Saturday, June 07, 2003

Such a deal!
Nathan Gorenstein reveals all in the Philadelphia Inquirer - Milton Street lands contract:
Mayor Street's brother, T. Milton Street Sr., has been given a contract worth more than $1 million a year for equipment maintenance at Philadelphia International Airport.

He also has been given a trained staff to perform the work. And he won't be held financially responsible for the work or how it gets done day by day.

That was the agreement reached between the city managers of the airport and a private firm, Philadelphia Airport Services, that hired Milton Street and that will set the former street vendor up in business.
...
Mark Pesce, a spokesman for the city airport, said Philadelphia Airport Services subcontracted the work to Notlim (Milton spelled backwards) in part to expand minority participation in airport businesses.
...
Asked whether Notlim had any experience maintaining airport equipment, Pesce said, "Not to my knowledge. The experience is with the workforce.

"[Philadelphia Airport Services] will retain full management responsibility," Pesce said. "The employees will remain under direct supervision of [Philadelphia Airport Services, which] will provide day-to-day supervision."
...
Asked how hiring Notlim could be considered a real expansion of minority business, given the extensive responsibilities remaining with Philadelphia Airport Services, Pesce said, "Notlim is the actual company that employs these individuals to provide the services, and it is a minority-approved company. They have all the qualifications that are necessary from the city."
Wow, quite a promotion for a hot dog vendor:
Like the man in the blue suit, the kids walk away with a bad taste in their mouths, even though they hadn't ingested any of Milton's death rods.

"Man, I thought this stuff was free," says one.

"Why'd they say the event will include refreshments?" asks another, learning an early and unfortunate lesson about politics American-style.

There really is no such thing as a free lunch.

But there is such a thing as a profitable lunch.

If you know the right people.

Milton Street, the man once fired from his $30,000-a-year traffic court job for failing to pay $2,000 in parking tickets, is one of those people.
Indeed.