the BScubed award goes to...

The severely flawed, over-budget, overdue Silver Spring Transit Center is a case study in BScubed (Baseless Self Serving Statements). Since March 2013 when Montgomery County released its report detailing the SSTC’s numerous and serious structural flaws, there has been a steady stream of public statements from government officials absolving themselves and the County from any responsibility for the transit center’s serious flaws. This, despite the fact that Montgomery County is owner of record for the SSTC, has responsibility for approving and inspecting all construction in the County and is responsible to the public for expenditure of public funds for the SSTC (local, state, federal).

During the past year hundreds of reports have appeared in newspapers and on TV, radio, and the internet. Search the internet and most of the results are media reports that are full of unchallenged, baseless self-serving statements. All the while media continues to tout itself as providing “in-depth reporting” and asking “probing questions”. The Washington Post, for example, frames the SSTC as a political issue rather than focusing on serious safety and cost issues. With very few exceptions most other media reports have similarly failed to focus on safety and cost issues. Not a single report that I’m aware of has dealt fully with such questions as:

• Is the SSTC safe? Should the public rely on opinions (baseless self-serving statements) of those who have been involved in the project and who are paid for by Montgomery County? 
• Why were the SSTC’s  serious defects not dealt with sooner, instead of when construction is almost complete? Particularly in light of Montgomery County’s fulltime, onsite construction management team and periodic visits by other County employees? 
• Why hasn’t Montgomery County held public meetings to explain to the paying public (local, state, federal) cost overruns and ongoing repairs? Why hasn’t the paying public been given the opportunity to ask their questions and make their comments on the public record? 
• What does the Federal Transit Administration and the Maryland Mass Transit Administration have to say about the seriously flawed, over-budget, overdue, brand new, yet-to-be-opened, under-repair SSTC and their failure to provide a public forum where those paying for the SSTC (local, state, federal) can ask their questions and provide their comments on the public record? 
• How can government officials assure the public that the public won't pay for repairs to the SSTC? Can they predict the future? Do government officials have crystal balls that tell them how the courts will decide who pays for what? 
• How and why did Montgomery County choose the SSTC's builder/contractor, engineer/designer and concrete inspector/tester in the first place? Why didn't Montgomery County bid the project for construction as has been standard practice for public works projects for decades? Why didn't Montgomery County select the engineer/designer and concrete inspector/tester using the tried-and-true competitive processes that have been used for decades for purchasing professional services? Why did Montgomery County use the noncompetitive public-private partnership? How has the paying public (local, state and federal) fared with Montgomery County's, the Maryland Mass Transit Administration's and the Federal Transit Administration's decision to use the noncompetitive public-private partnership for the SSTC, instead of using traditional purchasing practices for public works projects? 

If there was a BScubed award, then there wouldn’t be enough of them to go around to all of the local, state and federal public officials and all of the local media (print, TV, radio, internet) who deserve one.