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| Bendel's original email |
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| Donnellan's response |
Mt. Lebanon has hired a grant and revenue consultant as listed on page 22 of the 2014 Municipal Budget. Why is Commissioner Bendel active with non-municipal fundraising, when he should be protecting municipal funds? I will be transferring comments about this from the previous thread, to keep them all together.
Update March 4, 2014 8:59 AM Why are the Municipal grant writer and Municipal engineer involved with non-municipal fundraising? Sports Advisory Board January 9, 2014 meeting minutes (And there it is in writing, $4000 from Gateway Engineers.) I also received the Turf Project Task Force Agenda, which was missing from my RTK. Here is what Steve Feller sent to me, after I brought it to his attention. In addition, I asked for the presentations. Here is Steve's response.
Hi Elaine: Attached is a copy of the agenda. I am told that the vendors did not supply written presentations (power point or other written format.) Steve Feller
32 comments:
Comment crossposted:
Politicians go to jail for using government paid employees to work on their private election committees.
Why should a municipal employee be allowed to work on the pursuit of grants for non-public sports groups?
March 3, 2014 at 9:17 AM
Comment crossposted:
Damion Deringer said...
The county will not have anything to do with this project since they are in the middle of planning and designing the Montour Junction Complex. 78 acres and 6+ fields being planned on a brownfield is more important and politically savvy then a field in the well-to-do Mt Lebanon.
March 3, 2014 at 9:24 AM
Comment crossposted:
Anonymous said...
9:17 AM, THIS ALSO HAS TO BE A CLASSIC AND EGREGIOUS EXAMPLE OF A CONFLICT OF INTEREST - THE STATE ETHICS COMMISSION SHOULD PROBABLY BE CONTACTED AS WELL AS THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL !
March 3, 2014 at 9:47 AM
Comment crossposted:
Anonymous said...
Four years of work put in by Commissioner Brumfield, a hefty investment by Franklin, grant writing for sports groups by a municipal employee, donation by a municipal hired contractor and with all this questionable help, they still don't believe they can deliver the 50% of private funding for turf.
Despite the fact that they claim thousands of residents support it.
Next thing we'll uncover is that the commissioners hired Pursuant Ketchum to do a fundraiser.
March 3, 2014 at 9:55 AM
I scanned and added John Bendel's original email.
Elaine
Here's an idea!
Rather than hiring fund raisers and grant writers why don't we place all the commissioners, employees, SB directors and staff at various intersections with tin cups and signs that read—
"Please help the poor children and destitute residents living in the blighted bubble of Mt. Lebanon.
Developers won't build here, we're forced to turn our sports fields into old tire dumps.
Please help-- give all you can to the "Its for the children (and some sports nuts) charity!"
Good idea, and as a reward for their donations we can give them back buttons that say "Lebo's #1!" instead of pink ribbons or little red pansies.
This is a serious issue and I hope someone with a legal background contacts the proper agencies. This is out of my league.
Elaine
How bout Commissioners start resigning before it gets ugly.
It is a serious issue Elaine and one would think there are plenty of checks and balances to dig into this. We have two srate representatives that could get the proper authorities involved.
We have a "free press" with more than enough resources to turn this into a firestorm.
Unfortunately, when they all sleep together its tough to get anyone to wake up.
Applying for grants is a relatively easy process.
http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html
One would think with all the highly paid municipal staffers the departments could pursue them on their own without hiring a consultant.
Furthermore, with all the lawyers and businessmen in these sports groups can't they hunt for grants on their own time?
11:49 AM The local state representative and senator are loyal Democrats as are all five commissioners as is the muni treasurer. The muni manager and solicitor will not initiate anything unless directed to do so by a majority of the commission. Otherwise their jobs are to protect, cover for and defend the commissioners.
There is no way there will be any state involvement unless those of us who are outraged by this crap take the necessary steps for initiating ethics and criminal investigations with appropriate authorities.
You need a meeting with state rep/senator to get a response. Bring fellow residents with you.
Sorry for not being PC.
Businesspeople, not businessmen.
12:25-- PA Attorney General Kane and PA Auditor General DePasquale are Democrats as well.
Gov. Corbett is a Republican, but is scrambling for his political life and probably won't upset apple carts any time before the election.
He should if he were smart, but he won't. Republicans in MTL are an endangered species and its pretty easy to see why.
Lies. Corruption. Residents. Children. Air. Water. Health. Environment. Climate change. Conflict of interest. Deception. Sustainability. Stormwater. Floods. Money. EPA. Toxins. Children. Taxpayers. Residents. Zoning. Ordinances. Sports. Turf. Right to Know. sic utere tuo ut alienum non la.
http://publicsource.org/help-our-reporting
Sharon Walsh, editor of publicsource.org, 412-681-5685.
bmartinson@post-gazette.com
bmoushey@post-gazette.com
jsilver@post-gazette.com
asheehan@cbs.com
openchannel@msnbc.com
http://www.npr.org/contact/investigations.html
NPR WESA Newsroom: 412.315.6760
Tell them about Lebo Citizens. It will make their job easier. Or they could wait another thirty days for more.
Elaine
Don't count on Smith or Miller as they are both Brumfield buddies. I've seen them numerous times on Crystal Drive...
Every once in a while, I wake up out of a sound sleep with a thought. This is one of those times. The commission assigned $637,400 toward the turf project with a balance of $112,600 still to be assigned. John Bendel needs to be figuring out where he is going to get $112,600 plus any additional costs, and stop worrying about the nonmunicipal share. If there are any grants to be had, they should go to Mt. Lebanon and not sit in some endowment fund.
