The question still goes unanswered. April 11, 2017

Why was the softball complex contract awarded to Senator Files & Lee Webb? It certainly was not awarded for their contractual & financial accomplishments!

By the same token, the F.S. City government is equally guilty in this charade. Incompetency notwithstanding, but what entity would be foolish enough to drop $2 million or more into the hands of the two aforementioned politicians, absent any oversight and still funding when the project was on its death bed, i.e. the collusion between the FS city government & the WAPDD, which amounts to outright public theft.
What is the relationship between CEO WAPDD Sasha Grist (what qualifies her as CEO), the city government of Ft. Smith & Frontier MPO’s Dianne Morrison?

In view of the city’s miserable financial record, that is if they are not outright lying, streets & sewers, pensions, the Civic Center, taxpayer’s money being spent for downtown enterprises, the nascent Marshal’s Museum, ad infinitum something is really smelly, particularly the Softball Complex deal which gives an absolute appearance of either a payoff, a quid pro quo, cronyism, malfeasance, misfeasance, etc. None of which are admirable traits, coupling this with their outright refusal to come clean and illuminate the citizens as to why this contract was delivered to Files & Webb.

Money is flowing much too loosely not only in the city but in these NGO’s, wholly funded by taxpayers and run by self-serving government incompetents.

Joe McCutchen

P.S. Trails taking precedence over the aforementioned failures.

Fort Smith, AR is another DC Swamp—32 years & no results from the 1% street/sewer tax, and the tax meter is running rampantly. January 23, 2017

Another Shell Game about to be foisted on Fort Smith citizens by new City Manager (phantom/has never been introduced publicly) Carl Gefkin, the Mayor and the City Directors.

Shell Games are also known as Short-Cons because they are easy & quick to pull off. Case in point, Fort Smith City Manager & Directors.
A brief background pertaining to Fort Smith citizen’s addiction to taxes (shell games & the highest in Arkansas) must be constructed so as to understand the magnitude of the City Manager’s proposed extension of the already 32 year old Shell Game that Fort Smith has experienced, which if left up to the phantom City Manager & Directors will result in a 57 year Shell Game.

September, 1985 a 1% city street & sewer tax was passed because of an Environmental Protection Act (EPA) decree (sewers), precisely the same EPA demands that were placed a second time (Dec. 2, 2014) on the city of Fort Smith that resulted in a $300,000 fine and a $400 million sewer edict to be completed in 12 years. Of course, the $400 million, due to interest, etc. will balloon to over $500 million during the 12 year mandate.

The 1% street & sewer tax that was specifically dedicated for street and sewer improvements have generated well over $600 million in the first 25 years of its existence, and the sewer tax meter is now into its 32nd year. Where did the $600+ million go? Certainly not on streets & sewers as demanded. With the $600 million spent & abused, coupled to the 2nd $400 million EPA demand will result in far more than double taxation and will be close if not surpassing $ 3/4 billion in taxes.

At the first 10 year sunset, voted on and passed, why was the word sewer and/or “drainage improvement” removed from the official tax title & now referred to simply as the 1% street tax.

Enter new City Manager, Carl Gefkin, the Shell Game “conjurer” and his 3 peas—the Mayor, the City Directors & the City Attorney.
Let the Shell Game continue—Fort Smith citizens are always ready for another tax plucking measure.

Here is their game plan. As with all City Managers, Gefkin is trained to carry out all federal mandates, acts, laws, etc. while posing as a servant of the citizens who pay his salary.

Recall, if the original 1 cent street/sewer redemption tax had been legally & appropriately used, in all likelihood the sewers would have been refurbished in first 5 years…1990. Instead, 32 years later most streets & sewers are still in a state of disrepair. (All the while the PC crowd clamors for mismanaged, ill-conceived trails, ball complexes, museums, Avenue businesses (new-age Urban Renewal) & other non-essentials. These are all being subsidized with taxpayer dollars to cronies, property owners, contractors, regionalism, 501c3’s & 4’s with no transparency in the bid process if one exists.)

