Black aldermen repeat fury over 9% of contracts

Black aldermen repeat fury over 9% of contrPortion of city construction deals even lower

October 20, 2006
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
Black aldermen unleashed their annual tirade against Mayor Daley's purchasing chief on Thursday and it wasn't pretty: They are livid and "embarrassed" about the 9 percent share of city contracts awarded to African Americans.
"This is disturbing. It looks terrible. I want to know how you're going to get us out of this hell hole," said Ald. Dorothy Tillman (3rd).

"The same thing has been happening year after year after year . . . We can't get out of this rut. What's going on? Are there forces . . . just pushing us down?" said Ald. Ed Smith (28th), chairman of the City Council's Black Caucus.


Purchasing chief apologizes
Ald. Arenda Troutman (20th) blamed Daley's decision to restart the minority certification process -- forcing companies to reapply -- to eliminate white-owned fronts after a $100 million fraud engineered by the Duff family.
"In an attempt to weed out the front companies, the Procurement Department is destroying the intent of the MBE program. How can African-American companies receive their fair share of city contracts if it is an assault on their certification status through a process of witch hunts?" Troutman said.

In the hot seat at City Council budget hearings, Chief Procurement Officer Barbara Lumpkin started off like all of her predecessors -- with an apology and a promise to remove "the barriers that women and minorities face.

"The hardship . . . is it hasn't happened for the aldermen fast enough. But I do believe the things [we are putting in] place will net us different results."

Lumpkin highlighted the changes she disclosed to the Sun-Times two months ago.

They include asking the City Council to raise the maximum net worth for construction contracts from $750,000 to $2 million.

Of the $2.3 billion in contracts awarded through Sept. 30, 9 percent went to African Americans, 13 percent to Hispanics, 5 percent to Asian Americans and 6 percent to women. The numbers for construction contracts are even more upsetting to black aldermen. African Americans got 7 percent, compared to 19 percent for Hispanics, 7 percent for Asians and 4 percent for women.