According to Kentucky.com State Senator Ed Worley, D-Richmond, has made a deal arranged by Madison County Judge-Executive Kent Clark, Worley's friend and political ally, to rent property co-owned by Worley to the State for Madison County's family Courts division. The rent will be a whopping $410,000 a year.
Of course that is 166% more than the current rent for that division now. $410,000 versus $154,050 they currently pay.
You can read here for more: http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851887.html.
Are we sick of these shenanigans yet? Worley and his partner, Richmond lawyer Michael Eaves, began buying up most of a downtown Richmond block full of 19th-century, Italianate-style buildings, which he demolished, for $765,000 over a two year period that now just happens to be the only qualified property available for this project.
Coincidental huh? Nah just business as usual. A project of this magnitude does not happen overnight. Worley knew from his position they needed the space and set up a scenario he would benefit from. In my opinion anyway.
"Worley said his position in the General Assembly doesn't make his development deal with the county and state court system a conflict of interest when he takes state money in his private life."
Yeah right. Keep singing the same old tired song most of us know is garbage.
Wonder why our taxes are so overloaded? Because of deals like this among political friends that benefit themselves at our expense. The article goes on to state this:
"He said his development companies sometimes get work from local and state governments, including Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, all of which he has power over as a legislator who helps craft the state budget."
Can we say CONFLICT OF INTEREST?
Seems that only is allowed as an argument when it concerns any business besides ones run by elected officials.
Initially, Worley said, he couldn't find tenants for the large office building he planned to erect on the spot.
Wow go figure huh that this deal just coincided with what he needed.
And of course Kentucky Chief Justice John Minton did not respond to a request to comment on the deal.
Gee I wonder why. Maybe because a supposed non partisan job has a partisan person in it. What say you Chief Justice? The fact is that as much as even our judiciary in this State are supposed to be non partisan they are nothing more in general than the same partisan hacks they get support from.
And we expect and demand that we get better from our legal community. Of course they write the laws and judge them so how can we achieve that? By electing people to positions that are not lawyers and have the interests of their constituents as their number one priority.
Worley and Clark are friends and Democrats who have supported each other's re-election efforts and shared campaign aides. Clark publicly credits Worley for the millions of dollars in state funds Worley steers to Madison County, using his clout as a Democratic leader who regularly sits with the governor and other top lawmakers.
And of course the spin from Clark:
"Ed and I have been good friends for a long time, but that has nothing to do with it," Clark said. "This is just a good business deal."
Good business deal for whom Mr. Clark. Your pocket or the taxpayer's whose money your good friend Worley is using. Certainly as it stands you will recoup half of your investment in the first year's rent agreement alone. At taxpayer's expense of course. How many private business that do not get contracts from the State wish they could recoup that fast on their investment?
A good deal for the State would be a lower rent agreement closer to what they pay now that would allow you to recoup your investment, at a reasonable profit of course over a longer extended time period, thus aiding the State and your pocket at the same time. I mean admittedly by Worley NO ONE wanted the property to begin with right?
So Mr. Clark?
It has everything to do with it. You gambled on a project that did not pay off so your partner Ed Worley finds a way to use his position to rape the taxpayers. It really is that simple and one thing most of us are getting sick of.
At least one person went on record stating the obvious:
Cecile Schubert, chairwoman of the Richmond Board of Ethics and a member of other public watchdog groups, said she recognizes Worley's right to make a living. But Worley should not take state money while he sits in the legislature, she said.
"This has been a problem across the board in Kentucky, where we have people in government who suddenly own the land where the government plans to build something," Schubert said.
"It's hard to see how that's not a conflict of interest," Schubert said. "He needs to step back."
The deal needs to be thrown out and Worley sent packing from his State job.
The abuse by legislators in this State are well known and documented in some cases like this.
Will We The People finally stand up and force accountability from these so called leaders? Leaders who are leading our tax money to their pockets and bankrupting our Commonwealth and our local communities?
Psst Jerry this may involve the State but I never forget you and your Cordish deals. Especially since you are trying to get a State job with Beshear. ;-)
Thanks Kentucky.com for helping us find these deals and working towards accountability.
Your thoughts?
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY: A DAY TO REFLECT
Happy 4th of July everyone! While celebrating this National holiday I think it appropriate to remember why it was established and what it signifies. Our nation recognizes this federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence that declared our Independence from Great Britain.
While many today generally look at it as another holiday and a day off work isn't it time to think about our history and what led us to declare our Independence in the first place?
With so much going on in America today and so many freedoms taken from us it is time now more than ever to start to understand why we declared our Independence in the first place. In short our forefathers were sick of being treated much in the same way we are today.
Remember the Boston Tea Party, the key event that led to the American Revolution, and ask yourself a question: Is history repeating itself with these excess taxes by our Government? Much in the same way the British tried to use a tea tax, as one example of recouping their money from war, are we not doing the same thing today with other taxes, or "fees" by our leadership?
