Email
Albuquerque city councilors late Monday narrowly agreed to support hiring a new company to run the public-access television channel and dump the longtime operator, nonprofit Quote…Unquote Inc.
The 5-4 vote came after about two hours of debate and impassioned pleas from supporters of Quote…Unquote, about 100 of whom attended the meeting.
They attacked the selection process — alleging “irregularities” in the request for proposals — and noted that the winning company, uPublic, had a more costly proposal. Supporters of Quote-Unquote also said uPublic had failed to air any programming on an educational channel it won the contract for last year.
But Mayor Richard Berry’s administration vigorously defended the propriety of the RFP process. It’s true that uPublic proposed to run the channel for about $387,000 the first year — as opposed to Quote…Unquote’s $270,000 offer — but that was just one criteria for evaluating the companies, the administration said.
As for the educational channel, the city said factors outside uPublic’s control contributed to the delay in airing content.
“The process was fine, and it’s used all the time,” Councilor Michael Cook said of the RFP.
Cook joined Trudy Jones, Brad Winter, Dan Lewis and Don Harris, all Republicans, in favor of the recommendation to negotiate with uPublic.
Voting “no” were Democrats Debbie O’Malley, Ken Sanchez, Isaac Benton and Rey Garduño. They repeatedly assailed the rating system for proposals and suggested the system was designed to find someone new, rather than stick with Quote…Unquote.
“A lot of points,” Garduño said, were “tossed around on a subjective basis.”
Quote…Unquote is already challenging the process in court, arguing that the city permitted uPublic to “participate in the composition” of the RFP and other problems.
Rob Perry, the top administrator under the mayor, said that’s false.
“The RFP was handled in accordance with the procurement ordinance and our policies and procedures. There were no irregularities,” he said.
Rick Metz of uPublic said he hoped the producers of shows on Channel 27 under Quote…Unqoute will continue to make shows when his company takes over.
Earlier post:
The City Council chambers are so packed tonight that the council has opened up its committee room for the overflow.
The main action item that’s bringing people out is a recommendation from Mayor Richard Berry’s administration to
dump Quote … Unquote Inc. as the contractor that operates the public-access television channel. The administration
recommends handing the contract over to a firm called uPublic, which won after a request for proposals.
Quote-Unquote had the contract for about 30 years. Its supporters allege a variety of irregularities in the RFP process
and say state auditors are looking into the matter.
Rob Perry, the city’s chief administrative officer, argues that recommendation to go with uPublic was handled properly
and in accordance with Albuquerque’s procurement ordinance.
The audience also features the families of people shot and killed by police, though there’s no item on the agenda related to
that. It’s obvious we’re in for a lot of public testimony tonight and probably a late meeting.
-- Email the reporter at dmckay@abqjournal.com. Call the reporter at 505-823-3566
