In the post below, I

In the post below, I noted the Pioneer Press story indicating that too many white men are building the new Ramsey County jail in St. Paul, and referring to a contractor affirmative action program with a “goal” of 15 percent minority participation. I wrote the Pioneer Press reporter asking for additional information about the program. I thought you might be interested in his response:
“The essence of the program is that the 15 percent goal targets underutilized businesses (small, women, and minority) who haven’t been included in county projects before. However, there is no legal ramifications if the developer doesn’t meet them, but the county reserves the right to pull the contract if they feel that the developer hasn’t sufficiently met the county’s outreach goals. Under revised federal regulations, that is within the county’s right. The other reason why minority contractors are upset is that in the Twin Cities metro area, there is no shortage of minority businesses qualified to submit a low bid on contracts. The county and large private sector firms like McGough agree with that assertion, so they want to get those firms involved. There’s no set-aside. The program was created to ensure that ALL qualified businesses are given an opportunity to compete for construction contracts with the county. If I’ve confused you more with my email, I think you might want to call Jolly Mangine at (651) 266-2261 for a clearer explanation.”