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McLennan County commissioner claims jail contractor’s visit violated law
McLennan County commissioners debated for two hours this morning without resolution on whether a private company should operate the downtown jail, and Precinct 3 Commissioner Joe Mashek said that County Judge Jim Lewis violated federal antitrust laws by allowing a Houston contractor to visit the county jail in August 2007, a year before the county requested proposals for construction of a new jail.
The county received one proposal from Community Education Centers, which has had a contract to operate the downtown county jail since 1999.
The contractor that visited, Hale Mills Construction Ltd., was named by CEC as a contractor/builder on the proposal it submitted for the new jail.
Mashek said the visit allowed Hale Mills representatives to have an unfair advantage in the county’s request-for-proposal process.
Lewis called Mashek’s claim “ridiculous,” and said he was merely trying to look ahead at the county jail’s overcrowding before it got to an emergency situation. He said he was seeking an opinion on whether to expand the county jail’s kitchen and laundry services.
Herb Bristow, an attorney for the county, said all laws and regulations were complied with in the most recent process for seeking proposals.
Permalink | Comments (14) | Post your comment | Categories: Headlines, Courthouse
Comments
By sick and tired of politics
August 12, 2008 12:30 PM | Link to this
Let me get this right. 14 requests for bids went out, and only 1 came back. The one bid that was returned was from the same company that currently has a contract with the county, and just so happens to be the same company that received preferential treatment 1 yr prior to the bid process. then you top this off with the fact that Larry Lynch pocketed 91k dollars from the same company, and he is the one with the final say on who manages the facilities.
Can you say in jail as opposed to running the jail..
By La Femme Gordita
August 12, 2008 12:41 PM | Link to this
Oooooooooh!
Joe “The Canary” Maskek v. Jimmy “Fingers” Lewis…nice!
There is honor among thieves.
By morality
August 12, 2008 12:48 PM | Link to this
So let me get this straight…. Joe Mashek wants to talk morals????????
By veteran
August 12, 2008 12:51 PM | Link to this
Sounds to me like Bristo has alot more intrest in this than attorney / client.
By PL
August 12, 2008 1:12 PM | Link to this
Joe Mashek is a joke.
By correction
August 12, 2008 1:18 PM | Link to this
Correction Pl…
They are ALL jokes. Kids that like to pull the “play my way or I’ll take my ball and go home”….
Only we can’t get any of them to go home!
By LT
August 12, 2008 1:24 PM | Link to this
Mashek might have a shady past but at least he is attempting to do right on this issue. If it were not for Mashek and Gibson our county would be in trouble, and who is this Bristo fellow. I have heard he is the guru attorney for handling contracts for private prisons and county governments.
By Bob
August 12, 2008 2:51 PM | Link to this
Ah, the Domino Theory is in work in Waco. First Mrs. Mills. Now this!
When the prosecutions start, the singing will begin, and down will go the others all in a row.
What comes around, goes around.
By local girl
August 12, 2008 3:58 PM | Link to this
Mashek is not a joke, Judge Jim Lewis and Tweedle Dee (Ray Meadows) and Tweedle Dumb (Wendall Crunk) are the joke. If you will remember back a few years the paper reported that these three were also involved in a similiar hoax with the meal services at the jail. Trips, kickbacks, and campaign contributions were aplenty for these three. Has anyone but me noticed that Gibson and Mashek are always the odd men out when the County Court votes on anything of controversy, it’s alway 2 to 3 and the paper has already predicted what the “3” are gonna do. And again the “2” will be kicked to the curb.
By PL
August 12, 2008 4:37 PM | Link to this
Gibson is a bigger joke than Mashek.
Do not vote for any incumbents in the next election!
By ken witt
August 12, 2008 6:10 PM | Link to this
I am always amazed at comments made after Commissioner’s Court is over and the news articles begin to surface. Some comments are good comments, made by a logical deductions based on the information made available to them, whether the are for or against the issues. Some are not good comments that are based on an unlogical deductions based on unknown facts, blowing off steam and trying to add fuel to the fire. Don’t hide behind an email/blog username. Go to Commissioner’s Court and address the issues on how you feel in the public comments section. Many people have sacrificed so you would have freedom of speech and the right to address the Court. If you do not want to go to the Commissioner’s Court, write a letter to the editor. Make you stance known. Anyone can hide behind the usernames.
By county mafia
August 12, 2008 9:00 PM | Link to this
Mashek…….WHAAAAAT A JOKE! Waco Trib - You should investigate him. Why is it that certain roads in Precinct 3 get paved for free (Rogers Hill and Bluhm roads) and others have to pay based on their road frontage (Mesquite Tree and Hajek roads)? Also, check into the FEMA money from last year that was supposed to fix washed out roads and bridges all over the precinct.
By concern
August 12, 2008 9:47 PM | Link to this
get real its not Lynch that is the “main” deciding factor though he does have to make alot of choices but even those choices have to be mainly approved by the commissioners. I say at the next election get rid of “all” of the commissioners and elect different ones!!!!
By TruthSquad
August 13, 2008 12:35 AM | Link to this
To: Ken Witt,
Those who don’t offer their names are wisely protecting themselves from someone offended by their opinion and doing a little vigilante payback.
Waco is full of hot-heads.
I want to read opinions…couldn’t care less who wrote it. This way we get honest opinions.