This was originally published by Rochester Democrat & Chronicle on August 16, 2010.
Assemblyman Richard Brodsky Questions Safety Systems Contracts
A state lawmaker is raising questions over the Monroe Security and Safety Systems Local Development Corp.’s bidding process after a recent communications contract was awarded to a company that submitted a significantly more expensive proposal.
“There seems to be a lot of contract-letting that seems highly unusual,” said Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, D-Greenburgh, Westchester County, on Sunday. “But I’m not going to prejudge.”
Brodsky, the chairman of the Assembly Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, is one of five Democrats running for attorney general in the Sept. 14 primary.
In a letter sent to Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks on Friday and obtained exclusively by Gannett’s Albany Bureau, Brodsky asked for information regarding the county-created LDC’s method of procuring contracts and how much it pays its employees.
Brodsky also asks if the LDC is in compliance with a recently passed law that seeks more information from public corporations and if the entities have any debt.
The letter comes after a bid to construct a public safety communications system was awarded to Harris Corp. in May despite a proposal from rival Motorola coming in at $11 million less.
Motorola’s bid for the project was $18.7 million; Harris submitted a $30 million proposal.
“This letter appears to be a simple request for information, which Monroe County will respond to appropriately,” said Noah Lebowitz, a county spokesman.
“Through the reform efforts of County Executive Maggie Brooks, Local Development Corporations in Monroe County operate in a far more open and transparent manner than is required by state law, including compliance with Freedom of Information and Open Meetings Laws.”
Most of the LDC’s duties are performed by Rochester-based Navitech Services Corp., which then hired NaviChase to solicit bids for the communications project.
NaviChase defended the Harris bid, telling the LDC last month that Motorola’s bid was incomplete and that Harris offered more attractive financing.
Motorola disputes that claim.
In addition to sending the letter to Brooks, Brodsky also sent copies to Navitech and the LDC.
The Monroe Security and Safety Systems LDC was created by the county in 2009 to upgrade communications for first responders and the Monroe County Water Authority, among others.
It has a 20-year contract with Monroe County worth $224 million.
The LDC was created with the goal of saving taxpayers money because it prevents the county from borrowing.
A local development corporation is a quasi-public entity created by a government to perform duties such as economic development or to undertake a specific project for the public benefit.
Some estimates peg the number of authorities, commissions and public corporations in the state at more than 1,000.
Brodsky has pushed for greater accountability and oversight of authorities and commissions that often operate out of view from the public.
“It is clear there has been a proliferation of these off-book entities that are often used to get around the law,” Brodsky said, adding that he was speaking generally. “We’re looking at this issue on a variety of levels across the state.”
The Legislature approved a law last year that created the Authorities Budget Office, which was set up to collect information from the agencies, such as compensation and bidding procedures. The law also aims to reduce the number of agencies around the state that no longer serve a useful function.
Brodsky has recently focused his committee’s attention on the bonuses received by the leadership of LDCs in Greene and Fulton counties.
