This Thursday, August 8, at 10:00 a.m. in the Ed Ball Building on the 8th Floor in Conference Room 851 you can hear about a new Consultant hire for the Mayor. While there — watch for snakes in the grass.
A recent “retirement” on June 28th by the Chief Administration Officer, Sam Mousa, has evidently not lasted long. Six weeks to be exact.
Mayor Curry wants to “hire” Mousa Consulting as a consultant to help him do his job. He’s requesting a “Single Source Contract” with Mousa Consulting, Inc. from 9/1/2019 to 8/31/2020 in the amount of $120,000 for the year. Keep in mind this is on top of the city pension Mr. Mousa will receive because of his “retirement.”
Definition of a Single Source Contract is an award for an exceptional purchase, or a purchase made without competition or advertisement, from either a “proprietary source” or “single source” as defined by and in accordance with §§ 126.206 and 126.312, Jacksonville Ordinance Code.
When we saw this deal, we pulled up the “Breaking News” deal from last week with Mr. Mousa and Tim Baker, the Mayor’s former campaign consultant. They were accused of shaking down the School Board for a consulting gig of $12,500 a month — for up to 3 years — to help them get their school tax deal done with the City Council. Mousa/Baker poo-pooed the “shake down” concept when they were called out on it by the local news. They even tagged the School Board chair a “fool.” The news got ugly fast.
Read more here: https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20190726/ex-curry-aide-mayors-top-strategist-offer-duval-schools-sales-tax-help
The questions in all of this is:
Did the Mayor have a gig aka “Single Source Contract” set up for Mousa all the while Mousa/Baker were courting the School Board for another consulting gig? If so, is that ethical?
or
Since the School Board gig was called out and fell apart, did the Mayor set up this “Single Source Contract” as a “gift” to Mousa for losing that deal?
The rumors after the School Board gig fell apart were Mr. Mousa and Mr. Baker were really disappointed. Go figure. Who wouldn’t be disappointed when they lost a deal like that?
Here’s what we have to say about all this:
Nice gig, Mousa Consulting.
Terrible optics, Mayor Curry.
So brazen. So in our faces.
For more information on this Single Source deal, you can check it out on the city website — Professional Services Evaluation Committee — Item #P-48-19SS#4. It’s a done deal friends so no need to show up and protest this deal. It will not matter what you think. And if you start any trouble, they will just call you a fool or other names bullies use when they don’t get their way.
But here’s an idea: Maybe the next Single Source Contract needs to be the hiring of a Snake Charmer to keep all of us mesmerized about the deal making going on with our tax dollars downtown.
To get you in the mood for some snake charming, listen to this.
