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REPRINTED FROM "THE TRENTONIAN" MARCH 12,   BY ROBERT CHILSON

2011

"Technical Foul"

"Judge blasts Mack aide as city tech flap ends chapter"

"TRENTON - Trenton's information technology fiasco ended yesterday with Judge Linda Feinberg having the last say.

And what Feinberg said was "Anthony Roberts is unqualified to evaluate bids, and his actions are suspicious."

Feinberg blasted Roberts, an aide to Mayor Tony Mack, as well as other members of Mack's administration before ruling that all the bids be tossed and that the city must start from scratch and re-bid the IT contract.

ADPC lost its longtime contract with the city when it was undercut by Lynx, the firm favored by Mack and tied to "The Apprentice" star and famed black business advocate Randal Pinkett.

City Council initially awarded the contract to ADPC, but in a second vote -- with Pinkett in the house -- reversed that decision and awarded the contract to two-year-old Lynx.  The 5-2 vote was split along racial lines.

On Feb. 18, Feinberg tossed the Lynx bid, saying, "this is sloppy, and this bid, if properly evaluated in the first place, would not have made it to council for a vote one time, let alone two times."

Feinberg called ADPC's lawyer, James P. Brady of Toms River, "the best, most terrific lawyer to have ever argued a case before (her) in 25 years on the bench."

Feinberg did not find fault with city attorneys Marc McKithen and Peter Cohen, saying, "I have no problem with the city attorneys.  The Mack administration should have thrown this bid out as soon as they received it.  I find fault with their decision-making; this process did not follow the law."

Feinberg ruled that ADPC's contract is valid until the end of Trenton's fiscal year June 30, .  She also ordered that all of the bids be tossed due to Roberts' incompetence, and that the contract be sent out for bid again.

2010 / 2011

The judge warned city attorneys not to create an emergency or they would find themselves right back in her courtroom.

After the hearing, ADPC CEO Joe Harris said, "We believe the decision goes a long way toward restoring propriety to the IT contracting process in the City of Trenton.

In a statement, Mack spokeswoman Lauren Ira said, "The city of Trenton will honor its existing contract with ADPC, which ends on June 30, .  Before the contract expires, the administration will make a final determination to either renew our existing contract or engage new prospective service providers."

2011