Posted on 07/17/2004 9:36:54 PM PDT by Jenya
Convention panel hides info on minority biz contracts
The Democratic National Convention Committee - facing embarrassing public criticism on their record of doling out contracts to businesses owned by women and minorities - is flatly refusing to provide details of their contracting process.
After numerous inquiries from the Herald about DNCC catering contracts, the DNCC refused to provide the information, citing a privacy policy.
The Herald's inquiry came the same day as one by Boston City Councilor Charles C. Yancey, who said he has been focused for some time on making sure that minority- and women-owned companies could feast on the much-hailed economic boon of the Democratic National Convention.
``I can't provide details of the contracts because we don't make any of that public,'' said Lina Garcia, press secretary for the DNCC, the official organizing arm of the DNC.
Yancey said the DNC has vowed to award contracts to people of color and women. ``I will work with the DNC to correct any problems in not achieving those goals.''
``I certainly have concerns,'' Yancey said. ``I do have a call into the DNC at this point to get a list of the vendors as well as an identification of those by gender and race. I expect to get that information. . . . within a couple of days.''
The DNCC spokeswoman said she was unsure whether Yancey would receive the information, saying, ``I'd have to look into that. I don't know.''
Garcia stressed that of the $14 million spent on Fleet Center construction, minority- and women-owned companies have reaped about $4.3 million in subcontracting work.
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino had directed his Boston 2004 Host Committee, which is handling contracts for catering and other services for citywide events outside the FleetCenter, to compose a special list of small businesses and those headed by minorities and women. The much-hyped goal of the vendor list was to funnel DNC contracts to these businesses.
Andre Thomas, who owns Jones Hill Cafe in Dorchester, which provides catering services and offers a menu rich with American and Caribbean choices, said he has landed some DNC-related business, but mostly from chasing down his own leads, not from being sought out because of his inclusion on the list.
``I understand the good-old-boy system in Boston and realize there were some opportunities that I could have had if it wasn't for those kind of barriers where people just work with specific groups of people, or don't really do the kind of outreach they need to do to work with minority- and women-owned businesses,'' Thomas said.
Yancey is optimistic that DNC money will flow to businesses in all of Boston's neighborhoods.
``In aggregate, I expect the picture to be very positive but I'm still waiting for the numbers, because the numbers tell the story,'' he said.
What ever happened to going with the lowest bidder?
Looks like the women and minority businesses got burned by the Democrooks. IMO most of the contracts went to the unions, who probably did the actual work, while women/minorities were just represented on paper and in photo-ops. No wonder why the Dems are refusing to provide details. Imagine if the Pubbies pulled this stunt. The howling from the Left would wake up all the dogs across the country.
BUMP
Yet the DNC is having no problem playing the
"minorities hardest hit"
card in trying to get the police union to
cease threatening the upcoming BS fest.
It's all part of the DNC's "Contract on America".
They've put out a contract on US?
That would be the effect of the DNC's soft on terrorism policy is implemented via the two Johns. That, and their various other PC idiocy.
1. Or what? does he have the authority to postpone or cancel the convention, or put somebody in jail?
2. Does that mean that Republicans and other minorities in Boston have to be provided in order for the convention to be legal?
The whole world is watching.
"What ever happened to going with the lowest bidder?"
LOL like that matters more than race or gender?
You have no idea how entrenched this is in business, especially, but by no means exclusively, in state and federal contracting.
If you are a minority or a woman (or even better, BOTH!) you are absolutely crazy if you do not open up a business - any business. SBA will GIVE you the money, companies going after federal and state contracts will do all the work for you. All you have to do is show up at a meeting and take your bag of cash to the bank.
I'm not really exaggerating much!
Can you imagine if the Pubbies did this? Headlines across the planet...
It'd be a lead story on each of the commercial nets, and CNN and the Washington Post would be conducting investigations.
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