That said, your actions and paths are not above reproach.
The Orange County Weekly (http://www.ocweekly.com) just put out an interesting article highlighting a well regarded public affairs firm who's actions and optics cast doubt on many many things.
Forde & Mollrich (http://fordeandmollrich.com) were given:
- A no bid contract (in and of themselves these are not bad and serve a very distinct purpose)
- To work on public relations & affairs (an increasingly essential part of any project)
- For a park (re use of a Marine base) (http://www.ocgp.org)
- That would rival Central Park (http://www.centralpark.com) in New York and Balboa Park (http://www.balboapark.org) in San Diego (now you can imagine the kind of promotion and support something of that magnitude could need)
- for $100,000 a month (yes very high, but a world class development needs world class resources, which Forde & Molrich could provide)
Here's the problem. $200 million has been spent to date and there isn't much of anything to see, visit, or enjoy. The park is marginally more impressive than an average municipal park - only becaue it has a hot air balloon that you can ride - for a fee.
Yet the New York Times just did a piece on Forde's new home (http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/greathomesanddestinations/where-shall-we-park-the-art.html). Naturally it is lavish, and well deserved I'm sure after a lifetime of work.
But read the article in the weekly, see all the things that the Times reporter missed... And ask yourself.
Even IF everything you did was right, deserved, and ethical...
What are the optics of it all, and what could those perceptions do the next time you wanted to move forward on something?
Doing a guy check now and then might just be your best move.
San Diego's Balboa Park Botanical Gardens
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