Earmarks and Landmarks
Here's a good puff piece on Vandalia and all the wondful things earmarks have done. What's missing from the Gazette reporter is a series of questions that would explain the real estate transactions. Were the Kuhns' receiving the 100K salary from Vandalia and were they also ringing up the real estate commissions on the other end? I'm not claiming that it would be illegal. I just wonder if others might think it to be a conflict of interest given one's stewardship of the taxpayer dollars that funded Vandalia.
Here's a good puff piece on Vandalia and all the wondful things earmarks have done. What's missing from the Gazette reporter is a series of questions that would explain the real estate transactions. Were the Kuhns' receiving the 100K salary from Vandalia and were they also ringing up the real estate commissions on the other end? I'm not claiming that it would be illegal. I just wonder if others might think it to be a conflict of interest given one's stewardship of the taxpayer dollars that funded Vandalia.
Responding to what they believe are unwarranted attacks in recent weeks, two intertwined nonprofit groups created by Rep. Alan Mollohan are defending their projects.
Officials with the Vandalia Heritage Foundation and Vandalia Development Corp. say they work with local groups to preserve historical structures — mostly in downtowns — and make them economically sustainable, while trying to preserve local history by teaching groups how to do such things as maintain oral histories.
“We tend to have small victories and successes,” said Laura Kuhns, who heads both groups from an old mansion the group refurbished in Fairmont. ....much more
posted by Gundovald at 5/29/2006 10:40:00 PM
2 Comments:
Gundovald, I wish you'd find out about the PARKING LOTS that Vandalia bought at South 2nd and Washington Avenue. They've been referred to in the paper as both the "City Lots" and the "County Lots". Vandalia Redevelopment pays the taxes. If they were bought w/ taxpayer money, where are the revenue's going? They probably pull down about 5 grand per month. Their property taxes are about 8K per annum. What's the deal here?
Yes, Vandalia owns the steel parking structure on Washington and South 2nd. I believe that the County owns the lot on the opposite corner where the county vehicles park. That is the area that the County commission offered to the Italian Heritage Festival Committee as an alternative Main Stage area when there was still some question as to the construction schedule and availability for the front of the courthouse.
Vandalia keeps whatever money they make from that parking garage.
It has been postulated that V. bought the garage as a bargaining chip to use as trade, barter, or as a way to better negotiate (blackmail?) with either the city or county for other possible development properties. Rumor has it that even within the last year, but prior to the recent Mollohan troubles, V. attempted to use that property as a leverage to get the city to yield certain advantages to V. The city refused to play.
As for any confusion about the Clarksburg newspaper variously refering to different parking areas as being City, or County .... well, we're still talking about the C'Burg paper right? ... and your question is for me to explain their confusion?
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