Maybe now I can go back to sleep.
Elaine
Easy fix Elaine. Its coming out of unassigned funds. Low hanging fruit.
Politicians go to jail for using government paid employees to work on their private election committees.
Why should a municipal employee be allowed to work on the pursuit of grants for non-public sports groups?
So every time a county official courts an airline to come here, it's a crime? So the state working to locate the ethane cracker in Monaca was criminal?
So when a politician works to get something you don't like (turf), it's criminal. But when <a href="http://www.newpa.com/newsroom/governor-corbett-shell-extends-land-option-proposed-ethane-cracker-pennsylvania-remains-capital-proj>Corbett works with Shell</a> to put a huge polluter upwind from where I live, I hear crickets from Republicans. How very convenient.
Actually, it isn't a D or R issue at all. In fact, look at the Number One Value listed on the Mt. Lebanon Democratic Committee home page:
Be GREEN by pursuing the efficiencies and benefits of a green community.
Brumfield, Linfante, and Bendel are not being very Democratic, are they?
Let's try to stick to the issue. Why are our municipal engineer, commissioner, MtL recreation director, MTLSD athletic director, and grant writer involved in non-municipal fundraising?
Elaine
It's blatantly unethical to have commissioner tell their grant writer to find grants for private fundraising.
The entire purpose of private donations is that they do not use public resources.
Agreed with Elaine and others that if the grant writer is to receive grants for turf, they should offset the municipal cost of the project for benefit of the taxpayers that pay her salary.
I'd stop short of saying it is illegal.
Here ya go, Demo 8:52am: Corbett works with Shell. You didn't close out your anchor reference with a ".
I just added the first update to this post. I have added SAB minutes and Turf Task Force Agenda. It is all there.
Elaine
9:36 AM How about saying it is both immoral and unethical as in corrupt.
Like they are morally and ethically corrupt ?
Interesting that 852 is so concerned about the environment. If that's the case, I assume you're opposed to artificial turf? I agree this isn't a R or D issue. It is a local government thing. In this case, we have four of the five commissioners directly involved in sports voting to spend tax dollars that don't belong to them on a project nobody knows about for something only a tiny percentage of the town will use. The Corbett reference is asinine. It's comparing apples to canoes.
You are correct about four commissioners. I will be putting up a whole new topic about Mr. Silverman's involvement.
Elaine
8:52, you're actually going to try and make a comparison between 'courting' an airline or Shell Oil to writing grants for a few private sports groups so the y can claim those grants as part of 'their' share of installing turf.
http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/06/14/corbett-administration-sells-ethane-cracker-tax-break-secretary-says-shell-asked-for-it/
"13 different speakers took to the lectern at Beaver County Community College — three cabinet secretaries, five legislators, two county commissioners, and representatives from unions. Their message: if Shell builds an ethane cracker in Monaca, it could trigger a cluster of similar processing plants in the region. And if that happens, tens of thousands of people would gain employment.
“What these incentives do, is they don’t just bring a company to Pennsylvania. They bring an entire industry to Pennsylvania,” Labor and Industry Secretary Julia Hearthway said. “They bring an entire industry to northeastern United States. And with it comes jobs. Not a few hundred jobs. Not one company hiring 300 or 400 jobs. But thousands and thousands of jobs to Pennsylvania.”
"Governor Corbett is convinced the petrochemical plant will kick-start a corridor of plastics processing plants in Beaver County, and predicts up to 20,000 new jobs could be generated by the plant. But that figure comes from a chemical industry-funded study, and the majority of those anticipated jobs are “indirect or induced.” The cracker itself would only employ between 400 and 600 people."
What new jobs are the turfed fields going to create... ice cream and Gatorade salespeople?
Is turf going to bring in a Good Humor ice cream plant?
I guess you're going to argue that kids that play on grass don't get thirsty or hungry for sweets-- right!
Speaking of government involvement in grants, 8:52 be sure not to mention...
"Battery firm backed by federal stimulus money files for bankruptcy"
"An electric-car-battery company that won a $249 million stimulus grant filed for bankruptcy Tuesday, reigniting Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s criticism that the Obama administration wasted taxpayer money by subsidizing clean energy companies."
"The company has received $130 million of its federal grant, which it used to build a Michigan plant to manufacture lithium ion batteries for electric cars. The company said it would create thousands of jobs.
But the start-up was besieged by problems, including malfunctions and fires in its batteries and a heavy reliance on a single troubled buyer, carmaker Fisker Automotive."
Sure 8:52, everything touched by govenment turns to gold. Solyndra is another great example.
Elaine, we continue to refer the issue being a problem with 4 of 5 Commissioners. I can only suspect you are referring to Commissioner Fraasch being left out. Where are her hands in this? Dirty or clean in the emails? Is she trying to secure funders for the turf to contribute to the unmunicipal fund? What's her role in all of these emails?
1:27 PM, I sorted out the emails sent by commissioner. Kelly had the largest stack. Brumfield had the second to the smallest stack with three emails. Matt sent out zero emails about artificial turf. Kelly was reaching out to the ESB (liaison this year)and the Parks Advisory Board (liaison last year). She is not in ANY of the fundraising emails.
Clearly, Matt Kluck and Kelly Fraasch were left out of the loop.
Fundraising emails are yet to come.
Elaine
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