The Greensboro City Council has scheduled a virtual work session on the topic that is discussed at every work session and every City Council meeting regardless of what’s on the agenda.
A Minority and Women’s Business Enterprise (MWBE) update is on the agenda for the Tuesday, March 2 City Council virtual work session beginning at 3:30 p.m.
The City Council discusses the MWBE program and MWBE numbers more than crime, jobs, affordable housing, the budget or any other topic.
A review of the MWBE program in calendar year 2020 is what is on the agenda.
According to the report in “Construction Services,” the city awarded $95.6 million in contracts, and of that MWBE contractors were awarded $14.8 million in contracts for 15.5 percent. That figure is further broken down to 6.5 percent for WBE and 9 percent for MBE, which is further broken down to 8.5 percent for African-American contractors and 0.5 percent for Hispanic contractors.
“Professional Services” is described as contracts that require “special licensing, educational degrees or specialized expertise. These include engineering, architectural, accounting, advertising, surveying, legal, information technology, human resources and inspection services.” In the professional services category, the total contracts awarded were for $21.9 million. Of that, MWBE contracts were 20.5 percent for $4.5 million. The MWBE contracts are broken down into 8.3 percent for WBE and 12.2 percent for MBE, with that further broken down to 8.2 percent African American, 3.3 percent Hispanic and 0.7 percent Asian.
“Other Services” covers contracts that are labor intensive and not professional or construction related, “such as janitorial, printing, graphic, photographic, landscaping and automobile maintenance and repair services.”
In the other services category, the city spent $32.2 million and $3.6 million or 11.1 percent were MWBE contracts. The MWBE is broken down into 2.8 percent for WBE and 8.3 percent for MBE, which is further broken down to 7.96 percent African American and 0.34 percent Hispanic.
Finally, in the “Goods” category, which are items purchased by the city, the total amount spent was $35.5 million and of that $131,588 was spent with MWBE firms for 0.37 percent. The WBE was 0.14 percent and the MBE, which was all African American was 0.23 percent.
Isn’t this whole MWBE thing just overt racism and sexism? Denying someone a fair shake because they’re too white, or too male, instead of letting them have an honest go at city contracts is exactly that.
This is no different than denying someone a chance because they are black or because they’re a woman. Just in reverse.
True equality means awarding contracts to the company with the best bid, the best reputation, and the best quality of work. If that means that a minority or woman owned business loses out, so be it. What’s been going on here, with this MWBE BS, is equity, and that is completely wrong. The taxpayers deserve the best, not the most optic-friendly/PC solution.
Absolutely agree Tom.
Is one step further the program that includes cure violence ms Johnson is in charge of a mwbe that could help explain why she got the 900,000 and the results so far
Can’t wait to hear ms hightower go on for the entire meeting about this
Let the free market work and stop playing with quotas and goals. You are either qualified, do good work and have the best bid or you are not. Bids are numbers. They are not white, black, red, yellow, male, female or other.
“Council To Go Over The 2020 MWBE Report Tuesday”
Let me guess. The racists on our city council won’t be satisfied, no matter what the numbers are.
Amen Wayne,,, Amen
A few on the council are not racist I heard black people cant be racist
Let me ask you this, how much did this group cost the taxpayers in behind-the-door procedures, where they determined you did not meet the goa? How much did the taxpayers lose with their agenda?. It keeps getting worse and worse and no one says anything.