BY B.G. GREGG
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Representatives of Hamilton County's minority community on Wednesday demanded an audit of construction contracts at Paul Brown Stadium to ensure minorities are receiving their fair share.
Many were concerned that a few minority businesses were being used to pass through money to non-minority contractors so it would appear commissioners were honoring a pledge to award 15 percent of the stadium contracts to minority- and women-owned businesses.
Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus said he wants to increase the number of minority-owned businesses doing work on the stadiums, but he does not think the county has done anything wrong. He rejected the idea of an audit.
"We know exactly where we are at on minority contracts, so there is no reason for an audit," he said. "We're not going to make up numbers like 6 percent."
County officials have said 7 percent, or $8.3 million, in contracts had been awarded to minority- and women-owned businesses as of Sept. 30. For the same period, $120.9 million in contracts were awarded.
Many of the 50 people who attended the meeting said commissioners recruited the minority community to help pass a half-cent-on-a-dollar sales tax increase in 1996 to fund the stadiums.
"You called upon us to support a tax that's a burden to our disadvantaged, to our seniors, to our working poor," said the Rev. James W. Jones of Roselawn. "We've heard all kinds of excuses for not sharing our money with our community."
Mr. Bedinghaus said commissioners will continue attempts to find minority contractors. At the meeting, the county discussed a plan to increase minorities in the work force of those companies that receive county contracts.
Jerry Monahan, executive secretary of the Greater Cincinnati Building Trades Council, assured commissioners that his organization would hire more minorities and "try to live up to our part."
Paul Brown Stadium is to open in August 2000.
