Barstow's Mayor driven to change wastewater treatment facility consultant mid-stream despite opposition, in-experience, ethics and common sense

excerpted from a 8.27.08 story written by Jason Smith and published in the Desert Dispatch, "Council meets to consider wastewater contract, again:"

"BARSTOW — The City Council will meet in special session Tuesday at 3 p.m. to discuss a contract to build a wastewater treatment facility.

"According to the meeting’s agenda, city staff is concerned with negotiating with MicroMedia Filtration Inc. to build the facility because the contract was awarded by a council vote and not a competitive bidding process as is normally done. In a July 18 meeting, the council voted 3-2 to cancel the city’s previous contract with consultant HDR, Inc. causing a loss of about $1.7 million already spent on engineering drawings..."

You may want to review these additional posts:

• Plot to give balance of wastewater contract to another consultant coincides with introduction of Rep. McKeon's half-a-million-dollar earmark
• Barstow Mayor Lawrence Dale shotdown in first attempt at scheme to switch wastewater consultants mid-stream
• Rep. McKeon secures $500,000 for Barstow sewer improvement project
• Barstow Council gambles on young wastewater firm