Little Rock city manager signs contract for first-ever ‘LITFest’ with firm employing mayor’s former chief of staff

Qualms noted by board members

Charles Blake (left) and Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. are shown in this undated combination photo.
Charles Blake (left) and Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. are shown in this undated combination photo.


The Little Rock city manager has signed a contract with public-affairs firm Think Rubix for a first-of-its-kind festival, formalizing the partnership months after Mayor Frank Scott Jr.'s former chief of staff Charles Blake joined the firm following his departure from city government.

Blake resigned as chief of staff effective Jan. 31. In April, Think Rubix announced Blake had joined the firm as vice principal. The city announced the selection of Think Rubix the same month.

After an interim period in which the contract had yet to get his signature, Little Rock City Manager Bruce Moore signed the agreement June 9, according to a copy obtained by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

The city has said Blake was not involved with the selection of Think Rubix or the company's bid submission.

The festival to come has been dubbed "LITFest: A Return to the Rock" and teased in two of Scott's annual State of the City speeches.

In his 2021 address, Scott recalled the now-defunct Riverfest. He said LITFest would promote business and technology via panel discussions, investor conferences and networking opportunities. At the same time, the city would host live concerts by local and national artists, Scott said.

Officials have yet to offer dates for when the festival will take place, though in his most recent State of the City address on March 28, Scott suggested it would begin this summer in conjunction with an equity and economics summit.

Under the signed agreement, the city is set to pay Think Rubix up to $45,000 in three installments to produce and manage the festival.

A copy of the agreement shows that, like Moore, Deputy City Clerk Allison Segars signed the contract June 9. Tristan Wilkerson, the managing principal of Think Rubix, signed the document on May 14.

The term of the agreement runs from April 1 through March 31, 2023. Any increase to the $45,000 sum must get prior written approval of the city manager or city board, the document says.

As city manager, Moore has unilateral spending authority for purchases of less than $50,000 after a competitive bid process. As a result, the contract with Think Rubix did not get the approval of the city board.

According to email records, Nia McConnell, a Think Rubix project manager, in April wrote to ask that the city consider revisions to language in exhibits that described invoicing, sponsorship and aggregate attendance responsibilities, the Democrat Gazette reported in June.

An earlier draft of a contract exhibit -- the "LITFest Schedule of Deliverables" -- said that at least $75,000 in sponsorship money "will be raised" and aggregate attendance to all LITFest events "will be" between 20,000-40,000 people. The final version of the exhibit lists the same figures, but describes them as goals.

Before joining City Hall in May 2019, Blake served as the top Democrat in the Arkansas House of Representatives. After his resignation from city government, Blake was replaced by Kendra Pruitt, previously a senior adviser to the mayor.

An April news release from Think Rubix that announced Blake's hiring said, "As a skilled policy maker, political strategist, entrepreneur and civil servant, Blake will steward the corporate and governmental affairs, lobbying, and campaigns portfolio of Think Rubix."

One week later, on April 14, the city announced that Think Rubix had been selected to organize and manage LITFest after a request for qualifications process.

The solicitation for event coordinators was issued Jan. 20, with a Feb. 9 deadline for submissions, the city's statement said. Think Rubix submitted the only response and was selected on Feb. 17, according to the city's timeline.

"Mayor Scott said Blake's addition to Think Rubix's team will be invaluable as the company plans for LITFest and identifies programming opportunities," the April 14 statement said. "Blake was not involved in the submission of the company's RFQ response or in its selection. Blake resigned from city employment on Jan. 31."

In response to questions, Scott's spokesman Aaron Sadler said in a statement Thursday, "We have set ambitious goals for LitFest, and we look forward to building on the successes of this first-ever event. Negotiations, which are common with contracts, produced the final product, which we have provided."

"As we have continued to share, this has been a transparent, ethical process by which the City awarded a contract in good faith," Sadler added. "The city attorney is [in] agreement that there are no ethical issues involving this contract."

