Public relations firm McNeely, Pigott & Fox is officially suspended from working on communications for the proposed Music City Center project.
Metro Development and Housing Agency Director Phil Ryan announced in a letter today that he will follow Mayor Karl Dean’s directive [1] to suspend using the PR giant for the new convention center project.
The move comes after an exposé by NewsChannel5 that showed McNeely, Pigott & Fox had billed Metro for more than $450,000 for work on the predevelopment phase of the convention center. The original contract was for $75,000, but was amended by the MDHA board last year to become open-ended.
Dean has called for an audit to be conducted by the Metro Department of Finance of the invoices turned in by the PR firm. The invoices showed McNeely, Pigott & Fox executives were meeting with Dean and his senior aides on a weekly basis.
“Our goal remains being good stewards of public funds,” Ryan said in a letter to Dean and other Metro officials.
McNeely, Pigott & Fox founding partner Mike Pigott said the firm would abide by Dean’s directive.
So far Metro has spent $16 million on the predevelopment phase of the proposed project and allocated another $75 million for land acquisition at the proposed SoBro site. The funds will come out of the hotel/motel and tourism taxes created by Metro Council last year.
Links:
[1] http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/dean-cuts-pr-firm-convention-center-project