The city of Fort Smith, Arkansas—a puny 10 yr. 6% growth rate, a C-/D+ on its Economic Report Card, involved in any number of non-governmental pursuits stifling the taxpayers and the city itself, e.g. Food Tax issue, the Marshall’s Museum, West End, Ben Geren Park additions, Convention Center, and in all likelihood any number of downtown involvements.  All of this coupled to the incremental shuttering of what was once the shining flagship of Fort Smith—Whirlpool, Inc.

Enter the pseudo academic expansionist Chancellor Paul Beran of the Univ. of Ark. Fort Smith with another very expensive cockeyed “vision”.  Reference the “Mallalieu Center for Academic Excellence” described as a “Church of Reason serving the intellectual leaders of the next generation”, so says Beran.  Could Chancellor Beran define for us…what is a church of reason & who are the intellectual leaders of the next generation?  Are we to believe that will be the case when his project’s partakers are the “at risk” dropouts, illegals, ne’er do wells, incorrigibles? Beran’s initial “vision” inculcates a plaza and a library to begin with.  Initially the city, that’s us, will spend $300,000 for the church demolition which will result in the creation of a ninth street façade.  Ultimately “The vision” if allowed to come to fruition, would create another notorious private/public partnership—which is more government expansion with the government as the CEO.

The question now, in view of the city’s miserable Economic Report Card, puny growth rate, the tepid state of the economy, why in heaven’s name would the mayor and Directors even consider such an outlandish scheme?

It is not in the purview of city government to restore decaying churches, that is for the church’s congregation and/or whoever has an interest in said structure.  This again is another example of a bureaucrat, in this case Chancellor Paul Beran, to run economically roughshod over taxpaying citizens.  The UAFS is overfunded and Beran has plenty of work to do to create UAFS as a Center of Academic Excellence.  Regarding his numerous state, national & global travelling, it would be appropriate for him to land and closely examine the spending habits of UAFS, e.g. small example, advertising UAFS on electronic billboards within the city & primetime spots on television.

Another case of the Takers planning to take more from the Makers.
                                    August 15, 2011
Denouement:  
The Fort Smith city government can beneficently be described as incompetent and inept. Today’s Times Record reports that Marshal’s Museum Director Jim Dunn is back at the trough for another 100K.   For What?   Another “pie in the sky vision” the museum was billed as a PRIVATE undertaking.  At this point it appears the only cash for this project has come from the taxpayers.  Recall that in early 2010 Richard Griffin, Ken Pyle, Jim Dunn & other mischief makers went to Miami to sack up something called “New Market Tax Credits”…a taxpayer subsidized government program being roundly abused. Is this what Griffin is using to subsidize his new Garrison Ave. liquor store?

What was Dunn’s reason for accompanying Griffin to Miami?  Who paid for his trip? 

The F.S. city government has no business plan and these two items listed in this piece make the leaders of this city sound as if they auditioned for Circus, Circus.

What in the world is going on inside the city government?  Please, get back to the proper role of government and get these Takers off our backs.

Joe McCutchen
www.fortsmithtruth.com  
arkansasfreedom.net