Nearly every member of the council changed votes tallied last week to approve a $50,000 contract for a company headed by former communications director Sakina Cole
NEWARK -- The Municipal Council on Monday approved a no-bid contract for a company headed by former city communications director Sakina Cole.
The 5-0 vote marked a stark reversal from last week, when the body voted 4-2 to reject the $50,000 deal for "marketing and branding services" from Cole Media Inc.
Nearly every member of the council changed his or her position since the initial tally on Nov. 10.
Council President Mildred Crump, Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins, Joe McCallum, Eddie Osborne and Augusto Amador cast votes in favor - all but Crump either initially opposed the agreement or abstained from voting at the earlier meeting.
Anibal Ramos Jr. and Luis Quintana each abstained Monday after originally voting against the deal. John Sharpe James, who was absent last week, cast a vote in favor but changed his vote to an abstention after it had passed.
At-Large Councilman Carlos Gonzalez, who is recovering from a recent motorcycle accident, was absent from both meetings.
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No discussion on the changes of heart was held at the meeting, and council members were not immediately available after it was adjourned.
Mayor Ras Baraka named Cole city communications director when he took office in July 2014, serving in the role for approximately six months before leaving to pursue work in the private sector with Cole Media.
Her history on Newark's payroll dates back to 2006, when she began a stint as press secretary for former Mayor Cory Booker. She then worked under Communications Director Desiree Peterkin before briefly serving as an aide to former councilwoman Dana Rone. In 2008, Cole Media was awarded a $358,000 contract to take over public relations duties for the council, though that contract was eventually eliminated as the city was forced to cut costs.
Sakina Cole with Mayor Ras Baraka. (Handout)During the Nov. 10 meeting, members including Chaneyfield Jenkins and Ramos questioned why Baraka's administration was seeking to bypass the competitive bidding process to get the contract approved.
At the time, Communications Director Felipe Luciano said that Cole's experience with the city and expertise in drafting booklets and other materials for State of the City speeches and other events justified the exception.
Nearly immediately after denying the contract, however, some members began to walk back their positions.
After a lengthy absence in a conference room at the rear of Council Chambers, McCallum reversed his stance and cast a vote in favor. Chaneyfield Jenkins, who had also left the room during a presentation on the city's prisoner reentry program, attempted to do the same but was told the voting portion of the meeting had been closed.
Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
