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Community erupts over contested South Olive tennis RFP; city outlines protest process under 'cone of silence'
Summary
Tens of residents urged the commission to reverse or re‑examine an RFP that awarded management of South Olive Tennis Center to a national organization. Skip Jackson and many supporters said procurement scoring contained irregularities; city attorney said a formal protest has been filed and the procurement 'cone of silence' limits commission comment while the protest is processed.
Dozens of residents filled the commission chamber Monday to protest an apparent award of the South Olive Tennis Center management contract to a national organization and to ask the city to reconsider.
City attorney Kimberly Rothenberg reminded the audience that a cone of silence is in effect and that a formal protest has been filed. "This… is on the Tennis Center solicitation. We are currently under a cone of silence and the contract has not yet been executed," she said, describing the protest review steps in the city code.
Representatives of Skip Jackson Tennis Inc. — including Skip Jackson, tournament director Jennifer Jackson Strange, long‑time players and dozens of families — said the local program has run South Olive for more than two decades and that community ties, safety and program continuity warrant reconsideration. "We're not asking for special treatment, only fair treatment," Jackson said, and he and others documented what they called scoring irregularities and omissions in the RFP evaluation.
Speakers criticized the procurement process and flagged concerns about the national organization’s litigation history. Several commenters cited a 2024 federal verdict involving USTA and asked the city to consider safety oversight; others alleged inconsistent representations in the bidder's documents and insurance certificates.
City staff and commissioners said the protest process exists to resolve such claims. Commissioners uniformly thanked speakers and asked staff and the city attorney to follow procurement code steps. President Lambert and others emphasized the need for better communication about major solicitations and for staff to brief commissioners when outreach would benefit residents.
What happens next: The procurement official will review the protest and render a decision. If the protest is denied by procurement, the matter can come to the commission for final agency action and would then be appealable to circuit court, the city attorney said.
Key quotes: Skip Jackson, representing the incumbent operator: "This is about fairness, transparency, and the city following its own rules." City attorney: "That cone of silence is still in place."
The commission took no action on the contract during this meeting beyond acknowledging the protest and promising to follow the code‑required review process.
