When bureaucrats & politicians determine they can game the system, it’s deuces wild. 10/16/16
Pertaining to the Chaffee Crossing’s River Valley Sports Complex, the TR today wrote that Republican Senator Jake Files is partnered with Lee Webb, Jr. on the plan (complex).
Precisely what is meant by the word “partnered” in this context?
City Manager Geffken said “the project is philanthropic”. How so, when the promoters have spent none of their own money and why are they bestowed ownership of the hugely expensive project?
Democrat Webb and most particularly state Senator Jake Files have no doubt colluded with the Arkansas State General Assembly to funnel 2 million dollars or more taxpayer dollars into the Marshal’s Museum crowd, i.e. Griffin & Sicard.
The city of Fort Smith has given $1.6 million (taxpayer dollars) to Files & Webb toward their project, the National Guard has donated $1 million (taxpayer dollars)& others are giving “in kind” donations—meaning they very likely are aligned for some kind of pay-off, or is the last group mentioned just “making a difference” or “giving back” or some other PC phrase? Therefore, Geffken is describing this taxpayer thievery as “philanthropic”.
The TR story printed that it was going to cost another $4.5 million to complete which in government jargon translates into another $2 million or so tacked on.
The story concluded that “Senator Files would not make any money off the sports complex”. (???) This is a pretzelized statement. Files & Webb own the operation, so the TR states in murky terms, and they have been involved in this project for at least 5 or more years & Files will not be compensated??? It seems obvious that in all likelihood this is a payoff by the city and the MM crowd to Files for his milking the State Legislature for the MM for $2 million (taxpayer dollars) or more for a project billed as a private enterprise.
The Sports Complex is no doubt a 501c3 or will be, that will be run by Files & Webb as officers and their handpicked enablers with inflated salaries, absent accounting oversight to the citizens for their millions of taxpayer dollars awarded to Files & Webb without their knowledge or permission.
Files’ statement that he will not make any money off the complex, further stated “The money it generates will go back into the operations of the park, which a non-profit board will oversee”. Non-profits are anything but non-profit, for the most part taxpayer subsidized without appropriate oversight. For Senator Files to state that the money the park generates will go back into the operations of the park is simply a falsehood and the FS city government is corrupt to the core for allowing such an enterprise to take place unless it is completely owned by the city & county or if Files & Webb purchase the enterprise in a legally fiduciary legitimate manner…their money.
I would pose the question to Geffken, since when is taxpayer dollars, taken by force, & redistributed to two politicians; in this case Lee Webb, Jr (D) & Jake Files (R) translate into philanthropy?
Crony political patronage and beyond.
Joe McCutchen