News

By Tim Pallesen
    
Mike Novatka, the cabana guy on Delray Beach’s city beach, has become the first victim of a City Commission initiative to undo contracts renewed without competitive bids.
    “All I care about is providing excellent service to our customers,” Novatka said. “I try to leave the political stuff to the politicians.”
    A former city manager renewed Novatka’s contract for another three years last year. Novatka pays the city $170,000 annually to operate his business.
    Nobody has complained about the cabanas that Novatka has provided to beachgoers since 2002. “Our customers love us. I’ve got a book full of written compliments,” he said.
    But then no-bid contracts became an issue in the March City Commission election.
    Voters particularly upset by a $65 million no-bid contract given to trash hauler Waste Management helped elect Mayor Cary Glickstein and Commissioner Shelley Petrolia, who say city rules require all procurement contracts over $15,000 to come before the commission for renewals.
 Commissioners voted 3-1 on May 14 to cancel the contract with Novatka and advertise for competitive bids.
Novatka’s contract will stay in effect until the new contract is awarded.
    “We’re under new management now and contracts to be renewed should come before the commission,” said Commissioner Al Jacquet, who voted with Glickstein and Petrolia.
    Commissioners also hired an outside attorney to determine whether Delray Beach can cancel its Waste Management contract by arguing that a previous city commission violated its own rules by approving the contract without competitive bids.
    “This contract is the polar opposite of good policy,” Petrolia said. “Our city lost $12.5 million by not bidding.”
    “The decision not to bid this contract is bad for the city’s image that cronyism is tolerated,” Glickstein added.
    The Waste Management contract was renewed for eight years without competitive bidding last August when Commissioners Adam Frankel and Angeleta Gray joined former Mayor Woodie McDuffie in a 3-2 vote. McDuffie justified the no-bid contract extension by saying Waste Management does an excellent job.
“I can’t take a contract away from someone who’s done this job,” McDuffie said at the time.
    The county Office of Inspector General issued a report in February saying commissioners had violated their rules by approving the contract and recommending that Delray Beach conduct “a full and open competition” for its trash business.