It appears safe to say that City Councilor Tim Rooke has not been intimidated into silence by the recent harsh words leveled at him by Mayor Domenic Sarno.
Earlier this week, Sarno issued a press release chastising Rooke for his ongoing criticism of the plan to move the School Department headquarters into the old federal building at 1550 Main St.—a plan that Rooke calls a bad deal for taxpayers, who will pay not only rent at the site, but also $2.8 million in renovations. After months of calling for the city to seek competitive bids from other potential landlords to ensure the city is getting the best deal, Rooke recently informed the city’s chief financial officer that he won’t schedule any meetings of the Finance Committee (of which he is chairman) until the city issues a request for proposals, or RFP, for the School Department lease. Sarno, in turn, accused Rooke of playing politics, and called his refusal to hold Finance meetings “nonfeasance” given several pending financial orders that the committee needs to address.
Today, Rooke returned fire, via an email sent to several local reporters (conspicuous in its absence from the list was the Springfield Republican, which has, inexplicably, editorialized against Rooke’s call for competitive bids for a School Department lease). The email was headlined “SARCASM”—a rather unnecessary clue, given the tone of what followed. (I’ve let my spellcheck clean up some of the councilor’s typos, which presumably were triggered by the blood rushing angrily through his head as he hammered out the message.)
“City Councilor Tim Rooke’s faith has been restored in City Gov’t and Mayor Sarno’s leadership ability,” the message read. “It was learned yesterday by Rooke that the Mayor will not go out [to] an RFP on the School Departments leasing of 50,000 square feet of space at an estimated cost of $12M over 20 years to the taxpayers, nor may the Mayor be going out to an RFP for the proposed leasing of space for the Renaissance School for 70,000 square feet of space at an estimated cost of $28M for 20 years from the STCC Technology incubator park to the taxpayers.
“Mayor Sarno has however demanded that the City go out to a second RFP to determine who will be awarded the concessionaire rights at Franconia Golf Course for the 2010-2011 season. Relish the thought that the taxpayers get fleased [sic] on a lease but it will be a rare occasion that the taxpayers not be able to get a hamburger and a beer after a round of golf.”
On Wednesday, Rooke had sent a more measured—and less entertaining—email to Sarno, Finance Director TJ Plante and Lee Erdman, the chief administrative and financial officer, reiterating his refusal to hold committee meetings until a School Department RFP is issued.
“I would like to know ‘where we go from here’ concerning my request for a public RFP and the Financial Orders that are pending in the Finance Committee,” Rooke wrote. “I have a simple request. I am asking that the RFP that was suppose[d] to be released over a year ago which is already drafted be legally advertised, accepted and acted upon if it is to the financial benefit to the City. …
“This simple action,” Rooke continued, would “eliminate all of the financial concerns” the three had expressed about the financial orders awaiting action from the Finance Committee. “I would expect a 30 day response to be adequate for the RFP. Once advertised, I would be happy to meet on each of the financial orders before the 30 day limit takes place.
“All of my previous request have been ignored over the last 12 months so I truly hope, if you are concerned with the financial impact the Financial Orders may have that you issue the RFP as soon as possible.
“Hoping to work this all out so that we can all move forward and continue working together for the best interest of the tax payers,” Rooke signed off—lobbing the ball squarely back into the mayor’s court.
