NEWS

Cost of BWL’s outside public relations help: $93,785

Steven R. Reed
Lansing State Journal

LANSING – The Board of Water & Light spent $93,785 in 2014 for outside advice about restoring its image and improving communications with customers who were upset by its failures during the December 2013 ice storm.

The utility’s communications failures were central to the findings of the Community Review Team authorized by Mayor Virg Bernero to assess BWL’s preparation for and its response to the ice storm.

General Manager J. Peter Lark acknowledged the failures even before the CRT released its findings in May. By mid-January he had hired Martin Waymire, a Lansing public relations firm, to assist BWL in addressing its communications shortcomings.

The firm provided its services to BWL through the end of 2014. The utility’s expenses included:

•$5,000 monthly for 12 months ($60,000 total) as a retainer

•$15,000 for Martin Waymire’s creation of a crisis communications plan

•$12,000 to MessageMakers of Lansing for production of four informational videos

• $4,754 to Future Media of Okemos for on-camera video training

• $1,500 for Martin Waymire personnel to be on call when BWL communications staffers were out of town June 30-July 4

•$500 to Martin Waymire for a brochure and presentation

•$31.50 to Martin Waymire for photocopies of documents

Martin Waymire arranged for the video production work done by MessageMakers and Future Media.

Steve Serkaian, BWL’s director of communications, defended the expenses as money well spent.

“Martin Waymire assisted the BWL to emerge from the ice storm crisis with the development of stronger communication procedures,” he said. “They provided daily consulting of BWL communications activities,” including recommendations that led to “an upgrade of the BWL’s communications technologies, systems and protocols.”

According to Roger Martin, a partner in the public relations firm, BWL paid $2,377 each for four hours of video-studio training for Lark, CEO of the utility since July 2007, and Marge Bossenbery, a BWL commissioner since 2009.

During a 38-year career after receiving a law degree, Lark, 63, has worked as chairman of the state Public Service Commission, as an assistant state attorney general and as an assistant Wayne County prosecutor.

“Despite his level of experience, Peter was not a confident participant,” said Martin. “He came across as nervous, apprehensive, almost like he didn’t like being on camera, like it made him uncomfortable.

“I tried to get him to use language customers can understand, to be confident. Eventually, he absolutely, totally got it.”

Martin said that while he encouraged Lark to undergo the training, Bossenbery sought it after she was voted vice chair of the board in July.

Bossenbery, 61, is employed by the Michigan State Bar and has worked for the state Supreme Court and state Department of Corrections. She also volunteers as the board chair of Capital Area District Libraries.

“At the training, I learned techniques on how to respond to both written inquiries and on-camera interviews, which I believe will help me more effectively communicate actions taken by the Board of Commissioners,” she said in an e-mail to the State Journal.

The services to be provided by Martin Waymire were outlined in a pair of contracts, each of which covered six-month periods starting in January and July, respectively.

The contracts required BWL to pay for “expenses, costs and additional fees” beyond the tasks covered by the month retainer.

The July-December contract also specified BWL would pay $15,000 for the first 48 hours of crisis communications support if Martin Waymire was called upon to provide those services. Additional support after 48 hours would be billed at $7,500 “for each seven days of service or portion thereof.”

BWL did not require such services before the contract expired. The consulting support was not continued into 2015, according to Serkaian and Martin.