The Tennessee ConserVOLiance

Records reveal lucrative dealings for mayor’s friend

When it comes to landing City Hall subcontracting jobs, Reginald French has a golden touch — a $1.4 million touch.

A close friend of Mayor Willie Herenton, French has been paid at least that much, and possibly much more, for a variety of jobs, including a particularly fortuitous deal to install fiber-optic cable at two city police stations.

A bud of ol’ Willie’s, eh?

Newly disclosed records tell how French, a onetime prison guard, landed the $68,000 cabling job in 2006 despite lacking experience or equipment for the work.

No experience, no equipment, yet he was given the job? What is wrong with this picture?

Undaunted, French then hired a cable installation firm — for $30,000 — to perform the work.

So, the city could have saved $38,000 if they had just hired the cable installation firm out right? Is it any wonder that cities are getting hard up for cash when they have folks like Harenton in office? Yet, they keep right on voting ‘em in, year after year. Reckon it really is a case of ‘you get what you pay for’.

Read the rest here.