ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The cost of the long-running-yet-recently-restarted investigation into racism and discrimination within Allentown city government continues to climb.
City Council by a 4-3 vote Wednesday night authorized a $15,000 increase for its solicitor, Maria Montero, to work as the “watchdog” over Philadelphia law firm Duane Morris LLC as it takes over the probe.
Council by the same vote tally last month hired Duane Morris to analyze the city’s personnel and nondiscrimination policies and whether Mayor Matt Tuerk’s administration has properly implemented them over the past three years.
“We’re paying you to be the watchdog for city council."City Councilwoman Candida Affa to Solicitor Maria Montero
Members Daryl Hendricks, Cynthia Mota, Santo Napoli and Cynthia Mota supported both measures, while Ce-Ce Gerlach, Ed Zucal and Natalie Santos voted against both.
Montero is to serve as the liaison between council and the law firm. She pledged to provide Hendricks, as council president, with weekly briefings on Duane Morris’ investigation.
She said she would work to ensure Duane Morris attorneys stay within the scope of council’s investigation.
“We’re paying you to be the watchdog for city council,” Affa said Wednesday night.
Montero will be paid $2,500 monthly from March through August. She told council she would continue serving as its liaison for free if the investigation continues beyond the summer.
Total cost unknown
Council’s vote to hire Duane Morris also ended former FBI agent Scott Curtis’ investigation into allegations at Allentown City Hall after he completed about six months of work — without payment.
Members allocated $300,000 for Curtis’ probe, but no hard figures have been presented about the total cost of the contract for Duane Morris.
“My role is to make sure every penny [of taxpayer money] is spent wisely."Maria Montero, Allentown City Council solicitor
Duane Morris leaders said the company could conduct the investigation for $450,000 to $1 million, Montero told members in January.
Council hopesi to limit costs to about $400,000, she said Wednesday.
“My role is to make sure every penny [of taxpayer money] is spent wisely,” Montero said.
Members have only been provided with two attorneys’ hourly rates — $1,285 and $1,150 — and a “guarantee” the city would get a “very substantial discount” on those rates.
Zucal on Wednesday failed with a bid to table the $15,000 expenditure for Montero until members knew more about the cost of the new investigation.
Total costs related to the probe could end up more than twice as much as council initially set aside if Duane Morris completes the investigation for the lowest price it’s quoted.
Allentown officials spent more than $110,000 on a lawsuit that never saw its day in court. Council paid lawyers about $68,000 to sue Mayor Matt Tuerk for not paying Curtis.
And Tuerk’s administration spent about $45,000 defending city officials before council members paused the litigation on the eve of the first hearing.
City taxpayers could end up on the hook for even more expenses should officials continue not to pay Curtis and his company, FLEO Investigations.
“If they aren't going to pay us for our services, I mean, we'll have to take them to court, too,” Curtis told LehighValleyNews.com last month.
“Just add that to the list of people that are suing the city. We better get paid because we did work and we signed an agreement with city council."