Read this for more history on the Boston Tea Party: The Boston Tea Party, 1773
Read this closely from Wikipedia: As Europeans developed a taste for tea in the 17Th century, rival companies were formed to import the product from the East Indies. In England, Parliament gave the East India Company a monopoly on the importation of tea in 1698. When tea became popular in the British colonies, Parliament sought to eliminate foreign competition by passing an act in 1721 that required colonists to import their tea only from Great Britain. The East India Company did not export tea to the colonies; by law, the company was required to sell its tea wholesale at auctions in England. British firms bought this tea and exported it to the colonies, where they resold it to merchants in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston.
The East India Company needed the money because they were struggling so the British Government decided to help them by creating a monopoly to benefit them. In this case Tea tax.
Now think about the whole charade creating a monopoly for gambling recently attempted for Churchill Downs.
Does the concept sound familiar?
While we celebrate this important holiday for America we must never forget the sacrifices by our forefathers to gain us the freedoms we take for granted everyday. Many lives were lost to gain us this freedom all for one goal.
The Independence to live our lives in peace and the opportunity to prosper without undue burdens placed upon us by a government interested in their own gains and not We the People.
We owe our existence to those who fought so hard with blood, sweat, and tears to earn our freedoms for us. We owe our support each and everyday to our soldiers who fight to preserve our freedoms everyday.
We also owe it to ourselves and our forefathers to continue to fight every day to preserve our rights and freedoms from government oppression. Being free isn't necessarily free. As our forefathers taught us we must work hard everyday to preserve it and defend it from those who would work to take it away from us.
The United States of America is still the freest Nation on earth and I for one am proud to be American. I will continue to fight for the freedoms our forefathers gained for us all to make this Great Nation stand tall and proud as leaders of the world. I will continue to fight against Government oppression and political malfeasance.
The question is will you?
Stand tall America and God Bless the USA!
While many today generally look at it as another holiday and a day off work isn't it time to think about our history and what led us to declare our Independence in the first place?
With so much going on in America today and so many freedoms taken from us it is time now more than ever to start to understand why we declared our Independence in the first place. In short our forefathers were sick of being treated much in the same way we are today.
Remember the Boston Tea Party, the key event that led to the American Revolution, and ask yourself a question: Is history repeating itself with these excess taxes by our Government? Much in the same way the British tried to use a tea tax, as one example of recouping their money from war, are we not doing the same thing today with other taxes, or "fees" by our leadership?
Read this for more history on the Boston Tea Party: The Boston Tea Party, 1773
Read this closely from Wikipedia: As Europeans developed a taste for tea in the 17Th century, rival companies were formed to import the product from the East Indies. In England, Parliament gave the East India Company a monopoly on the importation of tea in 1698. When tea became popular in the British colonies, Parliament sought to eliminate foreign competition by passing an act in 1721 that required colonists to import their tea only from Great Britain. The East India Company did not export tea to the colonies; by law, the company was required to sell its tea wholesale at auctions in England. British firms bought this tea and exported it to the colonies, where they resold it to merchants in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston.
The East India Company needed the money because they were struggling so the British Government decided to help them by creating a monopoly to benefit them. In this case Tea tax.
Now think about the whole charade creating a monopoly for gambling recently attempted for Churchill Downs.
Does the concept sound familiar?
While we celebrate this important holiday for America we must never forget the sacrifices by our forefathers to gain us the freedoms we take for granted everyday. Many lives were lost to gain us this freedom all for one goal.
The Independence to live our lives in peace and the opportunity to prosper without undue burdens placed upon us by a government interested in their own gains and not We the People.
We owe our existence to those who fought so hard with blood, sweat, and tears to earn our freedoms for us. We owe our support each and everyday to our soldiers who fight to preserve our freedoms everyday.
We also owe it to ourselves and our forefathers to continue to fight every day to preserve our rights and freedoms from government oppression. Being free isn't necessarily free. As our forefathers taught us we must work hard everyday to preserve it and defend it from those who would work to take it away from us.
The United States of America is still the freest Nation on earth and I for one am proud to be American. I will continue to fight for the freedoms our forefathers gained for us all to make this Great Nation stand tall and proud as leaders of the world. I will continue to fight against Government oppression and political malfeasance.
The question is will you?
Stand tall America and God Bless the USA!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
MYVIEWMATTERS RADIO SHOW JULY 2, 2009
The next MyViewMatters radio show segment is here! Tonight we had Chris Hartman with the Fairness campaign on air. I ranted of course about the idiocy of Abramson and others. Check out the show!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
ABRAMSON NEEDS TO GO: CUMMINGS SUMMARIZED IT BEST
Kudos to Jake over at www.pageonekentucky.com for getting this story out. Seems Brad Cummings, Louisville GOP Chair has an interesting summary of the dismal failure that is Jerry Abramson. Well a failure for Louisville and leadership but VERY profitable for himself and cronies.
I mean here is a guy who has made a whole career of being a politician with a law degree and yet has lost more lawsuits for the City than he ever dreamed of even trying as a private practice attorney. You know Jerry Abramson well by now. Read throughout this blog and you will see failure after failure by this idiot costing us all jobs and income.
