Steven G. Mednick
President, Whys Solutions, LLC
Attorney Steven G. Mednick has an extensive background in legal affairs, policy analysis and public service. He opened his own practice in 2001 () focusing on technology and development projects for public and private sector clients, economic development as well as municipal issues, in general. Immediately prior to forming his firm Mednick was a partner in the New Haven office of a 70 member Connecticut-based law firm (May of 1996 through December of 2000), served from 1994-1996 as Corporation Counsel for the City of New Haven. From 1993-1995, Mednick was a Senior Advisor at Strategic Policy, Inc. in Washington, D.C. where he represented a national client in government affairs matters in 12 states. Attorney Mednick served as President of the IJIS Institute for three terms.
In addition to his law practice Mednick is a principal in Whys Solutions, LLC (), a consulting firm specializing in strategic planning and project management for public and private sector clients. The firm takes a collaborative approach to client representation by listening, advising and providing the vital connection between an idea and our clients' strategic objectives – creating value by providing innovative strategies, innovative solutions, superior execution of plans and timely results.
Areas of Concentration
Mr. Mednick concentrates his law practice in technology procurement representation for the public and private sector; governmental-related transactions (economic development and land use and zoning); municipal governance (charter revision and structural reform); commercial financial transactions (including real estate); and, appellate litigation. Mr. Mednick occasionally represents clients on government service matters. He is admitted to practice in the State of Connecticut and before the United States District Court of Connecticut, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He is a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law (J.D. - 1979) and Fairfield University (B.A. - 1974). He was also a participating columnist for the "Sum & Substance" series for the Connecticut Law Tribune from 1996-1998.
Government Technology Practice
The Attorney General of Connecticut retained Mednick to represent the Department of Information Technology (“DOIT”) and the Department of Public Safety (“DPS”) in the negotiation of the 800 MHz trunked digital simulcast voice and mobile data telecommunications system for the State Police. The competitive negotiation and contract discussions were the culmination of a decade-long process of upgrading its 55-year-old radio system including planning, site construction and procuring the microwave backbone for the system. In August, 1996 with the issuance of the RFP and for two and-a-half years thereafter to the signing of the contract, Mednick worked with the interdepartmental evaluation and negotiating teams to negotiate a $45+ million contract.
Mednick also negotiated the procurement of an Integrated Tax Administration System for DOIT and the Department of Revenue Services (“DRS”). The $37+ million contract relates to the creation of a single integrated taxpayer case-based system including the development of detailed system requirements. He is currently representing the Department of Motor Vehicles on the procurement of a $50+ million real-time on-line registration system.
Mednick and his consulting firm, Whys Solutions, LLC represent the State of New Hampshire’s Office of Information Technology and Attorney General on the development of new protocols for the acquisition of information technology.
Municipal and Government Practice
In the last several years, Mednick has drafted new city charters for the cities of Hartford, Waterbury, and New Britain, Connecticut. He is currently restructuring many of the service structures for the City of Waterbury: procurement, civil service, ethics, administrative practices and pensions. He is also revising the civil service and procurement systems and supervising a complete re-write of the Code of Ordinances for the City of Hartford. He is currently serving as charter revision counsel for the Towns of Portland and Darien, Connecticut. He is currently involved in the negotiation of major development projects for the Cities of Bridgeport and Waterbury, Connecticut. Among the many government entities he has represented are the State of Connecticut Departments of Information Technology (“DOIT”), Public Safety (“DPS”), Revenue Services (“DRS”) and Motor Vehicles (“DMV”) and the State of New Hampshire’s Attorney General and Office of Information Technology on technology procurement matters.
He has represented the New Haven Board of Education (school construction arbitrations), the Council of Governments for the Greater Naugatuck Valley (DEP grant and RWA recycling), the Greater Waterbury Transit District (public procurements and general representation) and the West Haven Realty Holding Corporation (real estate development). Among the entities he has represented in dealing with local governments are Yale University (zoning, construction permits, real estate and government relations), Christ Presbyterian Church (zoning), APT Foundation (real estate, zoning and government relations), SMG (Coliseum Authority Privatization and labor relations) and PoseidonWater Resources (wastewater treatment privatization).
