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Celebrity
continued from page 8
outreach to organizations that appreciate and value the
WNBA in order to build an even more robust group of
sponsors and partners.
KW: What do you hope will be your WNBA legacy?
LJR: I don’t spend much time thinking about my legacy;
my focus is on the legacy of the league and of the athletes
who give their all on and off the court. We are, and will con-
tinue to be, the destination for the best women’s basketball
players in the world. Every day we strive to provide our
fans with an exciting and entertaining experience.
KW: Do you think there is a need to expand the partici-
pation of African-American females in the field of sports
media?
LJR: I would love to see more African-American females
engaged in all aspects of sports. All of the research tells us
that participation in sports has a very positive impact in
both the short and long term. Girls who participate in sports
have a higher self-esteem and are more likely to graduate
from college, and 80 percent of female executives played
team sports growing up.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to
follow in your footsteps?
LJR: Dream big and stay true to yourself as you pursue
your dreams.
KW: Thanks again for the interview, and best of luck with
the WNBA and the Olympics.
LJR: Thanks.
MOCKERY OF JUSTICE
THREATENS LEGACY OF CITY
LEADERS AND THE SURVIVAL OF
A LOCAL MINORITY BUSINESS
The disposition of the Ellis McCoy (former parking manager
for the city) bribery case brought forth by the FBI, seems to val-
idate the claims of local minority business owner, Bruce Feathers
of FeatherLite. Earlier, Feathers had repeatedly claimed that
McCoy was suspiciously favorable to bribery suspect, Cale,
which led to McCoy usurping his authority by allowing Cale to
weasel out of the sub-contract with FeatherLite. The contract
was to provide services for the City’s Pay and Display parking
meters.
Feathers claimed that McCoy overreached his authority, and
ignored a city policy already in place to mediate issues between
any city prime contractor and their MWESB (minority, women
and emerging small business) sub-contractor. Instead, McCoy
may have inserted himself into the issue and approved a request
by Cale to back out of the contract. Ironically enough, as a
sought after diversity consultant to the city in prior years, Feath-
ers was part of the team which helped institute the policy. Prior
to the policy, the city had struggled to find ways to stop prime
contractors from using MWESB firms to secure a contract, then
later find ways to avoid using their services. The mediation pol-
icy required one or both of the firms to submit their issue to city
MWESB program officials, and they would investigate and
mediate what’s called a “work out.”
“Never again”, the city proclaimed, would
they allow a contract not to go forward.
Mr. McCoy was totally outside of this process, and had no
right to usurp his authority to approve Cale’s request to dump
FeatherLite, according to Feathers, and former Director of City
Procurement, Jeff Baer. Feathers contacted Baer soon after
McCoy approved the letter.
The irony involves the Portland Development Commission,
who loaned Feathers of FeatherLite, the capital to expand his
firm into the parking industry in the first place. By most
observers inside of the City’s MWESB program, the Feather-
Lite expansion was a success and exactly what the Mayor
had in mind, having touted for years that the cornerstone of
his minority business development philosophy, was examples
like this. Adams was a self-proclaimed champion for minority
business development, as a way for the city and PDC to assist
MWESB firms to grow, develop, and expand and create jobs in
our economy.
The new parking division at FeatherLite indeed hired,
trained, and created two l family wage jobs for two meter
technicians with annual salaries of $65,000 per year.
A celebration occurred when Mayor Adams visited FeatherLite
to view his warehouse with 60 of the city’s meters being prepped
for delivery into the Lloyd district. Unfortunately, things went
awry. The possible interference of McCoy may have cost Feath-
erLite one of the contracts, and now, the PDC arm of the city,
(who loaned FeatherLite the capital to expand into parking) is
now demanding full payment with mounting interest, penalty
and fees.
PDC maintains that (although part of the
city) that they have nothing to do with the
McCoy situation and that it is separate and
distinct from their interest.
Feathers had asked them to wait until he could work something
out with the parking side of the city which is waiting for the dis-
position of the case against McCoy.
Feathers is also under pressure from equity investors who pro-
vided additional financing for part of the parking initiative PDC
didn’t cover. Prior to the indictment of McCoy, Feathers sent a
comprehensive binder to Adams, Sue Kiel (former head of the
city’s Parking Division) and the city’s Risk Management depart-
ment, the city attorney, and a host of other city employees
explaining his is concerns. Feathers was rebuffed citing that the
city was waiting for the disposition of McCoy.
Over the past 5 Mayoral administrations, Feathers, a noted and
skilled consultant for Minority business programs, have consult-
ed on a volunteer basis with the city, and helped build their
program and the Supplier Diversity Program, which the Mayor
and the council approved. While Ellis McCoy was indicted by
the FBI and awaits sentencing to a federal prison, Feathers com-
pany could be in peril.
A mockery of justice, what do you think?
JOIN THE PROTEST, CALL 503-33-7110
Signed,
Friends of FeatherLite and
Minority, Women, & Emerging Small Business (MWESB)
In the entire U.S.
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Page 12 The Portland Skanner
August 1, 2012