Article published July 20, 2007
Minority suppliers get ally for city work
Brown to be Toledo's new compliance boss
By TOM TROY
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Calvin Brown promised yesterday that as head of affirmative action/contract compliance for the city of Toledo, he would be aggressive in seeing that minority contractors get their share of city work.
Mayor Carty Finkbeiner yesterday announced Mr. Brown as his nomination to replace Perlean Griffin, whom he fired in March when she refused to accept a demotion from executive director to commissioner in a budget-related move.
The appointment requires council approval.
Mr. Brown said that, as a black man, he has an interest in affirmative action. "I sought the position to continue the efforts of the minority community to make sure we continue to get a piece of the pie," he said.
Contract compliance involves enforcing a variety of city requirements, including that contractors make good-faith efforts to meet the city's minority contracting goals.
Those goals are that minority subcontractors get at least 12.3 percent of construction contracts and 7 percent of professional service contracts."I intend to be a bit more aggressive in making sure that minority suppliers of goods and services receive their portion of the monies that are generated and paid out by the city of Toledo," Mr. Brown said.
In June, Mr. Brown blocked the awarding of a $198,000 demolition contract to Cleveland contractor B&B Wrecking & Excavating Inc. after Toledo trucking contractor Wes Boykin complained that he had been identified as B&B's minority subcontractor on the contract without his knowledge.
He said his signature was forged.
A B&B official denied forging Mr. Boykin's name, saying someone in the office may not have realized that the line where his name appeared was for a signature.
The award was approved after Mr. Boykin was offered 45 percent of the contract rather than the initial 12.3 percent.
Mr. Finkbeiner's firing of Ms. Griffin prompted a march on Government Center by about 100 people. Ms. Griffin has filed complaints with the Department of Justice and federal Office of Contract Compliance.
In response, Mr. Finkbeiner told the Toledo Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance he would not split up the department, as originally planned. He promised to maintain the office as a department.
Normally, commissioners report to directors, who report to the chief of staff.
Mr. Finkbeiner said that the commissioner of affirmative action/contract compliance would report to his chief of staff, Robert Reinbolt.
Mr. Brown also continues to function as manager of employee benefits in the human resources department.
Councilman Joe McNamara said the office appears to have a lower priority than it did under Mrs. Griffin because it is not a separate department and Mr. Brown now handles two jobs.
"It seems to me [the mayor has] just demoted affirmative action/contract compliance by making it no longer a department," Mr. McNamara said.
Mr. Brown was hired in April, 2006. His $50,250 salary was increased to $64,000 when he became interim affirmative action commissioner.
His new salary has not been determined, he said.
Mr. Brown worked for the city from 1978 to 1980 as a programs coordinator before moving to Akron and Cleveland, where he held human resources positions in public and private agencies.
He returned to Toledo in 2003 to start a private consulting agency, Mentor Network.
Contact Tom Troy at: tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058.
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