By Robert Haugh
We heard rumors that the massive Mariani Development Project has been rethinking its strategy and its team of consultants. We’ve confirmed that at least one of them has been dropped from the team.
Former City Councilman Kevin Moore is no longer working with Mariani. Here’s what Lou Mariani said in an email:
“Not currently, he completed his community relations assignment several months ago.”
Here’s what Moore wrote to us:
“Yes, that is correct, not currently working for the Mariani family. Completed my recent assignment.”
We reported that Moore joined the team in June 2017. He replaced lobbyist/publisher Miles Barber of the Santa Clara Weekly.
Barber was controversial and neighborhood leaders and some councilmembers felt he did a terrible job with community relations. One even asked the City to investigate if Barber violated the City’s lobbyist ordinance.
(Note to City staff: any updates?)
Moore could not tell us what he did for community relations. Maybe that’s why neighborhood leaders did not consider Moore to be very effective.
It’s not the first time Moore has taken a short-term assignment. He lobbied for the 49ers and Live Nation to change the weekday stadium curfew. LINK The curfew did not change because Mayor Lisa Gillmor, the majority of the council, and Northside neighborhoods were against it.
Mariani has hired lots of people to help the project for temporary assignments, like Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce Boardmember Harbir Bhatia for digital media. And Singer and Associates for communications.
But none of them registered as lobbyists. Could this be an issue when the project comes to the Council for approval sometime this year?
Stay tuned as we follow this controversial project.
[…] after that complaint was filed, Barber was dropped as a lobbyist for the project and replaced by former Councilman Kevin […]
[…] in 2019. It wasn’t for SiliconSage. She worked on the massive Mariani development project, as we reported back […]
Barber and his cronies at the Chamber should all be investigated, everyone of those board members should be investigated going back ten or 20 years. These folks ‘ran’ the city and made out to be doing everything in the interest of ‘little folks’ ‘for the good of the people’ ‘the good of the budget’ … Lou just wants his pay back for helping these people along the way … he got the timing wrong because now their days are up and bottom line they all should be investigated for ‘manipulation’ ‘fraud’ and anything else ‘illegal’ they may or may not have done. “Let them eat Cake” because the rest of us have been served ‘bs’ the last few years.
Wow, doesn’t anyone like KevMo? He is a pleasant enough guy to talk to and I don’t harbor ill will for him personally. But when he takes money to try destroy our neighborhood I draw the line. Nice guy or not, he isn’t on the side of the neighborhoods or the city.
Boo KevMo, I can’t wish you well when you are working for the evil empire.
Dear Robert,
I have noticed you mentioned me twice now in relationship to this project for the short stint of digital transformation consulting wok my company did years ago. Not sure what is the goal of this article and me in it, a friend of yours into this mix. Are you trying to persuade readers to think of me in a certain way through association? Just not clear for what purpose. Anyhow, I hope you intentions are sincere and true. Since I an not able to tell by the limited information you are providing of the consultants and their work. But I do feel important as a community servant that you mentioned me, though not all the community orgs that I am in. Anyhow hope you and daughter are well.
Hey Loyal,
Moore is probably a pawn. You got that right. He has an aw shucks, dopey style. He’s no mastermind.
But he does a lot of behind the scenes stuff. Even under the table stuff. Mostly for the Niners. Check out Facebook. The dude gets sideline passes to lots of Niners games. He’ll screw Santa Clara in a split second. Heard that he doesn’t even really live here.
Even KevMo can’t help the failed Lou Mariani. From the most popular hotel in the city to blight. Now a developer, better stick to fruit and nuts.
Mariani family reunions must be a little tense.
Moore should not be the focus. He is just a man-child in Santa Clara land — a good-natured but usable and malleable pawn in the Mission City chess game.
However, Barber should be thoroughly investigated. His involvement with the project is the subject of rampant speculation in the community. Is he a publisher? Or a lobbyist/publisher? Or perhaps more accurately — an unregistered lobbyist/publisher? Only a review of his contract and testimony from Lou Mariani will uncover the possibly hideous truth. Barber once had a financial stake in the project. We don’t believe that he has abandoned that stake given his writings and paper’s coverage — and perhaps more significantly his irrational actions in the community and at council meetings.
C’mon, Robert. Kevin had a temporary assignment. He did a great job. Everyone loves Kev. Everyone in Santa Clara. Everyone on the Council. Everyone should hire him as a lobbyist. He’s THE MAN!
Good reporting, Mr. Haugh. If you want to really break a BIG story look into Kevin Moore’s dealing with David’s Restaurant. Lots of bodies buried there.
He’s a pushing a massive development on El Camino? And changing the curfew? If he used to be on the City Council why is he working on things that are bad for Santa Clara?