Fort Smith City Manager Gefkin stated January 19, 2017, “Trying to do it in that short period (12 years) of time we’re finding out now, is not realistic. We need more time to do it”. (Is 32 years not long enough??)

I would suggest to government man Gefkin two things: Tighten the financial belt & run the city government as a business (which you may know nothing about)…cut funding for ALL non-essentials until this mandate is completed as agreed to by the current city government. Mr. Gefkin, you were well aware of the 2nd EPA mandate when you accepted the job. Furthermore, you knew that this was the same Board that negotiated the 12 year deal for reclaiming sewers and these Board Members are waist deep in incompetency, waste, & corruption in this Shell Game.

Now the bombshell! Jan. 19, 2017 introduced to the public his short time Shell Game: “Gefkin said, ‘possibly extending the decree (EPA) to 25 years or so “a shot in the dark”. This is the most dangerous & outrageous proposal entertained by City Directors that has ever come before the F.S. City Board. This would be a mandate to turn sewer improvement into a 57 year project, no end in sight and getting this Board & future Boards hundreds of millions of dollars to carry out ill-advised projects.

WHERE DID THE $600 MILLION GO AND WHERE & TO WHOM WILL THE FUTURE MONEY GO? QUI BONO???

A quotation by Robert Yates, one of our Founders…”I can scarcely contemplate a greater calamity that could befall this country than be loaded with a debt exceeding their ability to ever discharge. If this be a just remark, it is unwise and improvident to vest in the general government a power to borrow at discretion, without any limitation or restriction”.

Joe McCutchen
arkansasfreedom.net

Times Record: “Late Project Frustrates City” January 11, 2017

Lack of transparency from Fort Smith City Mayor & Board of Directors. Why did the Mayor & Board award the 2 professional politicians, Files & Webb, with no business credibility, along with what appears to be a list of business failures, a contract for the building, maintenance and oversight (ownership) of a 3 year ongoing project to build 8 softball fields, accompanied by nonessential amenities?

Several inquiries have been made to the Board regarding the why of awarding this program to 2 professional politicians with checkerboard business backgrounds. (Search Files/Softball on arkansasfreedom.net )

The Mayor & the Board have also shown they are not competent or has this been an example of payola, e.g. Arkansas state taxpayer money (at least a million) for the nascent Marshal’s Museum (stated by Griffin & Sicard to be funded privately) compliments of State Senator Jake Files in exchange for being awarded the 8 field softball complex? The Fort Smith city government has also dumped hundreds of thousands into the Museum without a citizen vote.

To further demonstrate the Mayor & Board’s business inabilities & incompetency, here are some examples: contract extensions with no penalties, Director Mike Lorenz said there is no stated finish date. The response from some of the Directors was frightening. Director Good stated he did not know how they could pull the plug and that is exactly what must be done. Pouring more money into this collapsed venture shows an utter lack of responsible business experience & expertise also by the Mayor & City Board. It further indicates that Files & Webb are financially deficient and when Files speaks of “in kind services” and “donations” he simply means more taxpayer dollars into this mismanaged government farce.

The curtain must be drawn, the Board cuts our losses, removes Files & Webb from the scene and pursue other routes with competent individuals, corporations, etc. who are willing and able to invest, & keep grungy politicians out of the mix. The Fort Smith City Government, with all their “feel-good”, “look-good” Agenda 21 directives are proving themselves to be colossal failures.

Observe the City Government’s fiduciary failures…look no further than the circa 25 year street & sewer fiascos, resulting in double taxation—multiple $600 million x 2 !

When are the new City Manager & Chief of Police going to be publicly introduced to Fort Smith citizens accompanied by their visions for the city?

Joe McCutchen

They capitulated as we knew they would. That would be Directors Lau, Good, Lorenz, Settle, & Hutchings. Congrats to Directress Pennartz & Director Catsavis. December 8, 2016

The above pertains to the Board breaking a contractual agreement with Frontier Engineering for construction of a trail.
The original contract called for $156,000 taxpayer dollars and the aforementioned Board members voted to break it by allowing an increase of $50,853.00. Parks Director Doug Reinert and new man on the block City Manager Carl Geffken recommended the scuttling of the contract to the Board.

