George Hawthorne’s Diversity Program Advisors Inc. is being recommended by the Community Maritime Park Associate board’s EBO Committee to take charge of CMPA’s Equal Business Opportunity program. It was a 2-0 vote – with committee chair Bentina Terry and Dick Baker voting for DPA.
The battle for the job was between Hawthorne and Tony McCray, Jr.—who was the EBO program coordinator when Maritime Park Development Partners had the contract.
Hawthorne’s DPA has also signed a contract to purchase Brownsville Middle School for $1 million. Part of the deal, according to Hawthorne, is for DPA to develop 10 acres of the property and sell the lots to Habitat for Humanity. Dick Baker is listed on the Habitat website as the staff member in charge of properties
for that organization.
Hawthorne lists in his bio that he is the majority owner of Joe Raley Builders, a construction company in Gulf Shores, Ala. Joe Raley Builders, Inc. got hit with a $479K default judgment from Vision Bank on Dec. 2, 2010.
I found this Mobile Press Register article on the lawsuit, which talks about Joe Raley Builders filing a counter-lawsuit, but also says Scott Raley, another shareholder in the company, was working last spring as a carpenter: “Joe Raley Builders has sued Park National in Baldwin County Circuit Court, seeking $17.7 million in damages. The suit claims that the bank reneged on promises to fund Bama Bayou, thus causing the ruin of the once-prosperous Raley company and forcing principal Scott Raley to take up carpentry to support his family. ” Read more.
City staff should check the bios of Hawthorne, McCray and anyone else seeking to head the EBO program. Particularly after the issues that arose from Scott Davison’s proposals.