Seedy Council: Sleight of Mouth

Ha Ha Ha ! We got away with it again! I love being Mayor!!

Monday night, the Laredo seedy council followed through with their controversial plan to award operation of the city's two refrigerated facilities to Garros Services. As La Sanbe documented, the Garros owner has been known to fly the mayor and others with the city to Mexican destinations. The Mayor has also said that his acceptance of these "free" flights were meant to save the city money.

As the old saying goes, nothing is free and now Garros has come to collect its due in the form of this multi-million dollar contract. So, as it turns out those flights were pretty expensive to the taxpayers afterall. Out of $95, the city will get only $11 and Garros will get the other $84 per trailer. This was what the mayor and others owed Garros just for getting to have flown on their lear jet. Indeed, that was one very expensive ride. As it turns out, it was never really a question of who was going to be awarded the contract. 

Several seedy council members plus the mayor took turns at trying to lend an air of legitimacy to their selection by pointing out that 1) everyone had a chance to put in their proposal and 2) Garros was the only one who was qualified plus 3) Garros was the only one with enough money to take on such a responsibility.

This was pure sleight of mouth: Garros is a broker and no broker should have been allowed to bid on the contract. Of course, the city set the parameters and conveniently allowed brokers to be allowed in the pool of possible contractors.  It does not matter that Garros was the most(?) qualified and had the most money.The only ones applying for the contract should have non-brokers. Yet, not only did the city created friction and upheaval in the freight forwarding community but they did so by selecting the one broker (Garros) who had granted favors to the mayor and others in the past in the form of free jet rides.

I don't know if this meets the smell test of quid pro quo but it sure does not look good to have our mayor and other in our local government accept favors and freebies from interested parties with the lame excuse of saving the city money and then, turn around and award them huge contracts.

 For my part, the mayor and those around him should make it a point to absolutely not accept any more freebies since it will then make them beholden to the gifter-as it just did.