220212 1642 ThanksFrom:Thomas Moore
To:Frances Marquez
Subject:Thanks
Date:Saturday, February 12, 2022 4:42:22 PM
Dear Ms. Marquez,
I have been keeping up with the City Council politics and meetings through the
News Enterprise paper. I want to thank you for speaking out on some of the
dubious votes that have occurred lately, especially the extension of the Valley Vista
sanitation contract. I'm guessing you and I are more progressive than most of our
fellow citizens, but especially for the members who are "pro-business," the lack of
bids is troubling.
I am curious how the contract got so far along without the practical idea of "bidding
it out?" (I feel the optics are terrible on a few Council members having
relationships with the owner of Valley Vista, and it seems like the renewal was
inevitable and became a fait accompli.) I emailed the City Manager during the
process and his answers were defensive and he refused to admit it wouldn't bid out.
Did the process seem more driven by the City Manager or the Board or a
combination of the two? Are the lower rates being charged for sanitation in Los
Alamitos an anomaly, or am I missing something?
A second question is why have a Council meeting for citizens to dispute the
contract when it was already signed? This seems troubling and poor planning (or
intentional) by the folks intent on signing a contract. For long-time Cypress
citizens such as myself, the long history of Briggeman/Valley Vista without
competing bids raises many questions.
In any case, thanks for being the lone voice of reason and fairness in a disturbing
period of Cypress's history. If I can ever be of assistance, please contact me; I am
more than willing to speak at council meetings or raise issues in the News
Enterprise.
Tom Moore