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Steve Myers
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Mayor Don Williamson has rescinded a controversial policy that stopped the city from doing business with companies and individuals who had sued the city within the past five years, but he plans to still use lawsuits as a factor when taking bids.
A new executive order issued last week that clarifies how the city will evaluate bids for purchasing and services includes a clause that makes whether a company or entity sues a factor.
"We haven't changed our mind, we just didn't want to automatically exclude people because (they) sued," said Joe Conroy, the city's governmental operations director, on Thursday.
The original policy also had called for the city to terminate existing agreements with those who had sued and said department heads or employees who violate the policy could be fired. It almost immediately came under fire from critics who called it unconstitutional, arguing it was retaliation against those who exercise their legal rights.
Greg Gibbs, the local head of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the organization had planned to ask a federal judge to invalidate the policy in a federal case over the mayor's reading ban.
The Journal was unable to reach Gibbs for comment Thursday.
The mayor rescinded the policy last week, according to Conroy, although the city's Web site hasn't been modified as of Thursday to reflect the change. City officials have said it had not been used since Williamson issued the order on Jan. 21.
Full Story:
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-26/110934843165740.xml |
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Sat Mar 05, 2005 11:33 am |
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