Seeking to reverse their fortunes amid a debilitating Chicago corruption scandal, top executives of Redflex Traffic Systems flew to Florida for a personal pitch to local officials having second thoughts about giving the company a major contract for a red-light camera system.
It wasn’t enough.
The board of commissioners in Orange County, Fla., voted unanimously this week to abandon negotiations with Redflex, the highest-scoring bidder on the county’s plan to install as many as 80 traffic cameras in suburban Orlando. Citing an ongoing federal criminal investigation into allegations of a $2 million bribery scheme in Chicago and the company’s potentially shaky future, commissioners opted instead to go with their second choice.
“I just don’t think it’s appropriate for us to congratulate a company that has this type of core value failure,” Orange County Commissioner Fred Brummer said before Tuesday’s 7-0 vote against Redflex. “The appearance, to me, is just dreadful, and appearances matter.”
Redflex officials had hoped the Florida contract would become their biggest in North America, replacing the Chicago program lost to a burgeoning investigation triggered by Tribune disclosures in October about the company’s cozy relationship with a former city manager.
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From a Chicago Tribune article:
Seeking to reverse their fortunes amid a debilitating Chicago corruption scandal, top executives of Redflex Traffic Systems flew to Florida for a personal pitch to local officials having second thoughts about giving the company a major contract for a red-light camera system.
It wasn’t enough.
The board of commissioners in Orange County, Fla., voted unanimously this week to abandon negotiations with Redflex, the highest-scoring bidder on the county’s plan to install as many as 80 traffic cameras in suburban Orlando. Citing an ongoing federal criminal investigation into allegations of a $2 million bribery scheme in Chicago and the company’s potentially shaky future, commissioners opted instead to go with their second choice.
“I just don’t think it’s appropriate for us to congratulate a company that has this type of core value failure,” Orange County Commissioner Fred Brummer said before Tuesday’s 7-0 vote against Redflex. “The appearance, to me, is just dreadful, and appearances matter.”
Redflex officials had hoped the Florida contract would become their biggest in North America, replacing the Chicago program lost to a burgeoning investigation triggered by Tribune disclosures in October about the company’s cozy relationship with a former city manager.