UAFS Chancellor Paul Beran is the proud disseminator of another to be taxpayer subsidized dream/vision.  Beran, with accomplices Elizabeth Momand, head of UAFS’ Music & Humanities Department; Jim Perry, president of 2nd Street Live; Don Lee, head of UAFS Art, Graphic Design & Theater Dept; the CBID (Griffin/White/Sicard); along with Beran have collaborated to have UAFS buy the failed 2nd Street Live government subsidized business venture.

Background on the emerging embryonic boondoggle. Initially, a non-profit (owners not known) purchased the to be 2nd Street Live building (owner not known) at 101 N. 2nd St for $1.2 million 3 years ago and another $1.2 million to revamp the place.  This indeed was and is a dazzling figure for a bombed out building on No. 2nd St. and the only logical conclusion that can be reached; it was another taxpayer subsidized grand theft. It is highly unlikely that private funding was used to purchase and renovate the 101 No. 2nd  St. shell.  If the above is incorrect, please correct.

It comes to pass that Beran, Momand, and Lee have decided that Breedlove auditorium is just too large a venue to accommodate a classical guitar performance and other solo artists. Therefore; Beran and his enablers want to buy the $2.4 million facility for $972,000 with a payout of 15 years.  As always no mention of maintenance expense.  In conjunction with the purchase, Lee exclaimed “I have great plans” and “we’re on the verge of something pretty exciting”.   You bet he does, more taxpayer money poured down a rat hole benefiting just a few.

Whoever owned the building made out like a bandit and it appears that Richard Griffin and Phil White’s fingerprints are all over this travesty, but not limited to.

Beran has been pushing for downtown university dormitories (does Beran have eyes on that cluster of downtown apartments 1 blk east of 2nd St. Live?), a downtown Academy for delinquents, and now a downtown entertainment booking center for solo artists.  This can be defined as “instant gratification”.

These White Collar Medicaid recipients, coupled with predatory opportunists are perpetually expanding their government domain and their protection rackets. It is believed taxpayers already have $2.4 million invested in this barn and now the likes of Beran, Lee, Momand and the CBID have plans for no telling what, but all in the realm of taxpayer funding.  It is past time to demand that Griffin, White, Sicard, et al use their own money in their attempted resuscitation of downtown Fort Smith. (Their private self-serving Urban Renewal projects) It is indeed breathtaking what this bunch has lined up…all to be paid for by the taxpayers….the proposed $50 million Museum colossus, ball parks, trails, water park, ad infinitum.
The White Collar Medicaid bandits have no skin in the games and if productive citizens do not stand up and defend their earnings/property, self-serving pols & bureaucrats like Beran, oh yes, throw in Ivy Owen…there will be nothing left for the beleaguered producers.
All “educational” institutions are wallowing in filthy lucre and the Boards citizens elect to oversee the conduct of the White Collar Bandits are as useless as crows on a fence—there is no meaningful oversight.

Question: have you ever heard a White Collar Bandit allude to the fact that our nation has a $16.4 Trillion debt and $74 Trillion in unfunded mandates— Medicaid, Medicare & Social Security. Why would any taxpaying citizen vote to return incumbent slugs to their current positions who are perpetuating this culture of corruption?

Don’t forget Funding Follows Failure and The Easiest Job in the World is Spending Other People’s Money.

Joe McCutchen

P.S.  How many of Fort Smith citizens are aware that Supt. Benny Gooden turned over all authority regarding running the F.S. School District to the Federal Government and there is absolutely no citizen control locally or statewide.  This under the auspices of Common Core Standards, reducing the young to an egalitarian learning environment, i.e. reducing all to a common denominator. Remember, Gooden was the fellow who stated in a news article “We’ll take all we can get” meaning illegal Mexicans and OTM’s & of course the FUNDING.  F.S. Kindergarten thru 2nd grade are already immersed, grades 3-8 began in January, with the rest scheduled shortly.
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