Ken Feinberg’s bypassed Pensacola on his recent barnstorming tour of the Gulf Coast. Locals had to travel to Destin and Orange Beach to be heard.
Feinberg heads the Gulf Coast Claims Facility. Though he denies the oil giant has any influence on his operation or him, Feinberg is paid by BP…and paid well. He first told businesses and residents that they didn’t need lawyers. Then recently the law firm he recommended in Miss. also had BP as a client.
Feinberg has his shtick. He comes in late and disarms the crowd by listing all their complaints, taking on the blame and then promising to fix it. The audience is given limited time to speak and Feinberg promises to handle it. Then he leaves. For a few weeks, there is improvement, but only for awhile. When the media moves to the next story, things get worse.
Locally there has been no vocal advocates in the Chamber or government for our businesses. Heck, our officials can’t even decide on who will represent our governments.
Mayor Hayward told me that he is pushing for the next Feinberg meeting to be in Pensacola. Commissioner Robinson said the county is close to making a decision on legal representation. Chamber is focused on Vision 2015.