His failures include the Housing mess with Kimberly Bunton, who by the way had her unemployment approved by Abramson though she was let go for stealing. His answer for the approval? Well she deserves it after so many years of dedicated service.
Would you receive unemployment or any financial benefit after being terminated for theft?
The answer is an obvious no but not in Abramson's administration where theft is a guaranteed way of life and as long as you play the game his way you will be rewarded financially.
Or perhaps allowing convicted felons to get a high paying government job? One who stole money from the party itself that you purport to represent. Check out this blog and find John Flood. I was the only one who laid out the deal that got him off in advance.
Perhaps we should give a peace officer designation to a non US citizen? Abramson did that as well with the Director of Animal Services.
Or the Cordish financials and anyting else, insert problem here, and well you get the gist.
The list goes on and on but the bottom line is a simple one. It is time to rid ourselves of the pathetic abuser and financial burden on Louisville in Jerry Abramson. And pleas we do not need Tandy or Jim King, who is under investigation right now, as the heir apparent. Both are as bad or worse.
We need to look outside the traditional elected politicians and look for someone new who understand they do not have all the answers and are willing to accept that and ask for help. Through open honest communication by all sides we can truly attain the best for Louisville.
We need term limits.
We need someone elected who understands that they may serve only one term because the goal is to fix the damage Abramson has done and it will be political suicide to upset the status quo. So no Dave Karem either who has benefited himself tremendously from the system.
And please no lawyers they have screwed things up enough.
In the meantime check out Cummings statement. I personally agree with every bit of it.
Over the years, there have been many holes poked in the Abramson administration. But because of his likability and the fear of crossing a powerful Mayor, he continues to win reelection by admittedly large margins. But this brand of entrenched politics is precisely what is wrong with our government at all levels. I will present to you today many examples of poor judgment and wrongdoing during Jerry Abramson¹s years as Mayor of Louisville. Again, individually he has been able to shed these controversies. But presented together, they are not only shocking, but they paint a picture of a Mayor who needs to find a new line of work.
In his nearly 20 years at the helm of our city, have we become all that we can be, especially when compared to other cities of similar size and scope? The simple answer is an across the board no.
According to a study completed by Dr. Paul Coomes, an acclaimed Professor of Economics, Louisville falls short in nearly every measurable category when judged against 14 other comparable cities. When considering population growth between 1975 and 2005, we were 14th out of 15 and well below the national average. We experienced negative job growth in the housing boom years of 2000 and 2005 of -2.3%, ranking us 10th among the same group of 15.
Our jobs pay less. We ranked 13th out of 15 in average wages and salaries, below the national average by nearly $3,000. This dip below the average began in 1985, the first year Mayor Abramson took office. According to Forbes magazine in 2008, we now rank 72nd on a list of best cities for jobs behind struggling areas like Gary IN, Newark NJ and hurricane ravished New Orleans LA.
We also take home less from our paychecks. A family of three with a $75,000 income was hit with the 3rd highest tax rate among the list of 15. And among all cities in the US, we are the 5th most burdensome to families making $25,000 or less. That means our poorest citizens are more taxed than major metropolitan areas like Washington DC, New York City and Atlanta GA.
Yet our Mayor showed that he believes we should still bear more tax burden when he pushed for the library tax in 2007. No wonder this increase was resoundingly turned down by our citizens.
We are already taxed too much!
My mother always told me that she could tell what type of person you are by the friends you keep and clearly the Mayor does not pass that test. The mismanagement of those closest to him is reason enough to question his abilities in the future.
Let¹s start with John Flood. In 1997, this former Chief Inspector for IPL being paid $70,000 a year by the taxpayers was convicted on felony charges of check fraud, charges Gov Patton refused to pardon.
In 2003, Mr. Flood was hired by Metro Government after his wife Madonna was elected to the Metro Council. Unfortunately for Mr. Flood, he had to swear under oath that he was not a convicted felon in order to start taking a salary from the taxpayers. Undisputedly, he lied under oath and was facing misdemeanor charges of false swearing when he suddenly retired and all charges were dropped.
Dr. Gilles Meloche, the man overseeing the Metro Animal Services Department, has made an embarrassment of a community who very much love their animals. As an owner of two dogs, it sickens me to hear how low the standard is when our pets are concerned. According to a recently filed lawsuit The Louisville Kennel Club, v. Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government and numerous media reports, it is clear there has been much wrongdoing here.
At the Manslick Road location, Metro Animal Services was audited by the state government and found that 550 animals were living in a space made for 350. This is not an acceptable standard.
Under the leadership of Dr. Meloche, a man Abramson appointed and described as “the man for the job”, our city signed a contract with a disorganized and overpopulated AAA animal adoption service in a scheme to split profits without any oversight and without authorization.
Additionally, thousands of dollars in cash have gone virtually unaccounted for, much in the
same vain as the housing investigation.
A Canadian by birth, Dr. Meloche is not a US citizen. Therefore, by Kentucky law, he is ineligible to hold his position as a peace officer. But this sort of legality is not taken seriously by the Mayor and Meloche continues to serve in his position.
