Last week, disappointed by answers he was receiving from consultant Town Lighting, Councilman Dan Allers said he lost confidence in the company. Mayor Ray Murphy agreed. How much did the consultant cost you? We have the answer.
In the summer of 2021, the town hired Town Lighting under a contract that could have gone as high as $185,000.
Taxpayers doled out $134,000 of that total to the consultant as of this week.
After the input the council received from Town Lighting during the discussion at Monday’s town council meeting, Allers said, “They seemed very under-prepared. It was astounding to me. Today was a mess.”
Mayor Ray Murphy chimed in after Allers. “The one that was on the screen today (Suzanne Landsford from Town Lighting), we’ve never been able to get a straight answer out of her and when we do, half the time it’s not correct. What more do we need from this consultant?”
Back in August councilman Bill Veach voiced his concern that the consultant is pushing for a plan the company would then be hired to implement. He says he’s concerned about a conflict of interest.
Also in August, Marine Resources Task Force committee member Mary Rose Spalletta said the consultant has made mistakes at every step of the way. She said the consulting firm has provided inaccurate information and stated things that are unfair for the community.
The consultant is vetted and eventually hired by the Town Manager. Before Town Lighting, Hernstadt brought in a lighting consultant who had gotten into trouble for bribing elected officials. He was quickly fired after the town finally checked on his background.
Comments are closed.