blame because of his responsibilities in leading the bureau, he can't micromanage every single decision his underlings make (and we certainly don't want him to, given his track record . . .).
Posted by Eric | December 29, 2009 11:04 AM
Just when you think have seen/heard it all from Portland City Hall....here comes yet another reason not to move back into the city.....as Bugs BUnny would say:
"What a buncha maroons"
Posted by kathe w. | December 29, 2009 11:56 AM
"That's an extra $33k for each of those workers. Quite a bonus."
You do realize this is for work the union peopel didn't do, but were supposed to have done instead of the contractors.
An even better bonus.
Posted by Steve | December 29, 2009 3:06 PM
Is ths the arrogance of ignoring the contract or the ignorance of the contract? Either way the accountability should go down at least two levels. Below that you probably have people that read and know the contract. Maybe Human Resources should hire someone with expertise in contracts. This is the result you get when people are afraid to say NO.
Posted by pdxmick | December 29, 2009 5:41 PM
"good-looking, but largely inept, staff"
OK
http://www.portlandonline.com/mayor/staff.html
Maybe we should have some brackets for imcompetence and good looks? LIke March Madness?
Posted by Steve | December 29, 2009 6:24 PM
Roger - There was no good reason for the Canadian company to sub the work out to the Portland company - It's all part of the crooked "minority set-aside" racket. It also was alleged that Ellis McCoy, city parking commissar, tried to get a job with the local minority contractor & then tried to cut them out of the business when it didn't happen. Some $3,400 in city money went missing from the machines serviced by the local contractor, but that was swept under the rug, too. What's another 200 grand for people who did nothing?
Posted by Morbius | December 29, 2009 9:32 PM