The mundane issue of buying new defibrillators for the Fire Department led to allegations of hypocrisy against City Council today over the City's commitment to boosting small and minority owned businesses, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
City staff recommended a contract with a prominent Japanese company, which would freeze out a local, Hispanic owned firm which supplies similar equipment.
"If you take a look at the statistics, the amount of city money that goes to our minority, women, Black and Hispanic owned businesses, it kind of a shame," Gabriel Rosales of LULAC told City Council.
Rosales vowed a LULAC 'investigation' into the city's contracted practices.
"Here we go again with pay to play politics at City Hall," he said.
Some speakers said as little as 0% of the city's goods contracting went to African American owned local firms in 2016, and only 14% went to Hispanic owned businesses. 62% of San Antonio population is Hispanic, according to the Census Bureau, and 6.9% of the population is African American.
Fire Chief Charles Hood said the Japanese company's bid is superior because its equipment connects directly to local hospitals and medical facilities, and it will not require firefighters to take additional training to learn how to operate new equipment.
He pointed out that when it comes to buying life saving equipment, it is important to get the equipment that works."If the Chief wants Zoll, we'll get Zoll," Councilman Alan Warrick said, in a reference to ZOLL Medical Devices, the Japanese company. "But we need to get Zoll to play by San Antonio's rules.
A city spokesman said officials tried to convince ZOLL to involve the local distributor, but the manufacturer 'doesn't allow it.'
He also said the local distributor's product cost is significantly higher than ZOLL.
"Hood said he is concerned with cost, and is concerned that the Fire Department has 'the right equipment at a ready supply.'
"I don't want to run a unit because I don't have the equipment, and without the equipment, I can't provide service."
Several speakers pointed out that locally owned, and minority owned businesses hire local people who spend money in the city.
WOAI PHOTO