This is a man who has shown a severe inability to communicate. When defending the Animal Ordinance, he admitted in testimony that poor people shouldn’t own dogs. If Dr. Meloche held his job in the private sector, these sorts of thoughtless answers would have him in serious heat. But not in Mayor Abramson¹s administration.
And again, the Mayor chose to hire someone with a more than questionable background. Dr. Meloche was fired by the Durham NC government after only 10 months of working there. When employed by the Tallahassee-Leon County government, Dr. Meloche pleaded guilty to improper record keeping when 27 bottles of steroids went unaccounted for. On four occasions, employees wrote letters to officials citing mistreatment of animals. And once when he brought a dog home with him after work, it was soon found dead due to an overdose of painkillers.
He eventually resigned claiming political reasons. But with a record like that, it’s hard to understand why a first-class city like Louisville would hire Meloche. Since when has the trash of other cities been an acceptable game plan for our future? We deserve better.
Most recently, Planning Director Charles Cash and Regulations Director Bill Schreck were involved in a secret meeting of the Board of Zoning Adjustments, a meeting they knew was a clear violation of Kentucky¹s Open Meetings law. In an email uncovered by Rick Redding at The Ville Voice, Mr. Cash suggested the secret meeting and acknowledged they would have to hide it to avoid the public notice. Mr. Schreck in a later email agreed with Mr. Cash.
This zoning case was to help a former Metro Employee get the correct zoning after the fact for a building he built without approval. Mr. Cash’sdepartment incorrectly issued a permit when it had been previously denied.
As a result, the chair of the Board of Zoning Adjustments resigned and accused Cash of not telling the truth when he asserted the board knew about the building. Furthermore, Cash, appointed by the Mayor, was merely given a slap on the wrist for knowingly breaking the law. And just yesterday, a new zoning infraction was uncovered regarding these two loyal Abramson employees.
In a time when the Mayor has induced a hiring freeze and when many Metro employees are forced into taking furlough days, Mayor Abramson rehired two recently former employees in Jane Driskell and Rick Johnstone. Creating new positions for both of these former employees of the taxpayer, our city is now on the hook for thousands more dollars as we have to pay into both of their retirements twice according to state law. Were these two employees so valuable that they had to be hired despite the fact thousands of taxpayer dollars would be wasted? In a town of so many talented people, I suspect not.
Under the leadership of Kimberly Bunton, former Director of Housing and Family Services, and
her predecessor Melissa Barry who happens to be Abramson¹s cousin by marriage, $20 million in federal grants had been lost by the city. But as with many Abramson appointees, her shortcomings did not stop with incompetence.
It was uncovered by Dan Klepal of the Courier-Journal that Ms. Bunton had stolen nearly $2,000 from various funds, including the Children¹s Welfare Fund, to give to her mother for personal expenses. She stole money out of the taxpayer¹s pocket and only returned it once she was caught.
While the Mayor has an excuse for each of these hiring mistakes, it is clear with all of the facts laid out, this is a pattern of poor judgment and deceit that the people of Louisville do not deserve. Again, we can do better than this.
And finally, our Mayor has made business deals with outside corporations that are bad for Louisville and almost inexplicable in nature. For example, when dealing with the Maryland-based Cordish Company, the Mayor continuingly stuck it to the taxpayer.
We gave this out-of-town company a $1.8 million forgivable loan, originally intended for the Starks Building to expand 4th Street Live. When Cordish stopped paying their lease payment on that location, the money was allowed to be used towards what is now The Sports & Social Club and as long as Cordish operates a business in that space for 5 of the next 10 years, they never have to pay back that loan.
Additionally, we gave Cordish $2.5 million to plan the Center City project. While this money was officially intended to be used for marketing purposes, the parameters are so loose that the taxpayers of Louisville may be expensing Cordish plane flights between Maryland and Louisville and expensive client dinners. And worst of all, Cordish has the right to pull the plug on the project at any time and not be obligated to pay back a single dime.
We have also given Cordish $36 million in additional assets and loans towards the Center City project with no restrictions. While the original Center City claim was to make this a $435 million project, they have since cut that number in half and actually have no plan submitted as to what they intend to develop on this property, property they were given by Mayor Abramson for $1 a year over 149 years.
The parking lot at the Galleria was sold to Cordish for $2.7 million or $3,200 a space with no strings attached as to how they operated the garage. This is a garage we originally paid $6.8 million for and has been recently appraised at somewhere between $8 and $12 million. For those who would like to make the argument that we needed that money to help make up for a $20 million shortfall in the budget, they would have a point if the Mayor hadn’t turned around and bought another garage for $8.2 million at an astonishing $18,000 a space. Even in a good economy with budget surpluses, these two transactions make little sense and are extremely suspect.
But this is nothing new for our Mayor. During the first years of merger, Mayor Abramson made a reminiscently shady deal with Titan development, a former client of his when practicing law between mayoral terms. Another Maryland-based company, he gave Titan the former Naval Ordinance Station for $1 a year over 99 years with Metro Government only receiving 3% of the annual rental revenue, revenue Louisville owned 100% of before the deal.
