Who is it That You Think is Your Client?

In the effort to Master Plan OLF-8, The Escambia Board of County Commissioners is DPZ's sole client.  Disturbingly--there does not appear to be an understanding of this on the part of DPZ's "team leader."

Who is your client?    This seems like a very basic, fundamental question that is easily answered.

But there now appears to be some disagreement between the Board of County Commissioners and our design consultant DPZ Co-design--on who it is that is the client of DPZ in the local effort to create a master plan for OLF-8 in Beulah.

In the recent public BCC meetings last week, I have asked this point blank.  And I was told at these meetings by DPZ that the County is the client.  This is absolutely the case, 100%.  Look no further than our current contract with DPZ-where the Board is the sole client.  The contract is between DPZ Co-Design and the Escambia Board of County Commissioners---and no one else.

But in a recent email from DPZ Co-Design team leader Marina Khoury to me, she indicates, incorrectly, that "all citizens" and "all stakeholders" are also her "clients."  What??  What kind of nonsense is that?

So 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, but nevertheless it must be.  

This is due to some disturbing threats to "embarrass" the commissioners and also  insinuations and accusations of malfeasance leveled against the BCC by partisan stakeholders (NOT DPZ's client) simultaneously copied to members of the DPZ "team" late last year and early this year the contents of which were NOT shared with the board (DPZ's client) in real time.  (These emails only came to light upon local journalist Rick Outzen receiving and publishing them as a part of a public records request he made of DPZ.  These revelations have now morphed into more than a dozen print, TV, and online media pieces that have portrayed DPZ and Navy Federal Credit Union in a negative light while simultaneously casting doubt on the impartiality of the initial plans put forth to the BCC by DPZ)  

Some see this lack of immediate notification by DPZ to the client, BCC, of these serious allegations and plans/schemes against the board as a serious breach of trust.

DPZ team leader Marina Khoury, however, sees things differently.  

She apparently dismisses such concern in an email to me late Sunday evening when she doubles down on the faulty assertion that she did not need to notify the BCC of these emails on which she was copied.  Khoury stated at the meeting that "she stands by each and every email that has been turned over!"  And in her email to me she actually quadruples down in answering my question about why she

failed to notify the county of organized opposition and insinuations of BCC malfeasance by partisan stakeholders, when she states, 

"We would not forward an email from a stakeholder (also our client) to the County any more than it would occur for us to forward an email from the County to a stakeholder."

So the firm we contracted with feels it is appropriate NOT to share with their client the Board serious insinuations and organized movements against an unbiased, fair planning process for OLF-8?  If they are not sharing things this important--what else are they NOT sharing with us?  Which again begs a very basic, simple question to DPZ:  Who is it that you think is your client??