It’s enough that it cost the state over $100 million to build former Governor Doug Ducey’s ridiculous container wall at the border – the one immigrants posed for as they jumped and slipped through. It’s bad.
that’s bad enough and cost more than $130 million, After just a few months, unload and carry things away.
But do you know what’s just sad? Ducey couldn’t seem to find an Arizona company capable of doing the work.
Instead, the Ducey administration gave the job to a Florida disaster management company. The company donated (illegally) to a pro-Trump super PAC.
The one that stole the job with a no-bid contract.
In August, just four months into his eight-year tenure, Ducey suddenly bought thousands of 3,000-pound steel shipping containers and dragged them to the border, almost like a toddler playing with building blocks. I figured it was an emergency to stack them up with skills. .
In other words, a huge mess.
“Enough with Arizona,” Ducey said at the time. “We cannot wait any longer.
Given Biden’s failure to manage the border over the years, no word on why it took Ducey’s final months in office to fully function Arizona.
Or why the governor, famous He chose to work for a Florida company that was politically connected for offering no-bid contracts and other goodies to those who advanced his political career.
Or how a lame-duck governor’s container wall prevents them from crossing the border, given that migrants can squeeze between them or climb over any of them.
In mid-December, the Biden administration sued the state for trespassing on state lands and environmental damage, and Ducey quickly declared victory, noting Biden’s plans to fence part of the border and remove the wall. announced that it would be demolished.
It was golden as the publicity stunt was done for the politically ambitious governor about to resign.
Also golden that a politically connected Florida company was brought in to do the job.
AshBritt Management & Logistics donated illegally $500,000 for the pro-Trump America First Action PAC in 2018. This money was eventually refunded and the company fined him $125,000. $40 million deal Department of Defense and – from contributions to the Political Committee. Meanwhile, the Ashbulit Foundation made his $10,000 charitable donation to the Mar-a-Lago Club in 2019.
So how a Florida firm with ties to Trump won a no-bid contract worth over $200 million to build and tear down a leaky shipping container ‘wall’ in Arizona. do you do?
hit me
Arizona State Department spokeswoman Megan Rose told Jose Ignacio Castañeda Perez of the Republic of Arizona that Ashbrit won the contract because their solution was “most likely due to the urgency of the job.” He said it was because it was quick.
she said Howard Fisher of Capitol Media Services The company was chosen because it “has demonstrated turnkey rapid response solutions since 1992” and no other companies were considered “based on time constraints”.
According to Rose, AshBritt was recommended to the Arizona Military Emergency Department by an Arizona emergency management partner.
Rose did not answer my question as to who exactly signed the contract with Ashbrit.
If she had, I would have asked her why such a lucrative contract was a no-bid affair. Why is that?
It all seems pretty strange.
Late in the administration, Ducey decided to launch a quick political stunt to boost his profile on his own political base, and he clearly wasn’t wasting his time, so he’d run the show with Trump. I hired a related company to build a wall and then was gone in less than 5 months.
Meanwhile, the public is stuck with the $200 million tab and questions.
I have a lot of questions.
Roberts can be reached at [email protected] Follow her on her Twitter. @ Laurie Roberts.
Support local journalism: Subscribe azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared in the Republic of Arizona. The stench from Gov. Doug Ducey’s $200 million border stunt is growing