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ALL POINTS BULLETIN AIRED TO APPREHEND City
Council Candidate Wayne Lee Nichols of Eighth Street. Car description and tag
number broadcast.
Allegedly,
Portsmouth Police have been searching all day to arrest Nichols on a
charge of having a cluttered porch. This complaint was made
against Nichols after
he took out petitions for election to City Council February, 2007. Nichols, a crippled veteran,
is not known to be armed and dangerous. Will Chief Horner send his
raiders to “knock down the doors in the middle of the night?” 6:l5 p.m. Friday,
June 1, 2007 apl
Kalbs new loading
dock or
unloading dock?
To the Shawnee Sentinel by Special
Investigative Reporter Jay Olsen
Wednesday 22,
2005
People of Portsmouth step right up and let me tell
you about my, or should
I say Conley’s great new loading
dock, Question are already floating around
town about
Kalbs and Conley’s plan to build a so called lording dock or is this
another unloading of the taxpayers money for another private
venture ?
As many people know RIVER BOAT GAMBLING is
just around the corner
for Ohio. It is expected the
general assembly will propose bills to allow RIVER
BOAT GAMBLING
IN OHIO. At this point they are discussing letting each
Ohio County propose this to the electors of each county by
putting this on the
ballot as soon as next May. What a
convenient time for someone to be
interested in prime riverfront
Portsmouth Tax Abated Property.
Let’s see if the
loading dock will really become a reality or will it be just another
Marting deal to hide the real facts from the TAXPAYERS?
Remember our recall
appointed Mayor ran one company out of
Portsmouth because they didn’t want to
pay his outrageous price
for land no one else has ever showed an interest in or
wanted. This company was welcomed to Ironton, Ohio and
even given land and a
building! Now what’s that say for
Kalb? This Ironton company I’m told is doing
well
and will soon be going into big production, as per Channel 3
News.
Why would a man that states he’s for the city
discourage a new business from
coming to Portsmouth? Yes,
Kalb was in on the Marting’s purchase and voted
to put the 2
million in Clay Johnson’s pocket, and now he’s dealing with him
again
when and how much of our tax money Johnson is willing to
give back, if any.
Could this loading dock be a similar
deal since it’s been in secrecy and behind
closed
doors?
It has been proven that Kalb cannot be trusted
with money especially the taxpayers,
so why should we trust him
with this loading dock deal? Maybe this is why he wants
to
raise our taxes to help set us up for another scam. In case
you missed it Kalb is
proposing to raise our property tax five
hundred thousand dollars for up to the next
twenty-five years,
with NO PLAN for the money specified. Kalb has stated he loves
the money the mayors job pays, twice as much as he made at
Kroger’s, perhaps Kalb
is looking to bigger things maybe like
becoming a Riverboat Captain!
To the Shawnee Sentinel
by Special Investigative Reporter
Jay Olsen Wednesday 22,
2005
Mayor plans annexation of New Boston so its
residents can help pay
for possible nine million dollar
renovation of Martings.
