To:  Fort Smith City Manager Ray Gosack, At-Large Director Pam Weber, Ward 3 Director Mike Lorenz, Ward 2 Director Andre Good, et al.                 October 9, 2013

Public Service or “public” self-service?  Bi-partisan activity in the mecca of insider-trading, i.e. Fort Smith, Arkansas is taking place, e.g. Lee Webb, Democrat Committee Chairman for Sebastian County & Jake Files, Republican Arkansas State Senator have aligned themselves to take advantage of what appears to be a huge cash windfall presented to them by the Fort Smith city government & subsidized by citizen taxpayers.

What is the Constitutionality, what are the legal issues, and what are the ethical questions involved in Files, Webb’s, and the city’s activities pertaining to the building of the $1.6 Million River Valley Sports Complex? 

Everyone supports the much needed complex, but the manner of achieving it smacks of all sorts of inside-trading.

1.    Specifically, where does the city fit into this smelly conundrum?
2.    Is this an act of collusion?
3.    Are Files & Webb’s involvements in the formation of the Sports Complex an abuse of public trust?
4.    What are the benefits that Files & Webb are looking for upon completion of said complex?
5.    Is it legal for duly elected public officials to control and profit from government (taxpayers) subsidized projects?
6.    Why is the City Manager and the Fort Smith Board not willing to transmit all the details of this project to the city & county residents?
7.    Why is the city of Fort Smith not underwriting the totality of the project and/or putting it up for bid?

When game day arrives who will be holding the buckets of cash derived from parking, concessions, tickets, team entrance fees, etc. etc.?  Understand that unless there is not extremely strict oversight theft will run rampant.

To use the over worked phrase “At the end of the day” what is the financial cut for Files & Webb and what’s in it for the taxpayers who are subsidizing the entire affair. There was a time if profits were to be made; those who make the profits totally fund the endeavor
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City Manager Gosack, Directors Weber, Lorenz & Good, what do you believe Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s legal rendering would be, as well as other legal scholars, of Files & Webb’s elected positions that would benefit them mightily from the economics of the sports complex?

Director Settle is the gentleman who has the capacity to address the questions in detail to the satisfaction of the voters pertaining to the River Valley Sports Complex.  The question is, will he?

Joe McCutchen

P.S. As is the case, the Times Record only prints whatever the politicians spit out, never questioning the motives, goals, methods, etc.  Why?
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