San Juan mayor gets in Twitter fight with tiny Montana firm awarded controversial $300 million contract for Puerto Rico
October 27, 2017 by admin
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Mayor
of San Juan Carmen Yulin Cruz talks with journalists outside the
government center at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, days after
Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, September 30,
2017.
Carlos
Barria/Reuters
-
San Juan mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz went back and
forth on Twitter with Whitefish Energy, a
firm awarded a $300 million contract to help restore
Puerto Rico’s power grid. -
The vast majority of Puerto Rico’s citizens are still
without power. -
Cruz has called the no-bid contract “alarming” and
said it raised ethical concerns.
Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, engaged in
a Twitter feud with a small Montana energy firm on Wednesday,
after she and others questioned the firm’s
controversial $300 million contract to assist the
hurricane-ravaged US territory.
Whitefish Energy Holdings was awarded the contract last
month to restore Puerto Rico’s power grid, but
it raised
eyebrows recently as the island has struggled to provide
power to more than 75% of residents weeks after Hurricane Maria
hit on September 20.
Cruz called the no-bid contract “alarming” and demanded it be
voided in light of ethical discrepancies, Yahoo News reported
Wednesday.
“The contract should be voided right away, and a proper process
which is clear, transparent, legal, moral and ethical should take
place,” Cruz told Yahoo News. “What we need is somebody that
can get the job done and that has the expertise to get the job
done.”
Whitefish, which reportedly employed two full-time employees when
the contract was awarded, said it shared Cruz’s frustrations
but noted that “her
comments are misplaced.”
Cruz then criticized the company for suggesting that she was the
only person to raise concerns about the contract.
“You would think I am the only one in the world that has
commented on this,” Cruz replied with a
screenshot of Whitefish’s tweet. “What is it about women having
an opinion that irritates some?”
“If @WhitefishEnergy feels that asking for transparency is
‘misplaced,’ what are they afraid we will find,’ Cruz continued.
The spat between the two escalated Wednesday evening
after a tweet on the company’s official Twitter asked
if Cruz still wanted the firm’s assistance.
“We’ve got 44 linemen rebuilding power lines in your city
40 more men just arrived. Do you want us to send them back or
keep working,” the company tweeted from
its official account.
“@WhitefishEnergy implies that you will not treat the City of San
Juan with the diligence it deserves. Thus admitting political
motivations,” Cruz replied.
“Mayor, you called for our work to end. We do not want to leave
the island without help. We’re committed to restoring power to
Puerto Rico,” the company tweeted.
Despite the back-and-forth with Cruz, Whitefish appeared to
backtrack Wednesday evening, saying it was
apologizing for its earlier comments: “Mayor Cruz and everyone in
Puerto Rico — on behalf of our employees, we would like to
apologize for our comments earlier today, which did not represent
who we are and how important this work is to help Puerto Rico’s
recovery.”
“Our goal is to continue to do all we can to help everyone in
Puerto Rico in this time of need,” the company’s statement
continued.
Cruz, who represents the largest city in Puerto Rico, has been
consistently vocal about the situation in the US territory.
Cruz has railed against President Donald Trump’s response that
many agree was insufficient and inappropriate, and
previously said that the
island was “inching close to a genocide.”
“We are dying here,” Cruz said in an emotional press conference
last month. “And I cannot fathom the thought that the greatest
nation in the world cannot figure out logistics for a small
island of 100 miles by 35 miles long.”
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Joe Girardi will not return as manager of Yankees
October 27, 2017 by admin
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Joe Girardi will not be back next season as manager of the New York Yankees, the team announced Thursday.
Girardi just completed the final season of a four-year, $16 million contract. Sources told ESPN’s Buster Olney that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman recommended to owner Hal Steinbrenner that the team change managers.
In an email to local media outlets, Girardi said: “With a heavy heart, I come to you because the Yankees have decided not to bring me back.” He went on to thank the Steinbrenner family and Cashman.
The simple truth in the Bronx: It was time for Joe to go
Despite six postseason appearances and a title, Yankees manager Joe Girardi wasn’t beloved. With the team’s ALCS exit, a clean break was for the best.
“I want to thank Joe for his 10 years of hard work and service to this organization,” Cashman said Thursday in a statement. “Everything this organization does is done with careful and thorough consideration, and we’ve decided to pursue alternatives for the managerial position.
“As Hal Steinbrenner and I mentioned to Joe directly this week, he has been a tremendous Yankee on the field and away from it, as a player, coach and manager. He has a tireless work ethic, and put his heart into every game he managed over the last decade. He should take great pride in our accomplishments during his tenure, and I wish Joe and his family nothing but success and happiness in the future.”
Girardi, 53, and the Yankees came within one game of going to the World Series this year, losing to the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.
In 10 years at the helm, Girardi won one World Series and made the playoffs six times. He has talked extensively about how the talent at the major and minor league levels could bode well for the Yankees in years to come, but now Girardi will not be a part of that future.
One of the complications of Girardi’s departure is there is not an obvious candidate to replace him. Internally, bench coach Rob Thomson is highly respected, but it is unclear whether the Yankees would go with a lower-profile candidate. First-base coach Tony Pena has managed in the majors before. The Yankees are expected to look externally as well.
Cashman will favor a candidate who has a good feel for the clubhouse and a willingness to use advanced statistics, and one who can handle the extreme expectations of fans and media in New York.
Cashman’s contract also was up at the end of the season, but he is expected to return after building a strong roster and farm system.
Though the Yankees advanced deep into the playoffs, Girardi had the lowest moment of his managerial career. He was held responsible for a loss in Game 2 of the AL Division Series in Cleveland after he failed to ask for replay review on a strikeout that was incorrectly called a hit batsman. The Yankees stormed back to win the final three games of the series and then nearly came back from a 2-0 deficit against the Astros in the ALCS.
After the Yankees lost in the ALCS, Girardi professed his love for managing but said he would once again discuss his situation with his wife and three children, asking them what they thought was best for their family. He has expressed similar sentiments on previous occasions when his contract was up, but has always returned to the team.
Marlins for one year, Girardi took over the Yankees in 2008. He won a World Series in 2009 and finishes his Yankees tenure with a regular-season record of 910-710 (.562).
As a catcher, Girardi played for 15 years in the big leagues, winning three World Series titles in four years with the Yankees.
In his statement, Girardi concluded: “Finally, I’d like to thank the Fans for their great support as a Player, Coach and Manager and the lasting memories of their passion and excitement during the Playoff Games, especially the final six games which will remain in my heart forever.”