Many other issues existed with this 2 person company in bad standing that could be detailed with more time, but to go down that road would ignore the principle violation. Mayor Abramson gave a very favorable business deal to a former client. This sort of ethical mushiness explains why the Mayor has been more than resistant to numerous good faith attempts by Councilman Ken Fleming, Councilwoman Tina Ward-Pugh and others to pass much needed ethics reform.
While this case against Mayor Abramson contains many examples of wrongdoings and poor judgments, it only scratches the surface and tells a small part of the story. Through his inexplicable actions, it is clear Jerry Abramson has taken his ³Mayor for Life² nickname to heart and whether it has been debris pick up after storms, road maintenance or cronyism, it is clear he stopped serving the interests of the people long ago.
We will have a strong and spirited debate next year about the direction of our great city. But there is one thing we should all agree on as citizens of this beautiful town. 20 years of Mayor Abramson is enough! Please Mr. Mayor, if you¹re listening, for the good of Louisville, step down. Don¹t let your ego get in the way of a better tomorrow for our citizens.
We deserve better than that.
Well said Mr. Cummings well said indeed.
I mean here is a guy who has made a whole career of being a politician with a law degree and yet has lost more lawsuits for the City than he ever dreamed of even trying as a private practice attorney. You know Jerry Abramson well by now. Read throughout this blog and you will see failure after failure by this idiot costing us all jobs and income.
His failures include the Housing mess with Kimberly Bunton, who by the way had her unemployment approved by Abramson though she was let go for stealing. His answer for the approval? Well she deserves it after so many years of dedicated service.
Would you receive unemployment or any financial benefit after being terminated for theft?
The answer is an obvious no but not in Abramson's administration where theft is a guaranteed way of life and as long as you play the game his way you will be rewarded financially.
Or perhaps allowing convicted felons to get a high paying government job? One who stole money from the party itself that you purport to represent. Check out this blog and find John Flood. I was the only one who laid out the deal that got him off in advance.
Perhaps we should give a peace officer designation to a non US citizen? Abramson did that as well with the Director of Animal Services.
Or the Cordish financials and anyting else, insert problem here, and well you get the gist.
The list goes on and on but the bottom line is a simple one. It is time to rid ourselves of the pathetic abuser and financial burden on Louisville in Jerry Abramson. And pleas we do not need Tandy or Jim King, who is under investigation right now, as the heir apparent. Both are as bad or worse.
We need to look outside the traditional elected politicians and look for someone new who understand they do not have all the answers and are willing to accept that and ask for help. Through open honest communication by all sides we can truly attain the best for Louisville.
We need term limits.
We need someone elected who understands that they may serve only one term because the goal is to fix the damage Abramson has done and it will be political suicide to upset the status quo. So no Dave Karem either who has benefited himself tremendously from the system.
And please no lawyers they have screwed things up enough.
In the meantime check out Cummings statement. I personally agree with every bit of it.
Over the years, there have been many holes poked in the Abramson administration. But because of his likability and the fear of crossing a powerful Mayor, he continues to win reelection by admittedly large margins. But this brand of entrenched politics is precisely what is wrong with our government at all levels. I will present to you today many examples of poor judgment and wrongdoing during Jerry Abramson¹s years as Mayor of Louisville. Again, individually he has been able to shed these controversies. But presented together, they are not only shocking, but they paint a picture of a Mayor who needs to find a new line of work.
In his nearly 20 years at the helm of our city, have we become all that we can be, especially when compared to other cities of similar size and scope? The simple answer is an across the board no.
According to a study completed by Dr. Paul Coomes, an acclaimed Professor of Economics, Louisville falls short in nearly every measurable category when judged against 14 other comparable cities. When considering population growth between 1975 and 2005, we were 14th out of 15 and well below the national average. We experienced negative job growth in the housing boom years of 2000 and 2005 of -2.3%, ranking us 10th among the same group of 15.
Our jobs pay less. We ranked 13th out of 15 in average wages and salaries, below the national average by nearly $3,000. This dip below the average began in 1985, the first year Mayor Abramson took office. According to Forbes magazine in 2008, we now rank 72nd on a list of best cities for jobs behind struggling areas like Gary IN, Newark NJ and hurricane ravished New Orleans LA.
We also take home less from our paychecks. A family of three with a $75,000 income was hit with the 3rd highest tax rate among the list of 15. And among all cities in the US, we are the 5th most burdensome to families making $25,000 or less. That means our poorest citizens are more taxed than major metropolitan areas like Washington DC, New York City and Atlanta GA.
Yet our Mayor showed that he believes we should still bear more tax burden when he pushed for the library tax in 2007. No wonder this increase was resoundingly turned down by our citizens.
We are already taxed too much!
My mother always told me that she could tell what type of person you are by the friends you keep and clearly the Mayor does not pass that test. The mismanagement of those closest to him is reason enough to question his abilities in the future.
Let¹s start with John Flood. In 1997, this former Chief Inspector for IPL being paid $70,000 a year by the taxpayers was convicted on felony charges of check fraud, charges Gov Patton refused to pardon.