`
MAYOR Korn Bald Kalb Rides Again! Written by
Special Reporter to the Sentinel - JAY OLSEN 15 June 2005 Just when
you think our recall appointed Mayor couldn’t do any thing more to
inflame the people he’ssupposed to represent, Bang ! He now wants to
add more property tax on all the sick, the disabled and the working
class. This tax will also cause landlords to pass this
increase on to the poor renters, while the rich enjoy their tax
abatement. His great thoughts of grandeur are like a
child playing a video game. He wants to be remembered through
history as the Mayor that built a twelve million dollar monument to
a ghost town, in the form of a city building that will never be paid
for in Kalb’s life time. Let’s look what the so called Martings’
owners ever did for you and the city! Well I can’t think of
athing but take our money and run. No! They are not giving
millions of dollars to the city, but are only willing to return some
of the money they stole from you in the form of property
tax. Our moped riding Mayor through his great Kroger
grocery-stocking experience now decides to forgive all wrong doings
of the so called foundation clear back to the beginning of the
world! But the big catch is more taxes will be added to you to
pay for his ignorance. Why would anyone want to pay $12
million dollars for a head stone for a ghost town? Maybe Kalb will
display his dirt bikes in the front windows along with his $5.00
dollar trophies, for the oldest dirt bike rider in the nation. Kalb
needs to admit to temporary insanity and that he signed this
contract under great duress at the thoughts of great honors and
riches. Kalb needs to resign and have this crazy contract thrown
back to the beginning of the world. Written by Special Reporter to
the Sentinel - JAY OLSEN 15 June 2005 Napoleon KalbWitten by Jay
Olsen 5/23/05 (posted May 25, 2005)What will the
hunger for power and authority do to a person? Take our
appointed part-time City Mayor Kalb who now has a great thirst
for power and authority, to the point he now wants to conquorNew
Boston and Rosemount.Does he actually believe that he has made such
great strides improving Portsmouth that other communities want to
join him? You have got to laugh!He has raised our water and
sewage, our garbage, and has tried several tactics like fines for
parking in your own yard, to having the Portsmouth Police to write
more tickets.Nothing works better in enticing other communities in
joining us than these tactics. Maybe he doesn't care what these
people think? He will just cut off your water until you give in and
join this taxand fee crazed power hungry maniac.You wonder why
Portsmouth has died and is slowing sinking into it's dark grave?
Look around youto see what is running or should I say trying to run
our city. It appears we only have one or two interested
self-thinkers on city council and the rest are only out for what
ever they can gain for themselves, including Napoleon Kalb.It now
appears we have two power hungry lunatics running in different
direction, neither are interested in helping our poor city, but only
for there own selfish agendas. Kalb wants to make the city bigger to
collect more taxes and his buddy Councilman Marty Mohr wants to run
off all the citizens fromattending city council meetings so they can
return to the days of secret meetings and underhanded
dealmaking. Speaking of deal making let's not forget all the
un bid secret contracts Kalb has made during his short time in
office.How much deeper will Portsmouth be allowed to sink into its
dark grave before people will say there might be just one last
chance to save it? Or will people say what's the use with
people like this in office, and just pack up and move and leave the
poor dead city to smother in it's own stench?Napoleon Kalb, the
conquorer of nothing and the doer of nothing! After 30
years, Kroger's doesn't want him in management, what makes him
think he can manage a multi million dollar business like the city of
Portsmouth. Perhaps he is more suited at stocking shelves than
conquering cities. This writer says send him back to what he
does best! CAPTAIN CASH REGISTER!Power does not corrupt man; fools,
however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt
power.
By Jay Olsen 05/23/05
"MAYOR THAT RUNS CASH REGISTER ALWAYS HAS HAND IN
TILL"
By Jay Olsen, Monday, March 21,2005
Looks like
Jim Kalb's old days of running a cash register is working
on us
all. Every day he is thinking up ways to take more of our
money
and giving us less for it, just like Kroger's!
Kalb has ordered that our water and sewer rates be raised
and now our
garbage fees are more that most big cities!
But where does this guy stop?
Now he is mentioning charging
a parking fee for the downtown area,
at the Columbia Theater that
is not even open yet. Don't be surprised
if he doesn't dig
out all those old parking meters and have them put
down
Chillicothe and Gallia Streets.
This money hungry
recall appointed Mayor has now ordered police to go
write more
tickets, to the people he is supposed to represent and will
be
asking them to vote for him this May.
This man is now
so money hungry that he is willing to take the
stolen money back
from the so called Martings Foundation at any cost
to us the
taxpayers and add more taxes on us.
He wants to move
on with the restoration of that hundred year old
building
because he knows that the taxpayers are a easy touch and
that
your pocket book has no limits when it comes to taking money
from property owners.
