Cornerstone Receives $29,500.00 Contract.
August 21, 2021
My comments and questions in Italic
MEMO
To: Keith A. James, Mayor
From: Samuel A. Thomas, Sr. Asst. City Attorney
Date: September 15, 2020
Matter No: 26085
Dept. 290 HCD
“Services: The Services shall include: Cornerstone will conduct census outreach services. Cornerstone will help plan, create, and implement communications about the importance of completing the 2020 Census.”
Re: Cornerstone Solutions Florida; 2020 Census Outreach Svs.; Consulting; MP
Contract/ CO/ WO Amount: $ 29,500 Est. Expiration Date: 9 -30-2020
If authorised by the Procurement Code, the procurement method is: consulting service under $50K.
#3 Fee: The total Fee paid to Consultant shall be: Twenty-nine Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($29,500.00), based upon: Budget amounts within the Budget categories may be adjusted as long as the total Budget does not exceed $50,000″
The 7 page contract # 26085 was signed by Mayor Keith James and Rick Asnani on 9/16/2020, and the contract can be read below.
The Mayor can use taxpayer dollars without the City Commissioners vote, and possible knowledge, as long as the total dollar amount does not exceed $50,000.00. In 2 day’s this contract was signed, sealed and delivered and I have no knowledge if the contract paid out more than $29,500.00 or $49,999.99.
Cornerstone Contract $ 29,500.00
The previous contract saw tax dollars awarded to Cornerstone for $248,000.00 and all the Mayor needed to do was declare a “DECLARATION OF EMERGENCY” and again City Commissioners vote was not needed, along with no bids for the contract. Cornerstone contract was for an “EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR COVID-19 VACCINATION ADMINISTRATION PROGRAM”
Here we go again! On Aug.19,2021 Mayor Keith James declared:
“City of West Palm Beach Declaration of State of Local Emergency” (Public Health Emergency- COVID-19)
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Keith A. James, Mayor of the City of West Palm Beach, Florida, do hereby declare a State of Local Emergency, effective immediately, for the City of West Palm Beach Florida, pursuant to Chapter 166 and Section 252.38(3){a)5, Florida Statutes, and Section 2-2 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of West Palm Beach. This State of Emergency shall be effective for seven (7) days, unless terminated earlier.
FURTHERMORE, pursuant to Section 252.38(3){a)5 Florida Statutes, I hereby exercise my authority to waive the procedures and formalities otherwise required by law pertaining to:
1. Performance of public work and taking whatever prudent action 1s necessary to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the community;
2. Entering into contracts;
3. Incurring obligations;
4. Employment of permanent and temporary workers;
5. Utilization of volunteer workers;
6. Rental of equipment;
7. Acquisition and distribution, with or without compensation, of supplies,
materials and facilities;
8. Appropriation and expenditure of public funds.
The State of Emergency may be extended for additional periods of seven days.”
The entire Mayor’s State of Local Emergency can be read below and I smell another contract in the making.
https://www.wpb.org/home/showpublisheddocument/3770/637649812683770000
Two contracts issued to Cornerstone Solutions totaled $277,500.00 and still rising. Cornerstone was also awarded a contract for $ 80,000.00 to promote the Parks Bond Educational Campaign in Jan. 2020. When I receive the PRR (Public Records Request) I requested the story will be forthcoming. Total contracts to Cornerstone $357,500.00.
I can’t help but wonder why the contracts were not awarded to businesses owned by minorities and women. Did Mayor James forget his “Mayor’s Task Force for Racial & Ethnic Equality” James did remember his Political Consultant Cornerstone Solutions.
Dec.2018 under former Mayor Jeri Muoio:
WEST PALM BEACH — “The West Palm Beach City Council voted unanimously to approve the creation of a Minority/Women Business Enterprise Program after a study showed businesses owned by women and minorities were underrepresented among government contractors.” Read the PB Post story below.
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20181218/new-west-palm-approves-plan-to-increase-women-minority-owned-business-program
The end