  Chrissy_snow Member Username: Chrissy_snow Post Number: 148 Registered: 07-2008 |
How they thought this would fly is beyond me! http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll /article?AID=/20080828/NEWS02/ 808280358 Notice the new company didn't even start until AFTER the new mayor won election. When will people learn?? | ||
Hudkina Member Username: Hudkina Post Number: 290 Registered: 12-2004 |
When will people learn that newspapers and tv stations are always looking to dig up dirt on anything so you'll watch and read and see all of the advertisements? Just because something is being investigated doesn't mean something illegal happened. For all we know the company that was chosen was indeed the most qualified bidder. And if privitizing the public works department does indeed save the city in taxes, then they are doing their job correctly. Save the city money by hiring the most qualified bidder? How terrible! | ||
Hamtramike Member Username: Hamtramike Post Number: 515 Registered: 12-2003 |
You didn't read the article, did you? | ||
Dannyv Member Username: Dannyv Post Number: 345 Registered: 08-2007 |
The previous mayor of Ecorse was under investigation from the FBI and EPA for selling the scrap metal from an abandoned foundry and the resulting environmental degradation and pollution that resulted. Fox 2 News Scott Lewis did an expose on it that might still be available on their web site. http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4773548&version=4&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.10.1 (Message edited by dannyv on August 28, 2008) | ||
Chrissy_snow Member Username: Chrissy_snow Post Number: 150 Registered: 07-2008 |
LOL, I don't think Hudkina read the article either! | ||
Sean_of_detroit Member Username: Sean_of_detroit Post Number: 1650 Registered: 03-2008 |
Does our young Mayor just not get it? Thous framily of yours are an interesting bunch. They need to do it for themselves. That is the goal. Your job is not to support the weight of the world! You can show people the door... but it's not right (and is illegal) for you to carry them through it. If they didn't earn it themselves, they won't be able to truly appreciate it. We've all done or thought about it. This is why we don't have such young mayors guys. Connecting with the youth is all well and good, but maybe we needed someone with a little bit more of life experience? Corrupt Politician, or someone who made a few mistakes? Either way, he needs to go. He couldn't handle the job, and was being taken advantage of. I'm still on the fence, about whether or not I feel sympathy for him. | ||
Alan55 Member Username: Alan55 Post Number: 2108 Registered: 09-2005 |
"Invoices show Michigan Municipal charged Ecorse, a Downriver community of about 3 square miles, more than $1 million for services during the first three months of this year. That is more than the $763,000 budget proposed for the public works department for the entire year of 2008, city records show." But, but, privatizing is the way to save tax money and have private corporations run things more efficiently! | ||
Hudkina Member Username: Hudkina Post Number: 291 Registered: 12-2004 |
I did read the article. It was about the city of Ecorse privatizing the public works department to save tax dollars and whether or not any laws were broken in so doing. They chose a company that had ties to the mayor as well as several members of the city council. From the sound of the article it seems that the "family and friends" only work for the company and don't necessarily own or control the company. If the company they chose to do the work wasn't the most qualified or the most cost-effective OR if the mayor and city council got some sort of kick back for selecting the company THEN there would be a problem. (BTW, last time I checked just about every politician accepts campaign donations.) While I certainly don't know the entire story, and while it is possible that something illegal transpired, I doubt it. This sounds to me to be the newspaper scraping together a scandal. | ||
Moetown Member Username: Moetown Post Number: 5 Registered: 07-2008 |
This is probably just a coincidence: "State records show that Michigan Municipal was formed Nov.8, days after Worthy won the election." | ||
Chrissy_snow Member Username: Chrissy_snow Post Number: 153 Registered: 07-2008 |
"If the company they chose to do the work wasn't the most qualified or the most cost-effective " Okay, Hudkina, skimming the article doesn't count as reading, lol! Another quote from the article: >>>Hollenquest said most of the money has been going to fix broken water lines because some of the city's water distribution pipes are wooden. But a current Michigan Municipal employee, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, and Charles Smith, owner of C.P.I. Contracting, who has worked on the city's water system for about 20 years, said they have never worked on or seen wooden pipes in Ecorse.<<<< Nope, no scandal here! | ||
Sean_of_detroit Member Username: Sean_of_detroit Post Number: 1668 Registered: 03-2008 |
I managed to overlook the wooden pipe comment too. Seriously? Wooden pipes? Wow!? Is this common? How old are those pipes? For some reason, I thought we had a really good water system in place. | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 723 Registered: 07-2007 |
Sean, An example is near the bottom of this page: http://www.sewerhistory.org/gr fx/components/pipe-wood1.htm I doubt there was ever wooden pipe in Ecorse. Is there any left in Detroit? I don't think so but I bet no one would be willing to guarantee that. In many cases, no one can say for sure what's underground. | ||
Hudkina Member Username: Hudkina Post Number: 292 Registered: 12-2004 |
But you have to look at it in context. For all you know the work done would have cost the DPW $2 million. You can't look at a proposed budget and assume that because the city spent more on work done that somehow it cost the city more. I love how you guys think that you know everything about this case because ONE person wrote an article about it in the newspaper. There was a news story a few weeks ago about some guy finding Big Foot's body that a bunch of news outlets picked up. Does that mean that it was true? The number one goal of newspapers isn't to give you the news. It's to make money. The best way for them to make money is to tell you stories that interest you. You're not interested in the city of Ecorse spending $1 million replacing outdated water pipes with a modern system. You're interested in a scandal. You have no idea whether or not anything illegal happened. You have no idea what the money was spent on and whether or not it would have cost more if the DPW had done the work. All you know are a few "stats" that the newspaper cherry-picked to give you the idea that something that shouldn't have happened is happening. I certainly can't say whether or not something illegal didn't happen, but I'm not going to rush to judgement based solely on an article from a newspaper hoping you'll continue reading so it can make money from advertisers. | ||
Hamtramike Member Username: Hamtramike Post Number: 517 Registered: 12-2003 |
I'm all for privatizing, and first-hand accounts aside, but when the mayor's family/friend bills the city for 130% of the departments YEARLY budget in the first quarter, that raises some eyebrows. Budgets are usually padded a little and overages are expected, but i would expect any manager or service provider to get canned when they run over budget in multiples... | ||
Chrissy_snow Member Username: Chrissy_snow Post Number: 156 Registered: 07-2008 |
It's funny because all of Kwame's problems started with just ONE little article in the paper - and people said the same thing. It took a minute but the media was finally vindicated in its efforts to reveal the man behind the myth. There's just some things you KNOW, but of course you can't rush to judgement. I'll guarantee you though, in about 12 months, Ecorse is going to be blown wide open with this stuff because its only the tip of the iceberg. | ||
Hudkina Member Username: Hudkina Post Number: 293 Registered: 12-2004 |
Yes, because proof of ONE suspicion is proof of ALL suspicions, right? Because one politician was corrupt, ALL politicians are corrupt, right? Again, Hamtramike, I don't know what the money was spent on, but if it went toward work that needed to be done than I don't see what is the problem. In any case, we'll know what has happened after the FBI concludes their investigation. If anything illegal transpired than I'll eat my words, but in the meantime let's not burn the witches just yet. |
