All contract decisions in the open

At the March 4 candidates’ forum sponsored by the Landmark, Mark Shevitz and Jim Reynolds of the Riverside Community Alliance (RCA) made the statement that the Village of Riverside awarded over $1 million in contracts in 2008 for which the Board of Trustees did not receive competitive bids.

As a current trustee, I am compelled to respond with the facts. I also want to state that I reject the implication that I or any member of the Riverside Board of Trustees have done anything improper.

The largest current contract the village has is for our paramedic services. This contract, with PSSI, is for $500,000. Paramedic assistance is the most personal, sensitive and potentially lifesaving service provided to our community.

The board evaluated all similar providers in the area. Data from surrounding communities on services and costs were analyzed. Performance of our current provider and past experience with a different provider were evaluated. The decision to hire PSSI was based on the total value of the services provided to the village – a combination of cost, service offerings, and quality of services. All of this was done transparently – across several televised and recorded meetings.

In addition, the village of Riverside is an active member of state and regional purchasing organizations. These organizations operate on our behalf by aggregating bids across a number of municipalities. Potential suppliers bid on the items, offering our village significant savings that might not otherwise be available to us due to our small size.

This is obviously a competitive bidding process, with the results transparent to all. These decisions and the cost analyses for Riverside occur at televised and recorded village board meetings.

And lastly, sometimes there is only one supplier available to us. This is the case with our unique gas lamps and with some of our sophisticated public safety equipment. Here, as well, the board publicly evaluates the before making a decision.

I request that the RCA stop the deliberate misrepresentation of what has occurred and the backdoor accusations of improprieties by me and other trustees. Residents of the village should not tolerate such behavior from any candidate for the board.

Riverside Landmark 3/11
Jean Sussman
Riverside
Jean Sussman is a Riverside village trustee.