Someone figured out that you need a majority of a trust's board to approve a contract, not just a majority of the quorum, so the 2-0 vote to award $7.8 million more dollars to Cinnabar for the airport's noise abatement program at a suddenly-convened meeting of the Tulsa Airport Improvements Trust wasn't valid. The revote was at TAIT's regular meeting on Friday, and this time four of the five members were present, along with city COO Allen LaCroix, this time authorized to vote as Mayor Bill LaFortune's designee. This time to a motion to approve the Cinnabar extension died for lack of a second.
According to a story in the Tulsa Whirled, Mayor LaFortune reversed his position from supporting the contract renewal to opposing it in less than 24 hours. Say what you will about Bill LaFortune, he knows which way the wind blows, and since the spectacular failure of the effort to recall City Councilors Chris Medlock and Jim Mautino, he knows that the days of cosy deals for politically-connected companies are over.
The Whirled has a precious quote from Cinnabar Service Company president Bill Bacon, who also happens to head up Infrastructure Ventures Inc. (IVI), the company planning to build the Bixby toll bridge. Bacon said, "I'm confused by the mayor's continual change of position on issues concerning the city," Bacon said. "A true leader takes a position and sticks to it no matter how rough the going may get." When a company structures itself on getting special treatment for government contracts, it has to hurt when the government starts pursuing the best interests of the taxpayers.
It's interesting that the Whirled chose to place this story in the business section, since this really isn't a story about the free market. It's a story about a government trust board making a decision about a government contract. It's also interesting that the Whirled chose not to place Bacon's comment in context by mentioning his and Bob Parmele's positions in IVI and the Mayor's reversal on the bridge.
Mad Okie comments on the decision, and his entry has a comment from D. Schuttler, who has thoroughly documented the problems with Cinnabar's administration of the noise abatement contract.