The American Dream of finding a
mate and buying a home and raising
a family doesn't exist in
Portsmouth thanks to this money hungry
cash register
operator. Instead of finding ways to entice people
to move
into Portsmouth he is running them out in droves, maybe he
wants
to be the Mayor of Ohio's first ghost town!
Maybe the people
that were against him taking over the Mayors seat
had the right
idea by calling him "CAPTAIN CASH REGISTER".
They knew of
his inabilities to manage a budget and his great
ability to hold
out his hand and collect money just like
working at
Kroger's.
I say the voters will say in May they have had
enough and
shop else where for a more educated and sensible giver
not
a taker like Kalb. by Jay Olsen-Monday, March 21, 2005
Mayor Kalb gone.. Bike Races. see how our Mayor is
playing since Chief Horner made secret power pact with Clay
Johnson. When SOGP speaks Jim Kalb Jumps- By Jimmy Olsen- -
CITIZEN SAYS KALB OUGHT TO BE STOCKING SHELVES AGAIN - - A LADY FOR
MAYOR, - MAYOR JIM KALB ALREADY THREATENING LAYOFFS,- - C. B. IN
MAYOR JIM’S OFFICE, ANOTHER NO-BID "DONE DEAL" FOR INSURANCE?-
- JIM KALB & MARTING MOHR OPENLY WORKING FOR SOGP/CLAY JOHNSON-
- ILLEGAL WATER DEAL WITH SOGP/CLAY JOHNSON, A $2.5 MILLION GIVEAWAY
-- HOWARD BAUGHMAN "EXCITED" ABOUT RESTROOMS AT VISITOR’S CENTER - -
AND MANY MORE ARTICLES, INCLUDING ILLEGAL TAKING OF OVER $300,000 BY
THATCHER, SYDNOR AND KALB IN INSURANCE SCAM, COMMON PLEAS JUDGE
RULED CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS GUILTY.- - KALB GAVE AWAY $1,500 OF YOUR
MONEY TO HIS OLD OUT-OF-TOWN "BUDDY " IN OVERPRICED BACKROOM DEAL
FOR PEST CONTROL SERVICE.
IS IT REALLY MAYOR OR IS IT
MAYO
Special to the Shawnee Sentinel by Jay Olsen
Sunday,
March 06, 2005
CONSIDERING THE RECENT TURN OF EVENTS IT MAKES
ONE WONDER WHO THE REAL MAYOR OF PORTSMOUTH IS? JIM KALB ADMITTED HE
HAS NO EXPERIENCE OTHER THAN STOCKING AT KROGERS AS TO RUNNING THE
AFFAIRS OF THIS CITY.
NOW IT LOOKS LIKE THE REAL MAYOR (Horner)
HAS COME OUT FRONT TO CALL THE SHOTS IN THE OPEN, INSTEAD OF HIDING
BEHIND THE MAYOR’S CHAIR. IT NOW APPEARS THE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FOOLED
FOR THE PAST YEAR WHO THE REAL MAYOR HAS BEEN. KALB HAS ONLY BEEN
USED AS DRESSING WHILE CHIEF HORNER HAS BEEN RUNNING THE CITY AND
PUTTING KALB OUT FRONT JUST AS MAYO IS USED ON A SANDWICH, IT'S JUST
DRESSING.
HAVING HORNER MAKE A MAJOR DECISION LIKE THE
MARTINGS FORUM IS SLAPPING THE FACES OF THE TAXPAYERS, AND MAKING
KALB’S ELECTION IMPOSSIBLE.
PEOPLE ARE NOT ONLY DISGUSTED
WITH THE MARTINGS BUILDING BEING SHOVED DOWN THEIR THROATS BUT NOW
HAVE THE POLICE CHIEF MAKING CITY GOVERNMENT DECISIONS FOR THEM. I
HAVE READ ON OTHER WEB SITES THAT HORNER MAY RUN FOR MAYOR AFTER
RETIREMENT, LOOKS LIKE HE'S ALREADY DOING IT.
