Diversity, inclusion for minority contractors high priorities
Boys & Girls Clubs honor UAW VP
Jimmy Settles
Bertram Marks Page C1
Page B1
POWERED BY REAL TIMES MEDIA
December 7-13, 2016
michiganchronicle.com
Volume 80 – Number 13
Mich. Legislative Black Caucus denounces Voter ID bills Caucus demands rejection of House Bill 6066
The Michigan Legislative Black Caucus (MLBC) is urging members of the House of Representatives to reject House Bill 6066, which would require voters who fail to produce a photo ID on Election Day to do so within 10 days or have their ballots disqualified. MLBC is among many who believe this legislation will ultimately suppress the voting rights of low-income and elderly Michigan residents. Under the current law, voters who do not produce a photo ID can sign an affidavit attesting to their identity and — unless challenged — their ballots are treated as if an ID had been shown.
Cory Booker Is
the second coming of
Barack Obama? By Roz Edward MANAGING EDITOR
“Many elderly, low-income and minority Americans are disproportionately affected by these laws, because they struggle to obtain the primary documents required to obtain a valid voter ID,” said state Rep. Sheldon Neeley (D-Flint), chairman of the MLBC. “Entrenched socioeconomic disparities of education, employment and housing contribute to these difficulties.” “Scores of poor and disabled voters do not have a driver’s license or state ID,” said state Rep. LaTanya Garrett (D-Detroit), MLBC first vice chair. “These voters do not have the means to travel to a Secretary of State office to obtain such documents.” The MLBC believes this bill is designed to suppress the vote of the poor, elderly and disabled, and violates the voting rights of Michiganders. There-
See VOTER
ID page A-4
WHAT’S INSIDE
While President-elect Donald Trump hasn’t even taken the oath of office yet, many Americans are looking forward to righting the ship and getting the country on track to return the nation to a relatively kinder, less contentious time. Even political pundits and Washington insiders are already looking forward to the 2020 election (and a truncated term for Trump), pondering potential candidates to lead the nation. And although the 2016 presidential election, one of the most vitriolic and scandal ridden in history, completely debunks the notion of a “post racial America” black Americans inspired by the Obama administration are holding out hope for a return to a more inclusive political regime and social climate in 2020. In the discussions regarding possible successors to Trump, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker’s name has surfaced repeatedly in political circles around the nation. Booker, who served two terms as mayor of Newark, and has been described as “a new Democrat … fiscally conservative and socially progressive” has strong ties to Detroit and spoke with the Michigan Chronicle in an exclusive interview during a pre-election visit to Detroit. “It’s great to be here. This is the city
where my mom was born, where my grandfather worked for the UAW and at Ford during World War II. It’s good to be back in this city which has so much meaning to me.” Booker said he was both flattered and encouraged by the buzz around his presidential candidacy potential, but cautioned that voter suppression tactics damage the political process and threaten democratic freedoms. “There is clearly a movement in our nation right now to constrict access to the polls, and that speaks to the values of our country. We gotta make sure that
we’re fighting that on every front,” Booker explained. “I also want to point out to you the problem that I have with felony disenfranchisement, especially in states like Florida where you lose your right to vote, even if you’re convicted of a non-violent drug offense. It’s gotten so bad that one in five African Americans in that state have lost their right to vote.” The striking similarities to a young Barack Obama are obvious and give rise to
See CORY
Wayne County vetting national construction management firm to complete jail site Michigan Chronicle Reports
Songs that will last forever See page D-1
$1.00
BOOKER page A-4
its evaluation of Walsh’s RFQu response. Any contract with Walsh would need approval of the Wayne County Commission and the Wayne County Building Authority.
Wayne County is evaluating a proposal from a Walsh Construction Company-led design-build team in response to its Request for Qualifications (RFQu). This evaluation is a positive next step toward completion of the jail at the Gratiot site. Although the county anticipated receiving additional responses to its RFQu by the Nov. 18 deadline, the county is pleased to receive a qualification proposal from a nationally recognized construction management firm.
“We welcome this vetting process of Walsh, it’s a good opportunity to move the jail project forward,” said County Commission Chair Gary Woronchak. “We’re obviously going to do our due diligence and scrutinize carefully Walsh’s response to the RFQu. This, however, is a pragmatic step to position the county to do what’s best for its taxpayers.”
“This has the potential to expedite the process and that’s good news,” Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans said. “Walsh is a renowned firm with expertise in building correctional facilities. We will evaluate their response to determine whether the team they’ve assembled is qualified to complete the jail at Gratiot.”
negotiations with a design-build entity in the spring or summer of 2017, after a lengthy design-build Request for Proposal (RFP) scheduled to start in January. Potentially allowing the county to identify the design-build entity that will complete the jail much earlier in the process is a welcome development.
A favorable evaluation of Walsh’s response to the RFQu could allow negotiations directly with the firm to commence. This would allow the county to move forward in advance of the original timeline contemplated. The county anticipated beginning
“The goal has always been to get a good offer from a quality design-build team to complete the jail. We’re now in a better position to do that,” said Executive Evans. “The Gratiot site remains the best option for Wayne County taxpayers. The prudent
thing is to move forward and get this done.” Working with its Owner’s Representative, Carter Goble Associates LLC, the county issued the RFQu in September. While the county engages in the process of vetting Walsh, it retains the right to issue a design-build RFP in January, as previously scheduled. Walsh is one of the largest correctional facility construction managers in the nation with an office in Detroit. Negotiations with Walsh could come as early as January, but cannot begin until the county finishes
The evaluation of Walsh comes just days after the Mannik & Smith Group completed a site condition assessment that confirmed that the prior construction at the site is structurally sound and suitable for restarting construction next year. The firm completed a visual and physical inspection of the structural steel, concrete and masonry onsite. Under the previous administration, an estimated $151 million was spent in construction, acquisition and design of the jail with much of the work at the site completed underground. The project was halted in June 2013.