City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today issued the following statements concerning this morning's votes by the Franchise and Concession Review Committee (FCRC). The Comptroller voted against both a revised Snapple's agreement with the City and an agreement to construct and operate a water park on Randall's Island . Both measures passed by a 5-1 vote at the FCRC meeting.

Randall's Island

"I am very supportive of development on Randall's Island to serve the recreational needs of the City's residents and to attract tourist dollars to support sorely needed youth and community programs. I, however, do not support this agreement because it is the product of a seriously flawed process. This is a major project and should have been subject to fair and open competition.

The City's argument for proceeding without competitive bidding - that the Aquatic Development Group was the only entity with the ability to undertake the project - simply is inaccurate. The lack of transparency surrounding the water park deal, and the abuse of the FCRC rules in an attempt to obscure this problem, undermines confidence in the City's public bidding process.

Snapple

The revised agreement only reinforces my position that this was a flawed deal from the start. The administration should stop negotiating no-bid, sole source deals and should instead ensure fair and open competition for City business opportunities.