8 SOFTBALL FIELDS…. DIVULGE THE DETAILS. May 31, 2012
Fort Smith citizens are dumping in $1.6 million for 8 softball fields. According to the Times Record supplemental revenue is alleged to come from donations (?) and in-kind services (?).
Prime movers of the softball complex are Republican State Senator Jake Files and Democrat Sebastian County Chair Lee Webb. A curious marriage made in Fort Smith and politics indeed make strange bedfellows. This relationship in itself demands answers.
- Is this not a huge conflict of interest?
- Is this not inside trading at its very worst and a vivid example of government protection rackets.
- What skin do Files & Webb have in this promotion? Do they have monetary involvement, if so how much?
- Another 501c3 where the officers garner large salaries & governments, i.e. taxpayers usually end up subsidizing the totality of the operation.
- What is the source of revenue that Files & Webb expect to glean for the Chaffee Crossing complex the 2 are putting together?
- Who will be in charge of the various concessions which have the capacity to gross tens of thousands? Put another way, who will provide the accounting for said concessions?
- What entity will be responsible for the upkeep of the facilities and if deficits occur what entity will be held responsible.
- Etc, etc., etc.
Times Record headline lauds “Free work by the Arkansas National Guardâ€â€¦there is nothing free about using N.G labor and equipment…taxpayers’ foot the bills.
Politicians, bureaucrats and other hangers on are having “visions†by the numbers, but rarely ever have any skin in the game. Is this the case with Republican Senator Jake Files & Democrat Chair Lee Webb?
If a newspaper has any obligation to their subscribers it is to ferret out the details in government operations. The softball complex begs to be looked at with a fine toothed comb and the Times Record offers no such effort…just parroting whatever the government boys give them.
MR. MAYOR, BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Fort Smith citizens deserve & expect a detailed analysis of every aspect of the Chaffee Crossing softball complex. Please don’t sandbag the citizens.
Joe McCutchen
Cc: citizens