City Government
More Dirt On City Cleaning Contract
June 14, 2011 
The GUARDIAN has confirmed there is an active police investigation which could potentially result in felony charges being filed in the case of the city cleaning contract which was awarded, protested, defended, and rescinded by Boise City during the first few months of the year.
The GUARDIAN broke the story of Sylvia Hanpel’s Clearview Cleaning firm winning the $395,000 bid and then losing it the night before she was to start work at City facilities including the library. She asked for an explanation of the city actions, but was told only there was an “irregularity.” The City also gave her over $43,000 for her troubles.
Hampel filed public records requests which the city refused to honor, forcing her to seek relief in District Court. Her civil suit seeks to get to the bottom of the matter–to clear the name of her firm as much as anything, but also to shed light on the decisions of the city purchasing, legal, library, and City Council.
Team Dave has been trying to keep a lid on the caper. At this point it looks like they suspect there is a crook within city government, but they won’t admit their suspicions. A police spokesman told us they are “aware of a police investigation” which is potentially a felony. They would not disclose what department or departments were investigating or the nature of the suspected crime.
The City legal department has admitted in court pleadings before 4th District Judge Thomas Neville to being vague–so vague in fact they are now claiming the Court made factual mistakes in a decision to deny a City motion to protect a batch of records from disclosure to the public.
The city said in a motion for reconsideration of the court’s decision they had been, “deliberately vague in an attempt to protect the nature and substance of the disputed public records….the Defendant (City of Boise) asserts the records are investigatory records of a law enforcement agency.”
Based on information made available to the GUARDIAN, it looks like neither Hampel nor her company are suspect (since they gave her $43,000). That leaves mostly City staff as suspects, but the legal department is playing its cards so tight even the Judge doesn’t understand why public records can’t be released.
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Comments & Discussion
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Jun 13, 2011, 6:41 pm
If there is a God above, please let this “investigation” center on the mayor’s office and his troop of clowns!!!
Jun 13, 2011, 10:46 pm
“deliberately vague in an attempt to protect the nature and substance of the disputed public records”……………..or tranlated means “this is how we cover up stuff”.
Jun 14, 2011, 2:45 am
The quote that amazes me is: A police spokesman told us they are “aware of a police investigation”
Wow! The police are aware of a police investigation? God,I should hope so!
EDITOR NOTE–Interesting they didn’t say it was a BOISE police investigation…we even pressed for clarification and got the same answer.
Jun 14, 2011, 11:31 am
What does it take to get the truth out of city hall?? Every piece of paper they generate should be published the same day. Let the sunshine in!!
Jun 14, 2011, 12:18 pm
It would be interesting to add up how many times Bieter and Co. have been to court and lost. Then add up the legal bills to see some true taxpayer waste.
Here are a couple that I can think of: Cliffs, Frazier Decision (x3) and now this.
EDITOR NOTE–other big ones include 10 commandments, $150,000 payoff to Taser victim, Ada County Avimor, ACHD Curtis Rd., Ada Court facilities, botched pistol range annexation/de-annexation…etc.
Jun 14, 2011, 2:46 pm
Neville is the last Judge I would want to even be a part of this. Place the mayor’s office with his buddies of Judges who play ignorant, stall. Neville incarcerates left and right without evidence. Felony, what’s the hold up. Hopefully the Investigators are out of the district for fair play.