June 17, 2026 3:30p
(WGTD)---The Racine City Council approved a small, no-bid contract last night for a company with ties to Democratic political campaigns and various initiatives around the country.
G Strategies was hired to sell naming rights for various features in the under-construction King Community Center.
The city is trying to close a $15 million funding gap created by the failure of a couple of anticipated federal grants to materialize.
Alder Sandy Weidner charged that the contract should’ve been bid competitively. Weidner sees a pattern with the G Strategies contract and a succession of city purchasing agents, some of whom purportedly had complained in the past about city procurement practices. "A $68 million-plus public facility deserves a...practice that can withstand scrutiny," said Weidner reading from a prepared statement. "The contracts surrounding it must be done correctly to protect the project from legal and federal compliance exposure that results from shortcuts," she said.
Mayor Cory Mason defended the $150,000 contract. "It's not unusual for a sole source item to come forward without having gone through a formal bid," he said. "I will say the universe of people who have experience to talk to foundations, rich donors, philanthropists and state and federal funds that are available is a very, very small group."
According to a briefing memo for alders, G Strategies already has had a hand in raising thousands for the King Center. But no one Tuesday night could identify the authority under which the company had been operating.
Neither did anyone from G Strategies speak.
Questions were also raised about a compliance issue. The company apparently failed to file a routine report with the state Department of Financial Institutions. City Attorney Scott Letteney said he’ll see to it that the issue is resolved before he signs off on the contract on behalf of the city.
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