June 13, 2017
“Propelling Downtown Forward plan”…and how does Griffin, Sicard and all their downtown cronies plan to pay for the Garrison Resurrection?

This is to inform each of you that in the 1960’s the federal government passed what was known as “Urban Renewal”, wherein city taxpayers paid for the reviving & restoration of privately owned downtown properties.

A vote was forced in Fort Smith and Urban Renewal was overwhelmingly defeated. R.A. Young (ABF) was chairman of the proposal to use city taxpayer dollars for his & others’ private property enhancements in downtown Fort Smith.

The “Propelling” appears to be the same proposed theft by another name. In view of the city’s massive spending, cover-ups, and failures one would think you folks would be more tentative. In addition to Files/Webb, Recycling, there is the matter of injecting millions of taxpayer dollars (city, state, national) into the nascent Marshal’s Museum originally billed as a “private endeavor “and the city’s 24 year history of misappropriating the 1% city street/sewer tax.

Another issue in question is Griffin’s use of the New Market Tax Credit designed for use in blighted areas and his long time involvements in HUD.

Just as any private property owner must be responsible for their property so do the owners of downtown properties. The City Government is not constitutionally or legally empowered in any manner to subsidize privately owned property. Hopefully you will refrain from cover ups and incompetence and let the light shine in…referencing your constituencies.

Joe McCutchen
arkansasfreedom.net