by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
A local public relations firm and the Utility Contractors Association of North Florida, Inc. have decided to part ways.
McCormick Agency president Paul McCormick said the decision was made this week after conferring with representatives of the UCA, and that the split was amicable.
“It’s not really a split, but a mutually agreed upon decision,” said McCormick.
On Nov. 30, 2001, UCA president Ryan Schmitt signed a contract with McCormick. About three months later, on Feb. 19, the UCA filed suit in federal court against the City, contending that the City’s small and minority business practices were illegal. On Feb. 25, the City was officially served with the suit which has been assigned a May 2003 trial date.
Because the relationship between McCormick and the UCA quickly went from being both a public relations and legal matter to strictly a legal issue, McCormick said he and attorneys representing the UCA realized there was no need to continue the professional association.
“Since the case is in federal court, there is no need for a spokesperson,” said McCormick. “Things developed right after the suit was filed so it wasn’t a matter of pondering about what to do. We agreed that after it was filed, after the hustle and bustle, that we would move on.”
While McCormick maintained the relationship between his firm and the UCA was strictly professional — he was not part of the lawsuit, he was just a spokesman — others viewed it as a bad decision for McCormick. Mayor John Delaney decried the relationship, despite his personal friendship with McCormick. And, the McCormick-UCA partnership even touched the 2003 mayoral campaign.
At the time the suit was filed, McCormick also represented John Peyton who, despite having raised nearly half a million dollars, is an unofficial Republican candidate for mayor. Not knowing how long it would take to resolve the suit, Peyton realized a potential conflict of interest had developed: he was seeking a position that was being sued by his PR firm. Thus, he and McCormick opted to put their professional relationship on hold.
Now that McCormick has parted with the UCA, both he and Peyton have expressed interest in resuming their professional relationship.
“I’ve said all along that I wanted Paul McCormick in the fold,” said Peyton. “I have not talked to him about an arrangement, but we are scheduled to meet next week. I hope we can work together.”
McCormick said, “That’s a decision he [Peyton] will have to make. I hope we can work together, but I haven’t talked to him.”
Previously, Peyton was on record as saying it was too early in the campaign to crank up the P.R. machine. While he still maintains that theory, Peyton acknowledged that it’s certainly a good time to align himself with a P.R. agency, regardless of when he opts to fully employ them.
“It’s important to put the team in place,” said Peyton. “But, it’s still early in the campaign, so there are no pressing publicity needs. Right now, we want to build the team and garner support and we certainly would like to include Paul.”
The UCA suit has drawn the ire of several City officials, including Delaney, and many local businessmen. That suit, spurred by the Better Jacksonville Plan and how its contracts have been awarded, aims to have the City’s small and minority business policy declared illegal. City officials and minority leaders have decried the suit and anyone associated with it. Because he has had, and still has, several African-American politicians as clients, McCormick’s decision to represent the UCA was questioned in many circles. McCormick said he hopes people realize it was simply a business decision at the time and that he still counts people such as U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, State Sen. Betty Holzendorf, State Rep. Denise Lee and City Council member King Holzendorf and others as not only clients, but friends.
“Well, I certainly hope not and I don’t think so,” said McCormick, when asked if his association with the UCA could negatively affect his relationship with his African-American clients. “All I was was a spokesman for a group that has every constitutional right to bring their challenge to the judicary. I had minority clients long before the suit. People like Denise and Betty and Corrine and King were friends long before they were clients.”