Following the money: HWC Engineering made city streets even safer for speeding cars. Now the company will oversee the Reisz Mahal. Can campaign donations be far behind?

Speaking only for myself, whenever I'm confronted with an anti-climax like this, I reach for my Rice Krispies Treats. HWC's Ed Jolliffe probably does, too.

For many years prior to being awarded so many city contracts that it opened an office within eyesight of the mayor's anchor-bedecked window, HWC annually pumped thousands of dollars into Mayor Jeff Gahan's campaign finance war chest, which at last glance was topping out at around $100,000.

We all know why.

David Duggins was the city's redevelopment director, and his wife worked for HWC. It reeked of nepotism, but who other than this blog bothered to state the facts aloud?

Accordingly, the stenographers strike again with yet another gullible report on the awarding of YET ANOTHER contract to HWC, this time to manage construction of the new luxury city hall.

What will it take for the News & Shambles to inform the public of the many cash-strewn trails running from special interests like HWC to Gahan's Money Machine?

What the newspaper's cloistered management apparently fails to understand is that for a growing number of us on the outside of this enrichment loop, journalistic silence about City Hall's corruption implicates the newspaper itself. Perhaps this is an unjust point of view, but as it stands, it's the only logical conclusion to draw from the newspaper's failure to report facts.

Meanwhile, it appears that municipal corporate attorney and chief sluice greaser Gibson was misquoted.

WAS: "They (HWC) will make sure what we bought is what we will get."

CORRECTED: "They (HWC) will make sure a percentage of what the city bought lands in the mayor's campaign finance account."

HWC to oversee city hall construction in New Albany, Chris Morris (Hanson Capitulation Chronicle)

NEW ALBANY — As work progresses on transforming the old Reisz Furniture building at 148 E. Main St. into the new city hall, the city has hired HWC Engineering to complete ongoing inspections during the construction period.

Shane Gibson, city attorney, told the New Albany Board of Public Works & Safety on Tuesday that HWC will be onsite daily.

"They will make sure what we bought is what we will get," Gibson told the board.

The contract for the duration of the work is not to exceed $154,000.