PORT ANGELES — The City Council has approved 2015 contracts for tourism marketing and visitor center management despite an upcoming court hearing on an unsuccessful bidder’s attempt to halt enactment of the agreements.
In a 6-1 vote, council members Tuesday rejected a proposal by Dale Wilson to stop pursuing a temporary injunction if the council interviewed him and other applicants.
Wilson, who bid only on the visitor center contract, said he sought interviews of applicants for both contracts.
On advice from city staff, council members directed Mayor Dan Di Guilio to sign contracts with the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce — without the interviews — totaling $175,000 for tourism promotion and $78,000 for operations at the visitor center at 121 E. Railroad Ave.
Di Guilio signed the agreements late Wednesday morning, setting the stage for a Clallam County Superior Court hearing on Wilson’s injunction request at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
Wilson promised Thursday he will be in court.
“I’m just going to argue my position there,” said Wilson, publisher of the free monthly newspaper Port O Call.
He and Jessica Elliott, the newspaper’s managing editor, had submitted a visitor center proposal that had garnered the lowest rating by the city Lodging Tax Advisory Committee of three proposals.
He alleged bias, conflict of interest, negligence and breach of duty in the city’s acceptance of the chamber’s proposal.
City staff suggested three options Tuesday: delay a decision until after interviewing the applicants, wait until after Friday’s court hearing or award contracts to the chamber.
“Courts don’t take cases where the complaint is that the legislative branch made a poor decision, which is basically the underlying claim in this case,” City Attorney Bill Bloor advised council members.
Neither case law nor the state constitution supports the contention that a disappointed proposer such as Wilson can get a court to change a discretionary City Council decision, Bloor said.
Councilman Lee Whetham cast the lone dissenting vote, saying he supported a monthly pro-rated agreement.
“At this time, I’m afraid of signing anything we’re going to regret,” he said.
But the contract is based on completion of tasks, not a monthly allocation, Di Guilio said.
Councilwoman Sissi Bruch said that although she voted against backing the chamber for the contracts at a Jan. 20 meeting, she wouldn’t vote with Whetham.
“I totally support the council’s right to make a decision, though I don’t support the contract,” she said.
The chamber has been operating the visitor center despite the lack of a chamber contract.
Russ Veenema, chamber executive director, said Wednesday he has begun negotiating for marketing services to produce a tourism brochure.
“I couldn’t just sit on my thumbs and wait for the very end to get started,” he said.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