Asked whether city officials considered having the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, or city of Little Rock employees generally, produce the festival in-house, Sadler wrote, "City employees and the Little Rock [Convention and Visitors Bureau] will be involved in planning for the event, but in-house resources were not enough to produce an event of the scope being planned. We will continue to follow all applicable rules regarding any expenditures."

Sadler said dates and more details will be announced soon.

When asked for comment from Think Rubix, Angela Rachels -- a media relations official with the firm Ghidotti Communications, which is representing Think Rubix -- deferred to the city of Little Rock in response to questions about the contract and festival dates.

When reached via email recently, Moore as well as Little Rock Procurement Manager Vitesh Patel said there was an earlier request for qualifications process related to LITFest prior to the process that selected Think Rubix.

"There were actually two RFP processes. The first one resulted in one bid received and was deemed non-responsive by the review committee. Therefore, another RFP was issued and one bid was received and was deemed responsive by the review committee," Moore wrote. "The City Attorney's Office then drafted the contract and forwarded to my office for signature."

According to Patel, the non-responsive bid was submitted by an entity called "Quintessential Queens" as a joint venture with "Out DA Box Film & Music Productions."

OFFICIALS REACT

City Director Capi Peck of Ward 4 expressed concerns when asked about the arrangement between Think Rubix and the city.

At a board meeting June 21, Peck asked for an update on LITFest. Scott said the contract had been signed and officials were working toward a date. He indicated board members would get a more detailed update later.

"There's no more information outside of that," Scott said at the time.

In an interview, Peck said that "like so many times in the past three years, we're completely in the dark."

She suggested board members like herself did not oppose the idea of holding a festival -- "I'm still not sure what it's going to celebrate, what it's all about," Peck noted -- but having served on the city's Advertising and Promotion Commission, these events take a long time to plan and execute, she said.

Peck said she could not imagine that officials were going to be able to "pull this off this year."

Additionally, Peck said that "frankly, I am concerned about the relationship between Mr. Blake and the fact that he was most likely a city employee still when this was in the works, and that's concerning."

She also expressed concerns about the ancillary support from city staff that might be required to make the event successful.

At an earlier meeting in June, responding to at-large City Director Dean Kumpuris, Scott indicated Little Rock would not be "on the line" in terms of a financial obligation beyond the contract, but city staff might step up to provide support for the event.

A series of contracts under the $50,000 level that would have required bringing them before the city board for approval begs the question of how many other items in the $25,000-50,000 range exist that board members do not know about, Vice Mayor Lance Hines said in an interview.

Hines, who represents Ward 5, said that as the legislative body, "maybe we need to bring that limit down to about $25,000."

The mayor, Hines said, "continues to exclude and de-collaborate with the board. You know, it's fine if he wants to take credit for LITFest, but the way you get things done is collaboratively with your Board of Directors so that you don't have us digging in our heels every time he wants to do something."

At-large City Director Antwan Phillips said he had no ethical concerns "at all" about Blake's departure and Think Rubix's selection for the festival.

"I don't have a problem with it, and I think if there was a problem our city attorney would have said so," Phillips said.

He said he was excited that Little Rock was beginning to take steps to hold a signature event once again.

Phillips, a local attorney who co-hosts the "Rock the Culture" podcast with Blake, said that he had not discussed the issue with the former chief of staff.

City Director B.J. Wyrick of Ward 7 called Think Rubix "a reputable firm," but added, "There was a question in the beginning as to the timing of the event, you know, when Charles [Blake] left and when this thing was signed."

She recalled how Moore had not seen or signed the contract when the news initially broke regarding Think Rubix's selection. "So apparently he was satisfied with the details of the contract," Wyrick said.

City Director Virgil Miller Jr. of Ward 1 noted that the city board's oversight did not extend to the contract with Think Rubix because it was under $50,000.

As long as the city's process selected the best firm, and the former chief of staff just happens to work there, Miller said that he did not have a problem with it. Think Rubix may be the best, he suggested.

The proof is going to be "in the performance," Miller said. "And so that, to me, is the true tell of if this is a good deal or not. How do they perform, and are they the best firm?"


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