Business
City Cleaning Contract Fails Smell Test
May 21, 2011 
Sylvia Hampel runs Clearview Cleaning with an impressive list of clients ranging from St.Alphonsus Hospital to the Idaho National Guard.
When she won a bid In January to do a $395,000 contract for Boise City to include the Library! and Public Works she geared up on staff and equipment, eager to get started. In February the City Council ratified the recommendation of the Finance, Public Works, and Library departments which said Clearview was “The best qualified/highest ranked proposer with significant local preference.” They also noted the firm had “excellent references.”
On the eve of work beginning on the deal Team Dave did a complete turn around. With no prior notice, they rescinded the agreement claiming the same departments that offered the glowing endorsement now recommend a cancellation.
There was only one sentence of explanation: “Irregularities were discovered and the decision was made to cancel the contract.”
Baffled, hurt, and stuck for considerable start up costs on the new project, Hampel contacted the City. Boise officials paid Hampel’s Clearview firm $43,816 of taxpayer money and got absolutely nothing for the pay off. The claim presumably made her whole for the time, effort, and obligation losses she suffered.
The two losing bidders had previously filed protests over the selection process, but their protests were denied. The City defended its decision to go with Clearview.
The GUARDIAN at this point doesn’t know if Clearview was IRREGULAR, if city staffers were IRREGULAR, if the mayor is IRREGULAR, or if the council is IRREGULAR at this point.
Hampel still wants to know the story behind her sudden dumping–especially just WHAT IRREGULARITIES were discovered?
Despite claims of “transparency,” Team Dave refused to cough up public records requested for all the memos, e-mails, and documents that led to the council’s decisions–both to award and rescind the agreement.
She has filed a civil lawsuit in 4th District Court and awaits a hearing and court decision about release of the secret janitorial documents.
To insure more advertising-free Boise Guardian news, please consider financial support.
Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
May 22, 2011, 12:19 pm
Here we go again! More issues with secrecy. Do they think the city government is the CIA? Every piece of paper generated by the city government should be published, every day.
May 22, 2011, 11:28 pm
Looks like not one, not two, but three more businesses will gat a big pay day because of this city’s ineptness to “govern”! Damn! This is getting really old!!!!
May 23, 2011, 12:14 pm
Everyone’s heard of the Boise Boys.
Yes this really needs to be looked at.
May 23, 2011, 2:25 pm
Good catch,Guardian!
Seems you’re the only one keeping an eye on the whackos in City Hall. Glad she’s filing a civil suit against the city (even though the taxpayers are the ones who will have to pay the tab), but I wonder if there aren’t some criminal charges possible somewhere in here.
May 23, 2011, 5:22 pm
I believe the county coroner is the only elected official that can arrest a sheriff. I wonder who the lucky person would be that got to arrest a mayor?
May 23, 2011, 5:24 pm
So did someone else get the contract (and if so, who)? Or are the facilities currently without any janitorial service as a result of this action? Just wondering.
May 24, 2011, 12:34 pm
I wonder how the city came up with that payoff figure? Clearview may have a problem, if they cashed the $43,000 payoff check. The courts may see that Cleaview accepted the nullification of the contract.
EDITOR NOTE–As we read it, the contract prohibits any lawsuit and the city has the right to cancel with 30 days written notice. City didn’t give 30 days notice and the current lawsuit is over public records release only.
May 24, 2011, 9:31 pm
More fiber in government= less irregularity. Paper is made of fiber. Let’s see the paper.