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OpEd: July 28, 2009:
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer based on extensive
research. If you have any questions or comments regarding the accuracy of the supporting documentation or the veracity of these very serious allegations, please contact John Mitchel at the earliest opportunity.
The rest of the story:
SUBJECT: “County officials confront commissioners over budget”, Wednesday, July 28, 2009:
Greene County Gazette readers may have been confused by the picture of my friend Andy Myers with the “STOP $ - LAUNDERING NOW!” sign that accompanied SUBJECT article last Wednesday. Adding to the mystery was the subtitle to the article, “Commissioner Marilyn Reid pledges better communication.” These two examples of journalistic misdirection should be recognized for what they are; an attempt to divert our attention away from the real reason our elected officials met last week to air their differences. The simple truth is virtually all our Greene County elected officials have over-spent for years, and now the chickens are coming home to roost. The real question is who benefited from that spending largess and when, which would go a long way toward answering the money laundering allegations.
The collective complaint against Commissioners Reid, Anderson and Perales is that if only they would draw from the “Rainy Day Fund,” they could prevent layoffs and restore hours, overtime and otherwise, for public employees. “The Ant and the Grasshopper” parable does a great job of explaining the confrontation, but a real world example of irresponsible spending may also help put things in proper perspective. In 2003 Greene County Commissioners Harper, Madden and Reid signed a three-year $1.9 million BRAC Initiative Agreement with the Dayton Development Coalition on the pretense taxpayer dollars were required to “save” Wright Patterson AFB. There’s a compelling argument that not one dime of that $1.9 mil went to saving Wright Patt, if it even needed saving in the first place.
First, Greene County taxpayers paid about $17,000 interest on a $900,000 interest-free loan to the Dayton Development Coalition, a private, nonprofit corporation. The Coalition then used that $900k as matching funds for a state grant (more taxpayer dollars), which is mandated by law to be spent only on “economic development.” The loan was “smoke and mirrors” accounting – not one dollar was spent directly on economic development. The remaining $1 million, and then some, can be accounted for in IRS documents available to the public and opensecrets.org, a watchdog website that tracks money spent on lobbyists.
IRS records available in the public domain reveal that the CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition, a Steve Austria crony, received over $500,000 in salary and compensation in 2005 and 2006, the last two years of the BRAC Initiative Agreement. The Dayton Development Coalition’s CEO had a span of control of less than 40 employees yet in 2005 and 2006 he earned more than the Vice-President of the United States and more than twice that of the Governor of Ohio. Moreover, opensecrets.org reveals that the Dayton Development Coalition paid PMA Group, a Washington D.C. lobbying firm over $500,000 during the term of the BRAC Initiative Agreement. Furthermore, in a no-bid contract, the $900,000 grant went to The Greentree Group, but that is not where the money trail ended.
Over the years, PMA lobbyists contributed over $85,000 to “Hobson for Congress” and continued their generosity to “Steve Austria for Congress” when Austria ran for the 7th District House seat after Hobson retired. Dayton Development Coalition directors, employees and Advisory Board members have also made generous campaign contributions to Steve Austria and Dave Hobson. And let’s not forget Greentree Group associates and family insiders who have contributed over $40,000 to Hobson and Austria over the years.
So there’s the rest of the story and it has nothing to do with our County Commissioners communicating better with the County Prosecutor, Common Pleas Court Judges or any other public servant. Instead it’s all about elected officials who have overspent for years and now with the economy in the tank, do not want to pay the price like the rest of us.
John Mitchel, Founder, Patriots Against Public Corruption Now
Beavercreek, Ohio, (937) 427-8442
mitch07ohio@sbcglobal.net
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