Resident-turned-councilwoman challenges Glen Cove bid process

The Glen Cove City Council recently approved several routine beginning-of-the-year resolutions to renew contracts and make appointments.

Most passed unanimously, as they have previously, but newly sworn-in Councilwoman Marsha Silverman voted against a resolution on 22 contracts for engineering, financial, legal, drug testing, drug prevention, golf course management and other services. The measure passed 6-1.

“Our contract award process could be done in a more improved manner,” Silverman said at the Jan. 1 meeting. “The failure to conduct a competitive process such as RFPs [requests for proposals] does not necessarily ensure the taxpayers are receiving the best quality and most competitively priced services per dollar spent.”

Silverman, who before her Nov. 7 election regularly challenged former Mayor Reginald Spinello at council meetings on budgeting and spending matters, said in an interview that some of the contracts have been in place for years.

“I don’t know the last time they were evaluated,” so city officials may not know what level of service is being provided, she said.

Competitive bidding for professional contracts would allow officials to compare the abilities and prices of a number of companies, she said.

“We can select the most efficient, effective one, not just the lowest price but really getting the best value for the taxpayer dollar,” Silverman said.

Mayor Timothy Tenke, who voted to approve the contracts, said requiring RFPs for all professional contracts would be unwieldy.

“It would be very onerous not only on the people that we use but on the city itself,” he said in an interview. “It would be very costly, and the time involved would be immense for reviewing these contracts.”

Tenke said some of the firms have not been used in years, and if a need for their services arises, officials ensure that they are still able to perform the required task.

If circumstances have changed since a contract was signed, “we would not use them, we would move on to another one on our approved list,” the mayor said.

Firms that are used continually, such as the White Plains law practice that represents the city on matters involving the Garvies Point waterfront project, are monitored regularly, and city officials are aware of the quality of the work they provide, Tenke said.