The Fort Smith Quick-Sand Money Pit July 7, 2017
“Propelling Downtown Forward”—Why? Who pays? Methods of money received? Source of funding? Who benefits?
We the people (citizen taxpayers) must, in this case, be afforded the opportunity to vote on this massive hundred million + utopian project that requires 113 pages of explanations/expectations if the Board succumbs and passes “Propelling”. The genesis of this plan comes from a non-profit 501c3-c4 called 64.6 Downtown (?) formulated by Gateway Planning of Dallas. The cost & source of funding not reported.
“Non-profits”, funded in the main with taxpayer monies, little to no oversight, impregnated with notoriously high salaries & overstaffing, e.g. the Convention Center.
The two major propellants of this self-serving scheme appear to be Richard Griffin & Sam Sicard. They are heavily invested on the Avenue with government cash, grants, New Market Tax Credits, HUD, WAPDD. The cash coming from Sebastian county, Fort Smith, the Ark. State Capitol, and divisions of the national government, e.g. the nascent Marshal’s Museum (initially billed as a private endeavor), ad infinitum.
It is not the city’s responsibility in any manner to prepare, build, and/or sustain a stage for private businesses, as is the intent with the utopic “Propelling Downtown Forward”.
The City Board is scheduled to decide the fate of the Propulsion plan July 11, 2017. Actually it is determining the fate of the taxpaying citizen.
In light of the recent past City Government fiascos, either by design or incompetence, the only honorable position for the Board to take is to quash “Propelling”, if not, then afford a citizen vote. Such a massive potential undertaking under the aegis of a small number of downtown stakeholders is financially & politically extremely dangerous and if enacted another forced theft of taxpayer dollars.
The question that immediately arises, do the City Administrator, Mayor, & Board have the will, the courage & moral fortitude to reject the insider political pressures that they are experiencing re: “Propulsion”.
To refresh the minds of citizens re recent past failures and improper spending of taxpayer monies by the City Board, e.g. forced fluoridation; the nascent Marshal’s Museum; the failed Convention Center ( Legris and two city staffs are soon off to New Orleans for another “convention”!); current Trails and a proposed 87 miles system, apparently without an enforceable bid process in place; the 1985 1% street/sewer tax that generated $650 million in the first 25 years of the ongoing tax + an additional 7 years specifically earmarked for sewers/streets that never occurred, followed by a $400 million EPA mandate (see above, should have already been paid for many times over) accompanied by a $300,000 EPA non-performance fine, and Manager Carl Geffken wants an additional 12 year extension totaling 24 more years to meet EPA mandates and citizen needs, i.e. no sewer/street refurbishing completion; the $2 million (city, state, national) Files/Webb softball debacle; the hundreds of thousands spent in the recycling cover-up (i.e. $52,000 per month x 3 years); a lawsuit against the city pertaining to illegally conducting city business via email (lack of transparency); & a police/fire deficit in their respective retirement funds.
Added to this list of tawdry failures, Police Chief Nathanial Clark was apparently hired for two reasons, he is black and his plans are to install minorities in police command positions, while publicly stating he was going to install a paramilitary unit in the police dept.—Chilling, and why? Also, for the public’s edification the Chief has prevailed on the Board to dissolve the efficient and honorable Civil Service Commission in order to eliminate citizen oversight & scrutiny of the FSPD.
Our Founding Documents intended America to act in the manner of a Constitutional Republic where merit, education, competition, accomplishments reign supreme not “set-asides, quotas”, etc. which are addiction liabilities.
In view of the above listed incompetency’s, wastefulness, lack of oversight, absent a stated & detailed enforceable transparent bidding process, and management mediocrities, citizens should expect the Board to recognize their frailties and resume their sworn responsibilities that address citizens’ needs, not the downtown special interests and pay the city’s financial obligations in a timely manner, e.g. Zero Budgetry. Not to revitalize (pay for) the insiders’ Downtown Avenue skeleton that would enhance the value & profit of their personal private properties, would subsidize existing businesses (structurally & monetarily) and underwrite new construction, along with the introduction of privately owned new entertainment venues—all the responsibilities of individuals, i.e. genuine private enterprise.
Our republic was founded by & until recently has functioned AS A NATION OF SELF-SUFFICIENTS, NOT A NATION OF DEPENDENT BEGGARS.
Citizens, if Propulsion is installed you will be paying dearly for the Downtown Stakeholders’ apartments, work units, town homes, residentials, small grocery, dry cleaners, convenience shop, gym, sidewalks, trails, rerouting truck traffic, street cars, etc. etc. by their own printed words.
To the FS City Board: Either quash “Propulsion” or grant a citizen vote.
Joe McCutchen
arkansasfreedom.net