Residents ask for cost details and procurement transparency after PR contract item tabled

The Board removed Item #13 (a proposal from Carisa Giardino for public-relations services) from the agenda and tabled the contract discussion for a future meeting. Resident David Lipsky asked the Board to provide advance notice of "the cost, purpose and whether it was a solicited or unsolicited proposal and the qualifications of the contractor" before any vote takes place.

Deputy Mayor Dawn L. Hargraves said she will be "spearheading" a branding project for Ocean Beach, including the social media work, and asked residents to forward suggestions; when asked whether the village would treat such services as a budget item, Maria Silsdorf urged that any expense be included in the budget rather than handled offline. During the public comment session Lipsky asked, "Are we branding it as the Land of No or the Land of Yes?" and Hargraves replied, "My idea is that it was more of the upscale family."