TUESDAY WILL
TELL THE TALE AT THE FORUM, WHO WILL DO MOST OF THE
SPEAKING?
WILL HORNER LET KALB SPEAK? OR WILL CHIEF HORNER
KEEP HIS PUPPET KALB IN THE BOX AND TAKE FRONT STAGE ALL ON HIS OWN
LIKE A CARNIVAL BARKER, "STEP RIGHT UP LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, DO I
HAVE A DEAL FOR YOU?"
WRITTEN TO THE SENTINEL BY SPECIAL REPORTER
JAY OLSEN, MARCH 06, 2005
Mayor Kalb says "go get em boys
!"
By Jay Olsen, Special Reporter to the Sentinel
Saturday
March 5, 2005
I‘ve been hearing some complaining about the police
around town and thought I would investigate. I first asked a couple
of policemen that asked that I not mention their names, so I agreed.
I asked them if the rumor going around town that the Mayor had given
orders to start writing more traffic tickets and make more traffic
stops was true. They told me yes, it was true! They had been given
orders to get the city income up by writing more traffic tickets.
This is a sad state of affairs when a citizen is not only unfairly
taxed but now may be unfairly written traffic ticket to boost the
city’s deficit.
The Mayor knows in order for employed people to
fight an unfair traffic ticket they must usually miss several days
of work for court hearings or hire an attorney. Most people usually
can’t afford either of these options, so they just pay the ticket.
Right or wrong, this is easy money for the city.
Mayor Kalb has
raised your water and sewage along with having your garbage raised.
Now he has come up with another sham, busting drug dealers and
arresting prostitutes only cost the city money, what better way to
raise money than tax you is to fine you!
So when you’re given a
ticket in the city of Portsmouth, don’t think of it as a violation
but as a donation.
If you haven’t heard this one you should get
a laugh out of it. But the Mayor is also considering putting some
parking meters back up around town, maybe when the new city building
goes into Martings? It will be just like old times, pay to park to
go in and spend money. What a great city we live in.
Jay Olsen,
Special Reporter
WHEN CLAY JOHNSON SPEAKS, JIM KALB JUMPS
Written and posted by Austin Leedom, Shawnee Sentinel at 1:00
a.m. Monday, February 28, 2005.
Jim Kalb, our un-elected Mayor is
seeking election. The May Primary Election is only nine weeks away
and Kalb is eight months late in keeping promises made in June 2004
at the time of the recall of Greg Bauer. Kalb became our un-elected
Mayor by default; he was given an opportunity to run an honest
Mayor’s Office but has simply followed former Mayor Greg Bauer’s
regular programs of corruption, back room deals and obedience to the
dictates of the "big man" in town (Clayton Johnson).
When
SOGP/Marting Foundation Gang Leader Clayton Johnson summons him Jim
Kalb responds immediately to Johnson’s commands, but Kalb has not
yet found time to talk with "common citizens." Who is Jim Kalb
working for?
Clayton Johnson deliberately defrauded the citizens
of Portsmouth of over Two Million Dollars in the sale of the
Martings Building. Johnson and his accomplices have been overruled
by the Common Pleas Court in this theft and are seeking to "make a
deal."
When Clayton Johnson speaks Jim Kalb jumps! Just like
Portsmouth Daily Times alleged Editor Rick Greene jumped and ran to
Clay Johnson’s office when he was ordered in by con-man (SOGP
President) Bob Huff to get his instructions on what to write and
what not to write, from "The Boss."
Only six days ago Jim Kalb
was again talking to the "Big Man" who is desperately trying to
avoid giving up the fruits of the Martings crime committed against
the citizens of Portsmouth.
