Right around the time LEDC president and former mayor Misti Talbert went in front of her former council chums to beg for nearly a million dollars, Mandy Walsh (Economic Development Director) told us publicly that the LEDC had six prospects and that “about four are serious”:
My bullshit detector always rings very loudly when bureaucrats say “about” when describing a tiny number like four. Either it’s “four” or it’s “three” or it’s “five”. If it was five, I guarantee you they would be trumpeting “FIVE!” to show how in-demand their business pork project is. Since they can’t even admit it is “four” but it’s “ABOUT four”, you can bet your ass the real number is three.
Maybe.
The fact that even SHE admits that two of them are NOT serious means they are definitely 100% bullshit. Like, Mike Cour and Eco-Strong level bullshit.
She also tells us that “three of the four are manufacturing companies”.
OK…manufacturers of what? What are their names? I don’t think that’s an unreasonable request considering they will have wasted over $7.1 million dollars on this farce before all the debt is paid off. Not to mention they got burned by local charlatan Mike Cour and Eco-Strong the LAST TIME they claimed they had a solid prospect.
So I asked them last week to just provide me the NAMES of the four companies but instead the ever-transparent City Hall told me to take a hike:
“…at this time, pursuant to the LEDC policy and State laws, neither the LEDC or the City will be disclosing the names of any potential prospects for the future Phase 1 Industrial Park Project.” [email dated 2/16/22]
Well, I didn’t take that too well. Especially since we have already been through this once when they were keeping Eco-Strong a secret. I pressed on:
In regards to my request for the names of current business park prospects:
We already had a ruling on that 552.131(a) stuff a year ago (March of 2021). The Assistant AG (James Coggeshall) sided with me on a good chunk of it, actually (see attached, page 3). Since there is no “financial information”, or “negotiations” or “trade secrets” or “competitive harm” or “information about financial or other incentive” being asked for by me, it seems to me that you should produce the basic information I am requesting.
Mandy Walsh mentioned PUBLICALLY (see attached snapshot) there are four “serious” prospects for the biz park and three are in manufacturing. I am formally requesting the names of the four companies and nothing more about them. Just the names.
If I am denied this information, I’ll get my lawyer involved yet again, and this time since this has already been decided on and it’s costing me $$ to go through it again, I am not against also suing the City to recover my attorney fees.
This can all be over quickly and painlessly (and will save thousands of dollars with JC Brown) by just typing out those four names for me. Thanks!
Pretty simple request. It could be answered in 5 minutes. But it wasn’t. Instead I get more vague hints as to what it may be. From the City secretary:
I can provide you the following that have shown interest.
- Communication, Technology and Regional Training Center
- Food Manufacturing, Packaging and Distribution Center
- Road and Construction Material Manufacturer
- Agricultural and Equipment Sales & Servicing
- Home Furnishings Merchant Wholesaler
Well, first of all, that list is five items long, and Mandy says there are only four serious prospects – she also says that 3 of the 4 are in “manufacturing”. So that means three of the four items on the above list are nonsense if we use logic. Either that, or Mandy is lying. Or Misti is lying. Considering the history of the LEDC and the Business Pork Project, anything is possible.
Secondly: “food manufacturing, packaging and distribution center“? You mean kind of like Ajinomoto Foods which is ALREADY HERE in town? The VERY SAME Ajinomoto Foods that offered to bring the City 200 jobs AND $300,000 in cash and the City TURNED THEM DOWN back in 2016?
In fairness, Mandy was not around in 2016, but Misti Talbert and TJ Monroe sure as hell were. So was Chuck “The Vampire” Williamson. All three of those idiots are now sitting there today approving the expenditure of $7.1 million for phantom jobs from secret companies two years from now when they could have had 200 REAL jobs at no cost back in 2016.
Anyhow, the City has FINALLY coughed up their “serious prospects” and there are apparently five of them:
Lawson Implement, Inc.
PhoLicious, LLC
Legacy Awning & Shade
Eco-Flex Recycled Rubber Solutions
Nextlink Internet
Over the next few posts I’ll dissect these prospects and why they all fail a basic smell test for the $7.1 million dollar business pork project.