When: Columbia Borough Council meeting, March 28.
What happened: A recent murder, online rumors, and a disagreement over how to interpret words prompted council member Sharon Lintner to question a $3,995 bill from an advertising and public relations agency that council members previously had voted to no longer use. Council approved the payment after discussion.
Quotable: “I saw the check amount, and I felt I had to talk about it,” Lintner said in a phone interview after the meeting. “What does our (council) vote mean? We’re spending $4,000 of taxpayer money.”
Details: Borough Manager Mark Stivers said he called York-based Gavin Advertising in March for emergency advice about a month after the February murder of Elaina Smith, 12, of Columbia.
More info: Stivers said he sought help after online rumors surfaced in connection with Smith’s homicide. Some online posts claimed that the Columbia Police Department had previously dealt with Jason Shackleford, the 38-year-old man charged in her murder. Those statements were false, Mayor Leo Lutz said.
Specifics: Stivers talked with Lutz and Jack Brommer, Columbia’s police chief, before calling Gavin. “The biggest issue we were dealing with was misinformation going around the internet,” Stivers told council members. “People were making false accusations about the police department.”
Background: However, council didn’t approve a motion to renew Gavin’s contract on May 10, 2022. The actual wording read, “Motion to approve a contract with Gavin to provide on-demand communication and public relations service with the Borough as needed.” The motion failed 5-2. Previously, Columbia had paid Gavin a monthly retainer.
Issue: Lintner said she thought those words meant that Columbia would no longer do business with Gavin. However, Stivers and Lutz said they interpreted the failed motion as prohibiting a contract with the agency, not a one-time event.
Opinions: “I read the action as that I was not allowed to enter into a contract,” Stivers said. “The need justified the action that we took.” However, Lintner said Columbia should have contacted a different agency or asked a borough official to write a press release and have the borough solicitor approve it.
More: Stivers said he did not notify any council members before asking Gavin for help. The borough manager may spend up to $10,000 without getting council approval. “I probably should have let council know,” Stivers said after the meeting.
What Gavin did: The agency wrote a press release and monitored online activity to ensure that rumors didn’t spread, Lutz said.
Coming up: Council will research other advertising and public relations companies in case one is needed, Stivers told council members.
What’s next: Council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 4. The meeting will be streamed on the borough’s Facebook page.