Mr. Kalb, in dealing with "common
citizens," you have demonstrated you have apparently been afflicted
with an extremely swelled head, a giant ego, and a belief that you
have acquired the office of Mayor of Portsmouth by the Divine Grace
of the Almighty God. Even with this belief of your great
self-importance you don’t have the courage to tell the "Big Man" to
report to your Office, but humbly bow to the wishes of Clay Johnson
(The Boss).
If Clay Johnson has anything honest to offer the
citizens he has defrauded tell him to publicly appear before his
victims in the City Council Meeting and make his flim-flam
proposals. After all, you are the Mayor. Clay Johnson has never been
elected Mayor, but neither have you; neither of you ever will be
elected Mayor.
If you had not been so sneaking in illegally
meeting with Marting Foundation/Clay Johnson three years ago our
city would now be Two Million Dollars better off.
Show some
courage. Next time you are ordered to report to The Boss, explain to
him that the citizens of Portsmouth do not want the Martings
Building, have never wanted the building and do not want a City Hall
located in the old building. Order Mr. Johnson to report to you next
time. Begin acting like a Mayor. Written and posted by
Austin Leedom, Shawnee Sentinel at 1:00 a.m. Monday, February 28,
2005.
" TO MAYOR OR MAYOR NOT"
By Jay Olsen
Well many
people of Portsmouth have asked the same question? Are we any
better off than before? I say we may be worse off if not the same,
you see our present Mayor has caught the Bauer syndrome. He
said in a speech before council, before the recall he was not
interested in being Mayor and if he were on the ballot he was smart
enough to know he could not be elected. Now he thinks he's
done such an excellent job for you that you will re-elect him.
Well let's take a short look at his performance so far, he has
raised our water without any idea how much was really needed.
Now he's hitting the garbage fee to increase it without any
input from the people. Let's not forget his bi- monthly
meeting with the Marting's foundation owner Clay Johnson trying to
work out a deal. Is this what the people really want a Monty
Hall for a Mayor? We don't want deals we only want what's
fare. Kalb was on council when the Rip Off of the taxpayers
took place and now he wants to deal with our stolen money to make
himself look good.
Being Mayor is a lot more complicated
than stocking soup cans on a shelf and Kalb has proven that he is
not capable of running a city, however small it may be. One
thing he should have learned from his stocking job, is that people
expect the product out in the open on the shelf, and the price
clearly marked. They don't expect to go in a back room and try to
barter for a better deal for a can of tomato soup. Kalb should
have learned a lesson from the Bauer recall, people don't like
backroom and un bid buddy deals at their expense.
The sad thing
about Kalb is, he has gotten a taste of power and doubled his weekly
pay. Power does not corrupt man; fools, however, if they get into
position of power, corrupt power. Perhaps it is time Kalb returns to
serve the populace in a more serving manner, stocking shelves. Be
thankful we live in a democracy and have a choice who will serve us
not themselves, we have that choice and will exercise it in
May.
Jay Olson
02/24/05
A LADY FOR MAYOR
A lady in
the Mayor’s Office is a grand idea; a change is needed. The last two
men have not performed well; in fact, in my mind, the last two
Mayors have nearly destroyed the financial and economic health of
the city and have unethically and arrogantly misconducted the
affairs of the city. Gregory Bauer served too long as a member of
the city council and far too long as Mayor. The same may be said of
Jim Kalb, so, experience is no guide to ability, performance or
ethics.
There is, however, now a lady candidate for Mayor,
Emily Gulker. To her credit she is well known as a tireless worker
with the best interests of the city at heart. She is better educated
than the other six candidates, but never flaunts her learning. She
is well-read, cultured, and still a common person. She is never
arrogant or condescending; she treats all persons as having equal
rights and deserving of respect.