In 2003, Mr. Flood was hired by Metro Government after his wife Madonna was elected to the Metro Council. Unfortunately for Mr. Flood, he had to swear under oath that he was not a convicted felon in order to start taking a salary from the taxpayers. Undisputedly, he lied under oath and was facing misdemeanor charges of false swearing when he suddenly retired and all charges were dropped.
Dr. Gilles Meloche, the man overseeing the Metro Animal Services Department, has made an embarrassment of a community who very much love their animals. As an owner of two dogs, it sickens me to hear how low the standard is when our pets are concerned. According to a recently filed lawsuit The Louisville Kennel Club, v. Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government and numerous media reports, it is clear there has been much wrongdoing here.
At the Manslick Road location, Metro Animal Services was audited by the state government and found that 550 animals were living in a space made for 350. This is not an acceptable standard.
Under the leadership of Dr. Meloche, a man Abramson appointed and described as “the man for the job”, our city signed a contract with a disorganized and overpopulated AAA animal adoption service in a scheme to split profits without any oversight and without authorization.
Additionally, thousands of dollars in cash have gone virtually unaccounted for, much in the
same vain as the housing investigation.
A Canadian by birth, Dr. Meloche is not a US citizen. Therefore, by Kentucky law, he is ineligible to hold his position as a peace officer. But this sort of legality is not taken seriously by the Mayor and Meloche continues to serve in his position.
This is a man who has shown a severe inability to communicate. When defending the Animal Ordinance, he admitted in testimony that poor people shouldn’t own dogs. If Dr. Meloche held his job in the private sector, these sorts of thoughtless answers would have him in serious heat. But not in Mayor Abramson¹s administration.
And again, the Mayor chose to hire someone with a more than questionable background. Dr. Meloche was fired by the Durham NC government after only 10 months of working there. When employed by the Tallahassee-Leon County government, Dr. Meloche pleaded guilty to improper record keeping when 27 bottles of steroids went unaccounted for. On four occasions, employees wrote letters to officials citing mistreatment of animals. And once when he brought a dog home with him after work, it was soon found dead due to an overdose of painkillers.
He eventually resigned claiming political reasons. But with a record like that, it’s hard to understand why a first-class city like Louisville would hire Meloche. Since when has the trash of other cities been an acceptable game plan for our future? We deserve better.
Most recently, Planning Director Charles Cash and Regulations Director Bill Schreck were involved in a secret meeting of the Board of Zoning Adjustments, a meeting they knew was a clear violation of Kentucky¹s Open Meetings law. In an email uncovered by Rick Redding at The Ville Voice, Mr. Cash suggested the secret meeting and acknowledged they would have to hide it to avoid the public notice. Mr. Schreck in a later email agreed with Mr. Cash.
This zoning case was to help a former Metro Employee get the correct zoning after the fact for a building he built without approval. Mr. Cash’sdepartment incorrectly issued a permit when it had been previously denied.
As a result, the chair of the Board of Zoning Adjustments resigned and accused Cash of not telling the truth when he asserted the board knew about the building. Furthermore, Cash, appointed by the Mayor, was merely given a slap on the wrist for knowingly breaking the law. And just yesterday, a new zoning infraction was uncovered regarding these two loyal Abramson employees.
In a time when the Mayor has induced a hiring freeze and when many Metro employees are forced into taking furlough days, Mayor Abramson rehired two recently former employees in Jane Driskell and Rick Johnstone. Creating new positions for both of these former employees of the taxpayer, our city is now on the hook for thousands more dollars as we have to pay into both of their retirements twice according to state law. Were these two employees so valuable that they had to be hired despite the fact thousands of taxpayer dollars would be wasted? In a town of so many talented people, I suspect not.
Under the leadership of Kimberly Bunton, former Director of Housing and Family Services, and
her predecessor Melissa Barry who happens to be Abramson¹s cousin by marriage, $20 million in federal grants had been lost by the city. But as with many Abramson appointees, her shortcomings did not stop with incompetence.
It was uncovered by Dan Klepal of the Courier-Journal that Ms. Bunton had stolen nearly $2,000 from various funds, including the Children¹s Welfare Fund, to give to her mother for personal expenses. She stole money out of the taxpayer¹s pocket and only returned it once she was caught.
While the Mayor has an excuse for each of these hiring mistakes, it is clear with all of the facts laid out, this is a pattern of poor judgment and deceit that the people of Louisville do not deserve. Again, we can do better than this.
And finally, our Mayor has made business deals with outside corporations that are bad for Louisville and almost inexplicable in nature. For example, when dealing with the Maryland-based Cordish Company, the Mayor continuingly stuck it to the taxpayer.
We gave this out-of-town company a $1.8 million forgivable loan, originally intended for the Starks Building to expand 4th Street Live. When Cordish stopped paying their lease payment on that location, the money was allowed to be used towards what is now The Sports & Social Club and as long as Cordish operates a business in that space for 5 of the next 10 years, they never have to pay back that loan.
