Herbst: Mark Uses 'Revisionist Rhetoric'

Mrs. Mark’s revisionist rhetoric doesn’t match up to her record. She is the only member of the Trumbull Town Council to have voted against both the forensic audit of Contract 3 (Jog Hill) and the forensic audit of the high school renovation project. Contract 3 has over 600 identified defects, millions of dollars of damages and an ongoing federal investigation.  If Mrs. Mark had her way on the Town Council, the audit would have never happened and would have never unearthed all of these irregularities.

The entire purpose of the Contract 3 audit was to not only identify problems, but make sure the same problems did not repeat themselves on Contract 4 (North Nichols).This is why professional oversight was necessary and put in place.  An audit of Contract 4 will clearly bear this out and I have been consistent in my belief that large capital projects like this should be audited. I support a full audit of Contract 4.

Mrs. Mark and her running mates knew there were cost overruns in 2009, involving a major Democratic campaign contributor, before a shovel was even put in the ground. They made a conscious choice to do nothing.  In 2002, the previous administration told people that the project would cost 18 million.  In 2009, months before I was elected, the Town received a low bid of 25 million, 7 million above what residents were originally quoted.

If Mrs. Mark has a concern with cost overruns, she should start with her running mates.  Mrs. McGannon and Mr. Tesoro were on the Board of Finance and voted to proceed with the North Nichols sewer project two months before a local election. They voted to proceed with the North Nichols project in spite of the fact that they knew that there were high cost overruns in Jog Hill, upset homeowners and several defects associated with the construction.

Regarding transparency, Mrs. Mark and every member of the Town Council has been invited to attend WPCA meetings and even participate in executive sessions with the WPCA to discuss ongoing litigation and strategy.  Mrs. Mark has attended just one of these meetings and has not been involved in negotiations. "