Reinert came forth with a litany of excuses why the taxpayers should cough up an extra $50,000 + , i.e. delays, additional man hours, day by day, week by week, long hours documenting, and a host of other nebulous reasons.

The contract was flawed by both parties and proved to be another example of Ft. Smith government incompetency. Pertaining to the Trail, Reinert came forth stating “we cannot let this crown jewel fail”.

Reinert, the City Manager, and the 5 Board members, let me explain to you what the “Crown Jewel’s” quotation really is.

First, circa 25-30 years ago citizens passed a 1 % sales tax strictly dedicated for sewers & streets and during that period the tax generated over $600 million dollars. The $600 million was misapplied, misspent, and perhaps criminal conduct. Now the taxpaying citizens of Fort Smith are beneficiaries of a $300,000 EPA fine, accompanied by another $600 million EPA edict to pay for sewer improvements over the next 12 years. With inflation, etc., the $600 million could easily balloon to somewhere south of a Billion dollars, paying twice for sewers and receiving no substantive street improvements and/or sewers. Additionally, a shortage in Fire & Police pensions, a massive increase in water, sanitation, etc. consumer bills, spending millions on downtown privately owned Urban Renewal projects, the nascent Marshal’s Museum (ultimately, citizens will inherit the bills), the failed Convention Center, paying tuition costs for city employees, proposing to give them a 1% cost of living increase, homeless shelters, ad infinitum.

Director Good scoffed at only a 1% city employee raise. Mr. Good, the financial status of this city due to you and the remaining Board of Directors & past Boards’ incompetency; employees deserve no pay raise of any kind. By the way Directors, detail the procedure used in purchasing equipment, particularly rolling stock.

It should be noted that the 5 Directors that voted for the $50,000 giveaway have all been involved at various times in the wanton spending of the first $600 million.

Those reading this, next time you have an occasion to look into a mirror, ask yourself who is responsible for the incompetency and unbridled spending that the Fort Smith city government is involved in on a day to day basis. Same for all governments. They have far too much money that they can lay their self-serving hands on.

Joe McCutchen

arkansasfreedom.net

ANOTHER CARROT TO GROW GOVERNMENT!

The Fort Smith Mayor, City Directors, former City Manager & City Finance Director—nothing short than a collection of Taxpayer of bandits. September 28, 2016

The fact that the FS City government is paying city employees’ college tuitions and/or other equivalent institutions is the height of an UNCONSTITUTIONAL ACT, taxpayer dollars taken by force, grand theft, and immoral. NOT A PROPER ROLE FOR GOVERNMENT.

This same city government misapplied $600,000 MILLION of city funds and claim they are in arrears on City Fire & Police Pensions.
In all likelihood these debacles & treacheries commenced with former City Manager Ray Gosack & Finance Director Kara Bushkel and this & other past Boards—replete with no transparency.

Obviously, in addition no oversight, no taxpayer dollar amount spent since the programs inception and how long this unethical stupidity has existed. Furthermore; total enrollment, total completion, and again how many taxpayer dollars spent on this circus, the names of cow colleges attended, how many graduates and/or other institutions are unreported?

The audacity that this present collection of bandits would continue and revise this criminal practice with more tentacles than an octopus and move into another stage is unconscionable and has no possible chance of a detailed oversight.

Here are the names of the bandits who are involved in this thievery with no apparent shame.

Mayor Sanders, Board Members Catsavis, Lau, Pennartz, Good, Lorenz, Settle, & Hutchings. Is the new City Manager now complicit?

One would think Pastor/Director Don Hutchings would be the moral compass of this crowd, but certainly does not appear so, he is as guilty in this thievery as the rest.

Joe McCutchen

P.S. Did it never occur to these pickpockets that the taxpayer they robbed might like to pay for their own tuition or child’s, but now cannot afford to??? Proving once again, THE EASIEST JOB IN THE WORLD IS SPENDING SOMEONE ELSE’S MONEY!
arkansasfreedom.net