Additionally, we gave Cordish $2.5 million to plan the Center City project. While this money was officially intended to be used for marketing purposes, the parameters are so loose that the taxpayers of Louisville may be expensing Cordish plane flights between Maryland and Louisville and expensive client dinners. And worst of all, Cordish has the right to pull the plug on the project at any time and not be obligated to pay back a single dime.
We have also given Cordish $36 million in additional assets and loans towards the Center City project with no restrictions. While the original Center City claim was to make this a $435 million project, they have since cut that number in half and actually have no plan submitted as to what they intend to develop on this property, property they were given by Mayor Abramson for $1 a year over 149 years.
The parking lot at the Galleria was sold to Cordish for $2.7 million or $3,200 a space with no strings attached as to how they operated the garage. This is a garage we originally paid $6.8 million for and has been recently appraised at somewhere between $8 and $12 million. For those who would like to make the argument that we needed that money to help make up for a $20 million shortfall in the budget, they would have a point if the Mayor hadn’t turned around and bought another garage for $8.2 million at an astonishing $18,000 a space. Even in a good economy with budget surpluses, these two transactions make little sense and are extremely suspect.
But this is nothing new for our Mayor. During the first years of merger, Mayor Abramson made a reminiscently shady deal with Titan development, a former client of his when practicing law between mayoral terms. Another Maryland-based company, he gave Titan the former Naval Ordinance Station for $1 a year over 99 years with Metro Government only receiving 3% of the annual rental revenue, revenue Louisville owned 100% of before the deal.
Many other issues existed with this 2 person company in bad standing that could be detailed with more time, but to go down that road would ignore the principle violation. Mayor Abramson gave a very favorable business deal to a former client. This sort of ethical mushiness explains why the Mayor has been more than resistant to numerous good faith attempts by Councilman Ken Fleming, Councilwoman Tina Ward-Pugh and others to pass much needed ethics reform.
While this case against Mayor Abramson contains many examples of wrongdoings and poor judgments, it only scratches the surface and tells a small part of the story. Through his inexplicable actions, it is clear Jerry Abramson has taken his ³Mayor for Life² nickname to heart and whether it has been debris pick up after storms, road maintenance or cronyism, it is clear he stopped serving the interests of the people long ago.
We will have a strong and spirited debate next year about the direction of our great city. But there is one thing we should all agree on as citizens of this beautiful town. 20 years of Mayor Abramson is enough! Please Mr. Mayor, if you¹re listening, for the good of Louisville, step down. Don¹t let your ego get in the way of a better tomorrow for our citizens.
We deserve better than that.
Well said Mr. Cummings well said indeed.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
SHAMELESS ADVERTISER PLUG
The MyViewMatters radio show is proving to be an unqualified success to date. As such we are now working on adding a second hour each week. Reaching thousands of listeners per week on the radio, and an introductory advertising special allowing for your ad to reach thousands more via this website, right now is the best time to lock in rates.
Adding a second hour, and more listeners, this means we have more room for new advertisers. More importantly we offer ad rates at a better price than any in town.
If you have never thought of radio advertising before I urge you to give me a call at (502)742-8519 or write to me myviewmatters@aol.com or at myviewmattersradio@yahoo.com.
Since we are looking to expand the show Ed Martin and I are extending our low introductory rate offer to allow those who have never thought radio was affordable before to get a chance to see how just how cheap you can advertise.
We want to insure those least able to afford big advertising rates get a chance to advertise at a reasonable cost. Our way of saying thanks to all and to help our small business and local business succeed.
Give us a call we can work something out for anyone to fit their budget needs.
Remember during times of financial uncertainty that is when advertising is needed most. People must know you are there to do business with you.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Adding a second hour, and more listeners, this means we have more room for new advertisers. More importantly we offer ad rates at a better price than any in town.
If you have never thought of radio advertising before I urge you to give me a call at (502)742-8519 or write to me myviewmatters@aol.com or at myviewmattersradio@yahoo.com.
Since we are looking to expand the show Ed Martin and I are extending our low introductory rate offer to allow those who have never thought radio was affordable before to get a chance to see how just how cheap you can advertise.
We want to insure those least able to afford big advertising rates get a chance to advertise at a reasonable cost. Our way of saying thanks to all and to help our small business and local business succeed.
Give us a call we can work something out for anyone to fit their budget needs.
Remember during times of financial uncertainty that is when advertising is needed most. People must know you are there to do business with you.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
MyViewMatters Radio Show June 25, 2009
You asked for it here it is! The MyViewMatters Radio Show from June 25, 2009. Tonight we had on the show Dr. Eric Schanssberg Professor of Economics at IU. Great show.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
REAL D.A.D.S DO GET INVOLVED
As many of you know charities are very important to me and especially when it comes to special needs kids. My Godson is a special needs child with cerebral palsy, and a few other things, due to a spinal virus he contracted at the ripe old age of 3 months old.
Downs syndrome is special to me as I have been involved with friends of children with Down syndrome for years. Essentially the bottom line is I kind of have a soft spot for those least able to help themselves.