She has a reputation for
knowing the facts before making a decision. As a university
professor she taught for many years and is still a willing and apt
student, as are most professors. At SSU she would not make decisions
without full understanding of all the details of any proposed action
in university affairs and will not act without knowledge as the
Mayor. She has been, and will be always a listener to all citizens
and will be fair. I can and would testify under oath to the above as
I was blessed to be one of Emily Gulker’s students at Shawnee State
University several years ago, and have known and observed her for
many, many years.
In my opinion, with Emily Gulker in the
Mayor’s Office we may be assured there will be none of the
under-the-table no-bid contracts that have so impoverished the city
and prospered the contractors. She will provide open and
honest government; she is a proven fighter and will stand for the
rights and best interests of all the citizens; she will not be
intimidated into any improper actions.
Austin Leedom
Email: aleedom@adelphia.net
MAYOR JIM KALB
ALREADY
THREATENING LAYOFFS OF CITY EMPLOYEES
(Written by
Austin Leedom at 12:15 a.m. Sunday, 20 February 2005)
At the City
Council meeting on Monday, February 14, 2005 Mayor Kalb said, "You
can look for layoffs," after the Council refused to pass an
ordinance to raise garbage collection fees.
Kalb was trying to
intimidate the council into raising the collection fees although
council knew such raise was unfair and not necessary.
This year
Jim Kalb has already added a large increase to our city water rates.
There was no way council could stop Kalb from making this increase.
A vote of council was not necessary to raise our water rates. Kalb
arrogantly announced the raise at a recent council meeting. In
effect, Kalb was telling us, in the words of our unforgettable
ex-mayor Bauer, "It’s a done deal, there’s nothing you can do about
it." Jim Kalb learned well; he was taught by Greg Bauer, he even
sounds like Greg Bauer; the voice is the same.
Jim Kalb learned
how to be Mayor from Greg Bauer who was recalled by a 2-1 vote June
22, 2004. For over six years Kalb, as Council President, persuaded
and prodded other council members to pass every proposal and
ordinance Greg Bauer threw out on the table. Jim Kalb learned so
well that his every action as Mayor has been almost identical to the
actions that earned Greg Bauer an early retirement from the Mayor’s
Office.
Behind closed doors Kalb has continued to hand out
no-bid, over-priced contracts to his "good old buddies," the same
"good old buddies" that were alleged to have awarded ex-mayor Bauer
with special expensive gifts in return for contracts. Kalb even took
over the public Mound Park shelter house one evening last fall to
enjoy a birthday party given "in his honor" by contractors and
vendors his office deals with. The public was not invited. Kalb has
ignored citizens requests for assistance while spending long hours
with men who are known for questionable motives, and devious
deals.
An election for Mayor is coming. At this writing it
appears that incumbent Jim Kalb and Auditor Trent Williams have the
best odds of finishing as the top two candidates in the primary vote
on May 5th. There are seven candidates. The top two vote-getters in
May will have a run-off vote in November in the General Election.
We several members of the Sentinel/Dougdeepe/Forum group have
been asked who we
favor? Who are we
going to back? There is no agreement among the staff. Most of us
have various opinions. However, there is an unwritten agreement to
write the truth about each and every candidate.
I am not given
to writing many opinion articles, but I will rate my preferences on
a 1-10 scale. Considering the record of Jim Kalb’s life and
actions as a city councilman over a period of twelve years and his
actions as Mayor, I award Mr. Kalb a rating of 2. In following
articles I will rate the other six candidates and will get back to
Mayor Jim Kalb, and Auditor Trent Williams in extra stories.
(Written by Austin Leedom at 2:15 a.m. Monday, 21 February
2005)
seven candidates for city mayor
City Councilmen, with
the approval and encouragement of Mayor Jim Kalb, voted 4-2 to give
citizens a chance to vote on the Martings "deal" in the May Primary
Election on Monday night, the 14th of February, 2005.Councilmen
David Malone, Marty Mohr, and Howard Baughmen, in a special meeting
on Wednesday, February 16, voted to deny citizens the right to vote
on the Martings "deal." David Malone was the "Judas" who switched
and joined the SOGP Gang and voted with Mohr and
Baughman. WILL THE "THREE SOGP STOOGES" ATTEMPT TO
CONTROL THE PEOPLES' CHOICE FOR MAYOR IN THE MAY PRIMARY?
