Half of the Greensboro City Council work session on Thursday, April 13 was devoted to the council’s most discussed topic – the Minority and Business Enterprise (MWBE) program.
The council received an update via Zoom on the disparity study for the MWBE program currently being conducted by Griffin & Strong PC.
The MWBE program may not actually be the council’s favorite, but it is the topic that the council discusses far more than any other, including public safety, the housing shortage and programs for the homeless population.
Despite the amount of time and energy the council puts into the MWBE program, from the questions asked it was evident that some councilmembers are unclear on why the city spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on disparity studies.
The main purpose of a disparity study is to provide a legal basis for the entire MWBE program, which favors minorities and women. Disparity studies are an outgrowth of the 1989 Supreme Court case City of Richmond v. Croson. At the time, Richmond was requiring that construction contractors set aside 30 percent of their subcontractor dollars for minority owned firms. The Supreme Court ruled that this set aside violated the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment, because it favored firms based on race without specifying the underlying discrimination that it was attempting to remedy.
While set asides such as were being used by Richmond were ruled unconstitutional, the Supreme Court decision did open the door for MWBE programs that established goals for MWBE participation if the jurisdiction could establish a “compelling interest” to support the program.
A disparity study verifies that there is a disparity between the contracts awarded to firms owned by white males and those owned by minorities and women.
The main purpose of the disparity study being done by Greensboro is therefore to establish in a legally defensible manner that this disparity in awarding contracts does exist and therefore Greensboro has a compelling interest to have an MWBE program to attempt to remedy this disparity.
A secondary goal of the disparity study is to determine how well Greensboro’s current MWBE program is working and to make recommendations on improving the program.
According to the update, the disparity study is on schedule for completion in the fall and there isn’t much to report at this time because while the data has been collected it has not been analyzed.
Another way of saying REPARATIONS. Total waste of time and taxpayers dollars I’ve been in construction my entire life all black contractors I was ever associated with DID NOT want anything given to them. They had ethics and morals about the jobs they did and wanted to be hired as such. Such a sad place America has become.
It’s more of another way of saying RACISM. This program, and others like it, are nothing but sanctioned racism and sexism. Diversity for diversity’s sake is a horrible goal, and will end with devastating consequences.
SNAFU and BS.
The city departments are already providing data as to awards based on race when that information is available. Yes, white male owned companies do get more orders and contracts than minorities. Now, can have the money that are paying for this study. The MWBE office and Griffen and Strong are in bed with each other that’s why No one else does the study, non minorities don’t get an opportunity. G&S will say the program is flawless and no changes needed. Reality is, the office only collects data from other departments and provided a report to Hightower. Nothing to actually help a firm to grow or learn.
More City money spent to prove women and minorities are abused. STOOPID! Thank you Councilwoman Hightower.
What does anybody think the “Disparity Study” that Griffin & Strong PC are being paid to undertake will find? Disparity, perhaps. . . ? This parallels businesses having a Diversity, Inclusion and Equity (DIE) Department. Their job is to find insufficient diversity, inclusion or equity. If they found no discrepancies, they would soon be out of a job.
The results of the study will be whatever whoever is funding the study want them to be.
So, with the current Greensboro City Council using taxpayer money to fund this useless-to-the-taxpayers study, I think the question answers itself.
Ok, data has not been analyzed. Let us see the result of last year’s data that was collected and analyzed. MWBE is a waste of taxpayers money. Regardless of what is put forth, the program discriminates. How many White men are awarded contracts through MWBE? Zed, maybe? Let’s have the number.
Not only is the practice racist, your government spends countless dollars of YOUR money to attempt to justify their racist practices. Un-F’n-Believable.
Another waste of Tax Payer money. The small white male owned businesses are being discriminated against everyday. The award of a contract should be simple, the most qualified least expensive contractor should get the award. We are in a time of reverse discrimination plain and simple. The council should be trying to save the tax payer money and lowering taxes to make GSO more attractive to business. This council is only interested in Woke policies and raising taxes, one day the voters will wake up. Maybe the white male voters who are NOT included in the view of this council should vote these socialist out of office, elect conservatives that will lower taxes, support the police and bring sanity back to Greensboro.
Guilford County commissioners are doing the same thing as the city council. Samet and the old jail demolition contract was a perfect example. king skip didn’t get his “preferred “ black sub contractors thus no chance of money under the table for his political endeavors so he gets mad pulls the contract. Anyone want to bet the county will have a black prime contractor on the next part of the job.
What all this really means is that the Democrats are telling their (hopefully) voter base cannot can’t cut it on their own, but need a Socialist shove thru the door at the expense of those who do apply themselves.
As a minority, I would find this offensive.
I have come to believe that Blacks are well aware that discrimination and handouts demonstrate that they cannot make it on their one. I have also come to believe that Blacks do not care as long as the preferential treatment and handouts continue to come their way. Self respect is not an inherent trait.
The decline of ethics and morality…….
Watch closely Miller, I am certain you have already noticed that as the census makes white males more & more the minority, these libtards are changing the wording from Minority & Women owned Business Enterprise to “historically underutilized businesses.” Why don’t they just tell us that they aren’t interested in qualifications, or in minorities, they’re only interested in buying black & brown votes. We’re not stupid, but politicians damn sure believe we’ll blindly go along with the lies they keep feeding us. I’m tired of their mess. When all of us Gen-X folks die, who will take a stand for what is right? The world is headed for a block wall at roughly 67,000 miles per hour.
Is that the speed of ignorance?