Equipment recycling contract goes up for bidding

A Niles company said it doesn't want stuck in the middle of a political issue.
& lt;a href=mailto:bjackson@vindy.com & gt;By BOB JACKSON & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County commissioners have temporarily shelved a plan to hire a company run by former Commissioner David Engler to collect recyclable materials.
They haven't ruled out an eventual contract with LightGov, Engler's Boardman company, but first want to see whether anyone else can do it more cheaply. Commissioners will ask companies to submit price quotes, then make a decision.
"From our point of view, we'll do it again and see what happens," county Administrator Gary Kubic said.
Initial delay
Last month, commissioners were prepared to hire LightGov to collect outdated computers and other electronic equipment for $7,500. They held off, though, at the request of Commissioner David Ludt, who said he'd been under the impression that the county was going to get paid for the collection, not have to pay for it.
Kubic said LightGov approached the county about doing the work and submitted its price. The county didn't seek bids because the cost was under the $15,000 benchmark established by Ohio law. Any products or services that cost more than that must be bid.
In the meantime, Kubic said commissioners were told that another local company, Niles Iron & amp; Metal Co., might take the computers and electronic equipment for free. The county contacted the Niles company, and it opted against a free collection.
In a letter to Timothy Berlekamp of the county recycling division, company spokesman Michael S. Clayman said Niles Iron & amp; Metal was interested in providing the collection at no cost as a community service. It could have recovered its costs by selling the recyclable materials.
"But as I have come to understand, there are a lot of political undertones involved in this project," Clayman's letter says. "Niles Iron & amp; Metal doesn't want to be a part of any political differences."
Accusations
Critics have said commissioners are catering to Engler, who is LightGov's chief executive officer, because of his standing as a former commissioner. Commissioners have denied that, and say they have no problem dealing with Engler because he's no longer a political figure.
Engler resigned as commissioner four years ago and is a private practice attorney. He also is a member of the county educational services board.
Clayman said in his letter that his company is willing to participate as part of a bidding process.
Kubic said commissioners won't go through the formal bidding process, but will seek price quotes from businesses interested in doing the work. They'll look over the prices and decide which company to hire.
Engler said he's fine with that, though the fact that his company's price has already been published in the newspaper puts LightGov at a competitive disadvantage. He said commissioners should hire a company based on merit, not politics.
"We gave them a fair price for what they want done," Engler said. "If they want to put it out for proposals, that's fine. We'll participate."
& lt;a href=mailto:bjackson@vindy.com & gt;bjackson@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;