CORRECTION: The below incorrectly attributed the motion for the award to Councilwoman Jen Gensemer. The motion was made by Councilman Frank Dallahan.
STONE HARBOR – The regular meeting of the borough council was unusually private on Tuesday, Dec. 5. The agenda called for a motion to pay the bills and then a vote on a resolution to go into closed session. There were no resolutions or other business on the public portion of the agenda.
Upon reconvening the public meeting after the closed session, Councilman Frank Dallahan moved a resolution that was not part of the public package put online for the meeting. That resolution, as the borough clerk described it, authorized the award of a human resources consulting contract. There was no discussion of the content of the contract, the goals of the consulting endeavor or why a vote was necessary immediately, outside the published public agenda.
Borough Solicitor Marcus Karavan offered a statement of clarification by saying that the council had decided to reverse its previous intention of bidding for these services and instead was electing to make a direct award to an individual under the non-fair and open process.
The non-fair and open process carries an unfortunate name but just requires that the individual or firm receiving the award is prohibited from making certain types of political contributions a year before and during the contract.
A response by Karavan to a question from a member of the public clarified further that the consulting contract would have a not-to-exceed limit on it of $75,000.
The award was made to Peter Webster, a human resources consultant with the Vanguard Group Inc. in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Webster also served as a trustee of the Stone Harbor Property Owners Association, a position from which he has since resigned.
Contact the author, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