I have been blessed to have healthy children who are now adults with little help on my part. I mean I fed them, clothed them, and provided a roof but essentially in the grand scheme of things most of who they are in regards to their health was largely not of my doing.
I try to stay involved and do my part to make this world a better place. Like me, love me, or hate me that is always the goal, but nothing in most of our lives can compare to the hardships that these special kids face everyday. And nothing can make you appreciate how little our problems compare to the ones these kids face daily.
When you see a child overcome all that life has thrown to them and then get up with a ready smile when knocked down as if to say, "hey relax this is nothing," then thank you in their own way for being there all the same? Well words cannot describe that feeling.
My Godson was supposed to die at 3 months old. Every expert doctor told us he would. They took him off life support he died. But a few minutes later little Devin decided he had other plans. He decided he wanted to live and started breathing on his own. He was supposed to be brain dead. In fact every brain scan done over the last 3+ years says his brain is not growing at all. He would never be able to eat, walk, talk, or have any understanding at all. All the experts said so. Thanks to the hardheaded Grandparents, and Godparents if I may, we decided differently. And so did Devin.
Here is a pic of this beautiful 4 year old today with yours truly at the D.A.D.S event today:
Downs syndrome is special to me as I have been involved with friends of children with Down syndrome for years. Essentially the bottom line is I kind of have a soft spot for those least able to help themselves.
I have been blessed to have healthy children who are now adults with little help on my part. I mean I fed them, clothed them, and provided a roof but essentially in the grand scheme of things most of who they are in regards to their health was largely not of my doing.
I try to stay involved and do my part to make this world a better place. Like me, love me, or hate me that is always the goal, but nothing in most of our lives can compare to the hardships that these special kids face everyday. And nothing can make you appreciate how little our problems compare to the ones these kids face daily.
When you see a child overcome all that life has thrown to them and then get up with a ready smile when knocked down as if to say, "hey relax this is nothing," then thank you in their own way for being there all the same? Well words cannot describe that feeling.
My Godson was supposed to die at 3 months old. Every expert doctor told us he would. They took him off life support he died. But a few minutes later little Devin decided he had other plans. He decided he wanted to live and started breathing on his own. He was supposed to be brain dead. In fact every brain scan done over the last 3+ years says his brain is not growing at all. He would never be able to eat, walk, talk, or have any understanding at all. All the experts said so. Thanks to the hardheaded Grandparents, and Godparents if I may, we decided differently. And so did Devin.
Here is a pic of this beautiful 4 year old today with yours truly at the D.A.D.S event today:
I was invited to an event today sponsored by D.A.D.S., or Dad's Appreciating Down Syndrome of Kentuckiana, to show my support of their work with these special needs kids.
It was a great honor to be there and to speak to those who attended. D.A.D.S. focus is in trying to help these kids be all they can be and bring out the best in them. The sheer joy from these kids to be able to spend an afternoon fishing at a lake or enjoying some of the things like the moon bounce, things most of us take for granted, was a sight to behold.
In many cases with special needs kids it literally can be a once in a lifetime thing.
The amount of volunteers who helped with this are too many to list. There were local folks who are heavily involved in charities such as Kaven Rumpol, owner of Highview Bingo, a recent guest on the MyViewMatters radio show, and tireless worker for the rights of charities and charitable gaming. Many thanks Kaven some of us know your dedication to the cause. We also had the corporate sponsors who I am sure I will forget one or two but notably McDonald's, with Ronald McDonald on hand of course, Wal-Mart, Bass Pro shops, and many others.
Here are a few pics from the kids day.
This is my new little buddy Charlie having fun playing with his dogs.
Or check the joy out on the face of little Brody below when he caught the first fish I saw.
Take a look at the lake and see all the kids, with their adult supervisors of course, enjoying a chance at the big one.
And oh yeah Ronald was on hand to congratulate each child when ALL children there received a trophy, a brand new tackle box, and a host of other things.
I would like to thank D.A.D.S. for all they do to help in their community and the work they do for these wonderful kids. I would also like to thank them for allowing Devin and I the opportunity to be a part of this.
In a word: Priceless.
Which brings me to this.
With all the idiots like Stumbo trying to sell us out to Churchill Downs these days trying to get a monopoly that puts charitable gaming out of business, it was a great reminder as if I needed one, of just how important these charities and events are to our community. More importantly how much it means to the kids.
I urge you guys to write me here at myviewmatters@aol.com if you would like to get involved in your community and work with these kids, or help with donations. Charity begins at home not the corporate box office.
D.A.D.S is having their annual fundraiser on July 24, 2009 at the UAW hall on Fern Valley Rd. They have 600 tickets for sale at $30 apiece and all proceeds go to these wonderful kids. The event will include free food all day and a silent auction. They are trying to raise $25,000.
A drop in the bucket to what Churchill is trying to take from us.
At the very least call Greg Stumbo, Larry Clark, and their pet cronies, and let them know we know what is really for the kids. And it isn't a Churchill Downs monopoly that will ruin opportunities like this for our kids.
Seems he and some other idiots need a reminder of that.
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