Corporation Counsel of the City of New Haven Connecticut
As Corporation Counsel, Mr. Mednick supervised a staff of 13 lawyers and investigators. During his first year, the department included the Division of Labor Relations and Workers' Compensation. Mr. Mednick was part of the team that orchestrated the successful coalition bargaining effort that reopened and settled collective bargaining contracts with almost 70 percent of the bargaining units. In addition to wage concessions, the City devised a strategy to reduce 14 disparate health plans into a single managed care program, and created a workers' compensation managed care plan.
Mr. Mednick was involved in two important appellate cases in 1995 and 1996. In the first case, City of New Haven v. Local 884, 38 Conn. App. 709 (1995), Mr. Mednick persuaded the Appellate Court to reverse and direct a verdict for the City in a case involving "arbitrator misconduct." The case was, ultimately, reversed by the State Supreme Court (and, again, the Appellate Court found for the City on alternate grounds, currently on appeal before the State Supreme Court). In the second case, Board of Education of the City of New Haven v. City of New Haven, 237 Conn. 169 (1996), the City established the primacy of a city charter as the operative governing document establishing the parameters of capital spending for Boards of Education.
Governmental and Legislative Background
Mr. Mednick served as an Alderman from the City of New Haven from 1982-1991, including four years as President Pro Tempore, from 1988-1991 and as Chairman of the Finance Committee (1986-1989). During that time, he was Vice Chair of the Human Development Steering Committee of the National League of Cities (“NLC”) and active with the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. As a leader on human development policy, Mr. Mednick helped draft national policy on housing, health care, children's issues, welfare reform and job training initiatives.
During his tenure, Mr. Mednick was chosen to represent NLC in matters before the Departments of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development. He also served as Chair of NLC’s International Economic Development Task Force. From 1996-2005 Mednick served as member of the Board of Commissioners of the New Haven Housing Authority, where he was part of a team of Commissioners and staff that oversaw the re-birth of the once declining agency. Prior to his Aldermanic service, Mr. Mednick was an Intern to the late U.S. Senator Sam J. Ervin, Jr. (D-NC) during the Watergate Hearings (1973); Executive Assistant to Secretary of the State Gloria Schaffer (1974), Executive Director of the State Elections Enforcement Commission (1975), Executive Assistant to State Senate Majority Leader Joseph I. Lieberman (1976) and Chief Assistant to the Chief Counsel of the Liquor Price Fixing Investigation Commission to the General Assembly (1977-78).
Appellate Experience
Mednick has handled numerous labor arbitrations and appellate litigation. For example, Mednick’s argument for the repeal of so-called “recall” provisions was affirmed by the Connecticut Supreme Court in Simons v. Canty, 195 Conn. 524 (1985). More recently Attorney Mednick successfully reversed an adverse labor arbitration ruling at the appellate court, on the basis of arbitral misconduct, New Haven v. Local 884, Council 4, AFSCME, AFL-CIO, 38 Conn. App. 709 (1995) which ruling was reversed by the Supreme Court, 237 Conn. 378 (1996). The appellate court in 1997, again, found for Mednick’s client on the basis of alternative arguments advanced in the original appellate case, 44 Conn. App. 764 (1997) and the case is currently pending at the Supreme Court.
Public Affairs and Intergovernmental Representation
From 1993-1996, Mr. Mednick worked with former U.S. Representative A. Toby Moffett as a Senior Advisor to Strategic Policy, Inc. in Washington, D.C. As Senior Advisor he was involved, principally, as a policy analyst and advisor on state-based developments in health care. He also served as a contributing editor for The Critical Edge, a quarterly newsletter published by Coopers & Lybrand and the Intergovernmental Health Policy Project of GeorgeWashington University.
Mr. Mednick worked with the Health Decision Resources Group of Coopers & Lybrand, tracking and analyzing health care reform developments in the States of New York, Ohio, Minnesota, Florida, Michigan, Kentucky, Georgia, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. He assisted his client in the development of a network of contacts in the executive and legislative branches, regulatory agencies, hospital associations, medical societies, HMO Conferences, employer cooperatives and purchasing alliances. He also has served as liaison for his clients before the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures.