Contractor Promises to Hire More D.C. Residents
Ohio-Based Firm Will Post Openings On City Web Site

By Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 20, 2006

An Ohio-based company in charge of maintaining D.C. police cars agreed yesterday to hire more city residents and begin advertising open jobs on the city's Web site after a complaint by D.C. Council member Marion Barry.

Barry (D-Ward 8) had proposed that the maintenance contract be ended with First Vehicle Services, charging that the company was not in compliance with city law.

The issue prompted the most substantial discussion during a light agenda at a council meeting yesterday, the first since last week's Democratic primary. Council member Adrian M. Fenty (D-Ward 4) won the nomination for mayor, and member Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7) won the nomination for chairman. Council members Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) and Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) won the nominations for their reelection bids in the Nov. 7 general election.

"This is the winning side," Mendelson joked, referring to the four men, who sit together on one side of the dais in the council meeting room.

The meeting appeared to be business as usual. Council Chairman Linda W. Cropp (D), defeated by Fenty in the mayoral race, led the session. Fenty, known for using his BlackBerry throughout meetings, worked on the hand-held device as always.

He did not comment on Barry's proposal during the meeting but said in an interview that if elected, he would push to enforce requirements for hiring residents and local, small businesses.

Barry later withdrew his proposal, acknowledging the contract with First Vehicle Services had been signed before the law was passed. Meanwhile, Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) and some council members expressed concern that ending the contract would disrupt police department operations.

In a letter to Cropp, Williams said at least 100 police vehicles receive preventative maintenance every week, and 15 others require repairs. He wrote that "holding up the contract or rushing to re-bid it now could have a significant impact on public safety."

Meanwhile, John Trimboli, regional manager of First Vehicle, said in an interview that the company will seek voluntarily to increase the number of local employees on the job.

Currently, he said, about 10 of 38 maintenance employees are District residents, and about a quarter of the company's subcontractors are local, small vendors.

Trimboli said the company has begun offering jobs to D.C. residents by advertising on the District Web site, http://www.dc.gov . "We're doing that today," Trimboli said. "Going forward, every job is being posted there."

Barry's proposal was prompted by an attempt by George Starke, a former Washington Redskins player, to assume the maintenance contract. Starke is in charge of Excel Associates and Excel Institute, which provide auto mechanics training to troubled youth.

Starke, accompanied by former council member Harold Brazil, said in an interview that he was grateful that Barry raised the local hiring issue. He said he would work with the police department to develop a subcontract with First Vehicle. Trimboli said he would welcome the proposal.