| Releases
& Statements
For Release: Wednesday,
February 7, 2007
Contact: Frank Sobrino,
Press Secretary
O: (212) 669-4193
Statement
by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum in Response
To Mayor’s Comments Today on the School Bus Fiasco
“The Administration
needs to stop blaming the victims and put an end to the school
bus fiasco immediately.
“More than a week
into this ongoing embarrassment for the greatest city in the world,
it’s obvious that having parents call 3-1-1 isn’t
the answer. Scrap the plan. Enough is enough. Go back to the drawing
board and pilot a new plan in the fall, when the weather is more
accommodating. I’m all for finding sensible ways to save
money. But making young children navigate six or eight lanes of
traffic to get to school, or expecting them to take three city
buses, is as dangerous as it is absurd.
“It’s just
as absurd to say a company awarded a contract without bidding
is being paid fairly. A bidding process would have established
a fair market value for the firm’s services. Instead, Alvarez
& Marsal was awarded a lucrative, no-bid contract, apparently
without regard to the company’s dubious track record.
“The irony is
that at about this time last year, a low-paid City employee was
fired without question for having a card game up on his computer
screen. A consulting firm paid $16 million, however, gets to stay
on the job despite wreaking havoc across the city. As to experience,
yes, Alvarez & Marsal has ample management experience. The
firm managed to make a mess of the school bus system in St. Louis.”
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