Inside the DPZ Text Messages and Emails: Part VI "Navy Fed Got Burnt"

 

Why does DPZ feel "Navy Fed got 'burnt' on this deal?"

As I wake up today coming off of what I felt was a good meeting yesterday (beginning at 20:08 of this video), where the commissioners were working together and arrived at a compromise for the development of OLF-8--I can't help but wonder about the text message, above, from Mike Weich of DPZ Co Design to Marina Khoury, also of DPZ Co Design.  In it, Weich states that  he "Just feel(s) bad for Navy Fed...they were 'burnt' on this deal."

This text message comes as a result of a public records request that DPZ fulfilled late last week.  The context of the above quote is:   this was a commentary between these two on a series of unflattering articles, blog posts, news pieces and television stories that came out last month illustrating the fact that there were several "behind the scenes" meetings between Navy Federal Credit Union, a coalition of NFCU employees and some residents, and the county's consultant, DPZ.  In these meetings, county staffers were specifically excluded and the goal of "embarrassing" and undermining the BCC's goals were discussed and DPZ staff was copied on these plans.

Then it was also revealed in these articles that the chief media spokesman for NFCU, Bill Pearson, was simultaneously working with the "NO Commerce Park on OLF 8" campaign against the BCC.  He (Pearson) even helped edit their talking points.  And Marina Khoury was aware of this, as members of the DPZ team were copied on these conversations.  Sadly, at the time these machinations were occurring, nobody at the BCC (DPZ's Client) was notified in real time.  Many believe this was a breach of DPZ's ethical obligation to the BCC, DPZ's sole client here on this OLF-8 project.  This all was discovered after the fact--- which was embarrassing for both NFCU and DPZ.

So perhaps Weich feels NFCU got "burnt" because of the poor way in which DPZ handled these actions--leading to the conduct at issue being discovered through a local journalist's public records request?  If that's why he feels they got "burnt"- he should look in the mirror for the culprit.

But maybe Weich feels NFCU got "burnt" because they didn't successfully kill all the jobs and commerce to be developed on OLF-8?  (This could be valid--as prior to the embarrassing public records emails detailing the NFCU behind the scenes involvement with DPZ in this---what was

Inside DPZ Co-Design's Emails and Text Messages: Part V--Does DPZ STILL Think "Everyone" is Their Client?!?

DPZ Co Design team members apparently still believe "everyone" is their client, and not the BCC.  Hopefully their lawyer can explain to them that this is a flawed, inaccurate assessment.

How can a firm working for the county to implement county goals and objectives feel that "everyone" is their client?  If everyone is someone's client--why do we have a contract with DPZ?  Why does DPZ send invoices to the county? It's ridiculous, preposterous, and inaccurate for them to say this.

It's because "everyone" is NOT DPZ's Client, the County, the Board of County Commissioners is DPZ's sole client on the OLF-8 Master Planning project.  And one would assume these folks would know this, but apparently DPZ team members Mike Weich and Marina Khoury continue to cling to the flawed notion that everyone is their client--based upon new text messages provided late last week.  It really is astonishing.

Late last month, I asked our attorney for her opinion--- which she quickly provided.  

“Pursuant to your ask, it is my opinion that privity of contract exists solely between the BCC and DPZ.  The BCC is a legal entity and even though the BCC is a board elected by the public, the BCC is the actual client and not the public.  I certainly understand that sounds counterintuitive, but hopefully the board is supporting the wants of its constituency.”

It is odd that this even has to be discussed and defined for Khoury and Weich, but nevertheless it apparently must be reinforced again.  Over and over.

I can only assume this notion of "everyone" is the client is a defense mechanism they are utilizing to rationalize their actions when they were notified of movements to undermine and embarrass their sole client here, the BCC--and DPZ did NOT notify their client in real time as .  I mean, if everyone and every citizen is your "client" yeah, you don't need to notify anyone of anything I guess.

Real life doesn't work this way though, and that argument is feckless and ridiculous....

Inside the DPZ Co-Design Emails and Text Messages, Part III: Secret Weapon?

Yet another recent, disappointing example of the BCC's consultant, DPZ Co-Design, working behind the scenes against their client the County....

Late last year and early this year, my neighborhood HOA president began, through our HOA, emailing residents in my subdivision "information" about OLF-8.  And a lot of it was misinformation/disinformation from some small groups (Not DPZ) that don't want commerce on OLF-8.  I didn't think much of it at the time, but I did respond to it.  I even did a series of posts about it--because I felt it was really outlandish and the information was propaganda! (plus, this was before the embarrassing DPZ email issues were made public by Rick Outzen and the other media outlets, illustrating NFCU's involvement-so I still thought, naively, that DPZ was working with us, not against us.)

Fast forward a few months and now the pieces are coming together.

Now that I am receiving DPZ Co-Design's recent batch of emails-- I realize why me and my neighborhood  were being targeted.  According to the emails in the latest batch, an employee of DPZ's subcontractor Impact Campaigns indicated she had an "uncle" that lives in my neighborhood.  In emails only circulated within the DPZ team (County project managers excluded), this was described as Brooke's "secret weapon."  In August the DPZ team was conducting extensive outreach to many of the neighborhoods.  No harm in that, right?  

But in the winter, some groups with which DPZ had been communicating (NFCU/Beulah Coalition, No Commerce Park on OLF-8) began openly advocating, via email, against any commerce at all on the field--in direct contravention to what their client, the BCC, had identified as one of the client's top goals with this property.  Not only that, these emails were full of inaccuracies and outright lies!

My response to my neighbors, via email, apparently made its way back to DPZ through one of these "other" entities, at which point the DPZ team apparently relished, and shared, the strife they felt they had created between my neighbors and myself, as the sitting county commissioner that represents that neighborhood. (Again, county staffers apparently were left out of this operation and not copied on this string). But boy oh boy--Travis Peterson of Impact Campaigns sure seemed pleased to create and stir up this discontent, stating: 

"From Belle [sic] Ridge Forest neighborhood association.  Brooke's uncle lives there.  Bergosh is feeling the heat, and I think this is exactly how we want to be positioned right now-- as the honest