UPDATE: 4:03 p.m.

Phil Swibinski, a Vision Media spokesman, responded to the tabled contract situation in an e-mail.

“Vision Media Marketing has a nearly thirty-year track record of providing public relations and communications consulting services to governmental agencies including many in Hudson County. In recent years we have significantly developed our web design capabilities and we believe that our services compare favorably to most any other vendor in the field. We look forward to this matter being resolved to the satisfaction of all parties and continuing our service to the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office.”

— End of Update —

At a regular meeting of the Hudson County Board of Freeholders, District 2 Freeholder Bill O’Dea spent nearly an hour questioning a $12,000 contract to Vision Media Marketing awarded by the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office.

Vision Media Marketing, the public relations firm for Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise’s re-election, was contracted to build and maintain a new website for the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office.

O’Dea, rumored to be a challenger to DeGise in the 2015 Democratic Primary for Hudson County Executive, directly questioned Sheriff Frank Schilari’s Chief of Staff, Bob Baselice, about the process behind awarding the fair and open contract.

O’Dea responded by mocking the process behind the awarding of the contract, and questioned Vision Media’s IT capability.

Eventually the ordinance was tabled, and now the public safety committee, headed by Freeholder Anthony Romano, will review the contract. The public will have no access to that meeting.