Steve Mensing, Editor
♦ Yesterday I received an email containing the after effects of cancelling the LaFave’s Construction contacts for up fitting the Veterans Service Office and the Board of Elections in the West End Plaza. $58,618,62 worth of invoices. While I knew tabling the construction contracts would’ve been the far more astute business choice, Chairman Greg Edds, Judy Klusman, and Jim Greene, the new county commissioners, chose not to listen commissioner Craig Pierce with his construction acumen and experience as being the Vice-Chair of the county commission. I do realize at times his cranky edge might be difficult to hear. Craig is pure County anyway you dice it. But still information needs to be heard and examined closely.
Most everybody recalls that Monday night in February when the “Craigster” let the new county commissioners have it with both barrels saying: “All I’ll say is this is the best commissioners that city council’s money can buy.”
At times the “Craigster” appears like he might do himself a favor attending Miss Hochkins “Finishing School for Manners and Etiquette”. At the moment, unless strange lightening smacks the Earth, the Craigster is an unlikely candidate for a seat at the U.N., the Nobel Peace Prize or maybe even a chair at the East Innes Waffle House. But he does speak with candor and he speaks from experience no matter how uncouth and raw.
Some questions linger about our three newest commissioners connection to the county as a whole or to the Salisbury status quo. Blowing $58,618.62 bucks of taxpayer money doesn’t work well for anybody. Miscues or a lack of expertise in making decisions over construction projects count as waste. As far as curtsying to Salisbury’s current City Council I wouldn’t bother. After reading through mounds of public information requests obtained from city hall, actively observing their lack of any transparency/the cover-up of two embezzlements/the “mutual termination” of the former City Manager, and their self-indulgent “decisions” since 2008, I would be very guarded in my dealings with them.
Let’s examine the $58,618.62 waste of taxpayer money our new commissioners made by canceling the contracts instead of tabling them:
The $58,618.62 invoice bill is about 2/3 of the total cost of the Veteran Service Office to up fit.
The project has to be rebid now and may be more costly. This would spell even more taxpayer loss.
The project’s timetable has been set back likely 6 months.
Was there any wisdom in paying homage to a city government who tried to delay the West End Plaza project? City Hall talks about cooperation as long as all the eggs wind up in their basket.
The LaFave’s Construction Company’s invoices:
https://app.box.com/s/y7kvdpw08ikp7hvyp93h2pm6k9vrr88n
