PDF: Waterhouse and East Ridge
For any city, a $657,000 shortfall might demand an image makeover.
But records show East Ridge already had tried that for 16 months before its budget imploded, and $97,674.70 paid to Waterhouse Public Relations didn’t impress at least one watchdog resident.
“Citizens don’t want the spin, they want the truth,” Frances Pope said Thursday. “Don’t spin it; don’t do things in the back room; be a man about what you’re doing.”
From May 2009 to May 2010, East Ridge paid Waterhouse $78,000 in regular retainers – $6,000 per month, according to city records – and $19,674.70 for “special projects.”