My opponent’s plan to change our bidding system, outlined in her statement last week, is completely uninformed. Bids and RFPs to purchase goods and services are already probably the most transparent part of our government.

Like many other communities, we share the Newport online bidding system to expose our bids to the largest number of vendors possible, improving our ability to obtain the best price. Registering takes about two minutes and anyone may do it.

We also advertise all bids. I open them and read them in publicly announced sessions. Bid results are again read by me at live-televised Council meetings, and video is available online afterwards. These results, and awards (Town Administrator’s responsibility), also appear online as part of the Council minutes.

It’s obvious that the public is already well-informed since I have received only a handful of inquiries from private citizens about bids during the past 14 years.

Lou Cirillo

Mr. Cirillo is a Republican candidate for Bristol Town Clerk.