A NICE WORD FOR A COMMON THIEF- A LYING THIEVING CHEATING CROOKED CORRUPT POLITICIAN.
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DEAR DEMOCRAT MAYOR HENRY AND REPUBLICAN INDIANA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION PRESIDENT ERIC DODEN -- STOP LYING!!! There is NOT a high demand for housing in Downtown Fort Wayne. If there was The Harrison would be at full occupancy and its not---some units aren't even finished. If there was high demand, there wouldn't be any problem trying to find someone to take Hanning & Beans part of the Ash "Cash & Slash" Brokerage project--which you are having to beg and bribe would be developers of that fiasco with the promise of $10,000. [1] But that's just it--you two knuckleheads are all about promises. I'm Mayor Henry and I "promise" to move into The Harrison. Look I've put a downpayment and signed a contract at a big ol' press conference. Trust me, this is a good deal and you (unsuspecting Fort Wayne public) should get in on this deal while the deals are good. (Ok, in fairness, that isn't what he explicity said, but that is what was implicitly implied. Otherwise, why do it??) [2] [3]
Folks, here's what Henry and Doden don't want you to know. In May, 2012, Domo Development LLC was created, pursuant to the Indiana Secretary of State. [4] Yes, our Mayor is handing over a $27 million "investment" project to be developed by a "two year old" company. [5] A 2 year old company?? Huh??
But, wait, Domo Development, LLC isn't just any company. No, its true owner is IEDC President Eric Doden. And how do we know this? Because 10 months later, the Indiana State Ethics Commission issued an advisory opinion telling Mr. Doden that his company's plans for development project in downtown Ft. Wayne presented a potential conflict of interest for the President under I.C. 4-2-6-9 if the company was chosen as the developer of the parcel of land in downtown Fort Wayne, the CReED is amended to include the parcel, and CReED tax credits are sought from IEDC. [6]
So, at the very least, Doden is now in a conflict of interest situation....and he knows it?!?!?
So, at the very least, Doden is now in a conflict of interest situation....and he knows it?!?!?
But wait, that's not all. Doden messed up his timeline....and folks, I mean, he really screwed the pooch here!! He told the Indiana State Ethics Commission that "....If the RFP is issued, the Partners intend to form a new LLC and respond to the RFP...." (See page of the ISEC Advisory linked below) But the LLC that Doden and his "partners" formed was Domo Development, LLC. It was formed May 30, 2012. The ISEC Advisory opinion is dated March, 2013. The news is just breaking about the next biggest and greatest "downtown economic development" "investment" since the Ash "Cash & Slash" Brokerage project (January, 2015), the report is that Cityscape Flats is being awarded to Domo Development, LLC. This means that at some point after May 20, 2012 and before January, 2015, the City sent out a RFP for the Cityscape Flats project, received one or more proposals, selected the "best" "proposal" (wink, wink, elbow nudge, smirk), awarded the job and then made the award public. At some point between March, 2013 and the submission of the responding proposal to the City's RFP, Doden and "partners" were supposed to form a new LLC. Since Domo Development, LLC was formed before March, 2013 and the job has publically been awarded to Domo Development, LLC as of January, 2015---someone forgot to form a new LLC. Oops!!
Folks, this is an amazing swweeeeeet deal....for Henry, Doden and fellow cronies. AMAZING!!
First, at the bequest of the Henry administration, Neighborhood Code Enforcement starts issuing various violations in an effort to condemn houses in and around the Harrison Square/Parkview Field area driving down real estate prices.
Next, the Cronies purchase these properties below fair market value.
Next, Henry's brother comes in and starts stripping the abandoned and condemned houses for copper wire and assorted other recyclable metals.
Next, the Henry administration applies for and wins a federal housing grant. The money from that grant is used to tear down old dilapidated housing structures for the purposes of rebuilding and revitalizing the neighborhood. As a caveat to that grant, the City has to run a Housing Discrimination ad campaign--which it has been doing on the radio for some time now.
Next, the Henry administration "buys" the properties from the Cronies at a rate less than fair market value, but at a rate higher than what the houses were originally purchased for by said Cronies. Payment comes from a variety of sources---to muddy the paper trail--but the majority of funds is from the federal grant.
Next, Henry's brother and other Building & Trades contractors beholden to Henry begin demolition, using union workers. Why? We gotta keep these guys happy...a City election is just around the corner, afterall. So these contractors are paid with a variety of funds--again to muddy the paper trail--with the majority of money coming from the federal grant (Btw, I'm betting some monies from Legacy got used here too...remember that odd request this past summer for an additional $5 million for the Ash "Cash & Slash" Brokerage project garage? The housing part fell through, so in theory that garage can now go back to its original size. So where is that $5 million really going?? It wasn't returned back to the Legacy coffers.) So the houses get demolished, Henry's brother gets paid for the demolition job PLUS all the metal recycling there is to get, and the labor union workers get some much needed and much appreciated work.
Next, the real estate gets turned over to Doden's company for "development" and in comes a nice big economic development package from the State, just like the one that happened for the Ash "Cash & Slash" Brokerage project -- Remember how Henry said "...they will use very little new tax money but will use Legacy money, food and beverage tax money plus money from the State to put the financial package together...." [7] (SIDEBAR: Folks, you can't get monies from the State on local projects unless the local government has first made a "substantial" investment in the project. But, then again....how does one define "substantial"??)
Cityscape Flats is likely to follow the same "economic development" program that Harrison Square and Ash "Cash & Slash" Brokerage projects followed, post contract award -- use lots of steel, pipes, bricks, and other products produced/manufactured by or sold from the Cronies and have the appropriate labor unions do the work. This is how you keep your Republican Cronies (big business leadership get revenues from sale of products) and your Democratic Cronies (labor union leadership gets more union dues when more union workers are working and working higher paying jobs) happy, while ensuring yourself some sort of payoff later on down the road. For the Mayor, that initial payoff is as simple as an annual salary that exceeds the Governor of the State of Indiana. For Eric Doden -- an investment that others (federal, state and local taxpayers) have paid for with long term potential earnings from rentals of apartments and sales of condos.
But wait, we are in an election year, so there is more to the "payoff." Labor unions will be kept busy in the Spring and Summer so they will be all fat and happy come Fall, when they will be encouraged to help campaign for the Mayor through call-banking, lit drops and neighborhood canvassing efforts. Also, money going to big business and labor unions will find its way back to the Mayor and all who supported these so-called local economic development projects, such as 6 of the 9 City Councilman whose campaigns are supported by the same people backing Henry.
While all the above is provable, my hunch is also that there is some money from this deal going into Governor Pence's campaign coffers as well. He too is supported financially from the same people supporting Henry and the 6 City Councilmen. Some is also likely to find its way back to Mike Huckabee, another would-be Presidential candidate for 2016. Now, I know some of this may seem absurd---money from Downtown Fort Wayne economic development projects--but remember, both Pence and Huckabee were in town last summer during the ACGOP State convention.
TO ERIC DODEN -- Next time you create a front company, you might want to consider using a more reputable business address---maybe something other than the address of real estate that has been on the market since 2011??? Ooops! But, hey, don't worry--your daddy got you the job of IEDC President through a nice, big fat donation to Pence. I'm sure he'll do it again. wink emoticon
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