Broker contract doesn't seem to meet city needs

Lou Marzeles
News Editor

     It's already done, and we'll just have to make the best of it-if there is a best that can be made of it. But it has to be said: why did the city council choose to renew its contract with Kelly Shea?
     The contract is a commercial broker's exclusive sale listing agreement between the City of Goldendale and Shea, a Coldwell Banker broker based in Vancouver. Its term is for two years. If I understand it correctly, it appoints Shea as the city's listing agent to represent it for sales or leasing of properties in the industrial park. I've looked through the contract. It gives Shea a commission of 10 percent of the sales price of anything sold and, in the event of a lease, five percent of the first 10 years' total base rent.
     You'd think terms such as that would inspire some serious results. From what I understand, however, Shea has just completed his initial two-year contract with the city with no done deal to show in the way of sales or leases in the industrial park. To quote Tom Cuff from Monday night's city council meeting, Shea "hasn't done a thing."
     I'm not saying that the city shouldn't give someone another chance if there are adequate mitigating circumstances. What I don't understand is why anyone would commit themselves to a two-year contract without appropriate requisite results milestones in place and terms for revisiting of the contract if those milestones are not met-especially after two years of an arrangement that shows no completed deals. Such a deal provides no safeguards for the city and no performance requirements for Shea.