COUNCIL
MEETING MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 6:00 P.M.
Kalb plans to sell you
out, bring your video cameras ; come to the meeting and record
the Mayor, Howie Baughman and Marty Mohr try to put you in debt for
twenty years to pay off their secret backroom deal with Clay Johnson
and SOGP/Martings Foundation.
CANDIDATES FOR THE OFFICE OF MAYOR
Chris Neff, David Malone, Emily Gulker, Edward Lee Scott, Harold
Daub, James R. Stout, Jason Stout, James Kalb, Steve Mault, Walter
Hickman, Jr.
C. B. HERMANN IN MAYOR JIM KALB’S OFFICE
FRIDAY
(Written by Austin Leedom at 12:30 a.m. Saturday, February
12, 2005.)
C.B.Hermann of Portsmouth Insurance Agency was seen in
the Mayor’s Office Friday morning, February 11, 2005.
"Good ole’
boy" C.B. has been given the city’s health insurance business for
years without bid. Last year Mayor Greg Bauer ran a back-room
under-the-table "done deal" past Council President Jim Kalb and the
City Council that gave C. B. Hermann a $500,000.00 health insurance
contract with no bid. Many people suspect that C. B. Hermann has
cleared at least $100,000.00 per year in the years that Bauer
awarded C. B. the no-bid health insurance transactions. Did Greg
Bauer receive "commissions" on this business?
Jim (Brutus) Kalb
has been continuing the practices of ex-Mayor Greg (Caesar) Bauer
since Kalb helped cut Bauer down in a recall in June 2004. Kalb is
expected to continue no-bid devious deals; he has already been
caught up in an over-priced back-room contract with Rick Fraley of
Ohio Pest Control, an out-of-town pest control contractor. Mayor
Kalb defended this waste (or theft) of taxpayer money by explaining,
"Rick Fraley and I rode bikes together."
This year Dougdeepe.com
and the Shawnee Sentinel will be scrutinizing every transaction. Be
careful Mayor Jim; we’ll be watching and writing; don’t expect to
get away with any more dubious "done deals" like the Rick
Fraley/Ohio Pest Control contract.
(Written by Austin Leedom at
12:30 a.m. Saturday, February 12, 2005
Written and posted by
Austin Leedom at 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 8, 2005.
2.5
Million Dollars for a Welcome Center with Restrooms to Benefit
BoneyFiddle is "the smart and the right thing to do" according to
City Councilman Howard Baughman, a relative of Clay Johnson.
On
Monday, August 25, 2003
COUNCIL PRESIDENT JIM KALB PRESIDED OVER
A $2.5 MILLION DOLLAR RIP-OFF
OF CITY FUNDS BY SOGP (CLAYTON
JOHNSON)
Present for the Portsmouth Ohio City Council meeting on
Monday, August 25, 2003 were President of Council Jim Kalb, City
Solicitor David Kuhn, Auditor Trent Williams, Councilpersons Ann
Sydnor, Carol Caudill, and Howard Baughman. Vice President of
Council Ray Pyles and Councilwoman Barbara Halcomb were absent from
the meeting.
Ordinance passed after the third reading was
suspended on a motion by Councilman Howard Baughman. Howard Baughman
also made the motion to pass the illegal ordinance.
According to
the official record of the meeting, "The Clerk gave a second reading
to an ordinance authorizing the Mayor to renew an existing twenty
year contract, effective November 20, 2006 through November 20,
2026, with Southern Ohio Growth Partnership (SOGP) for the purpose
of furnishing water to various industrial sites owned by said
(SOGP).
Councilman Baughman moved to suspend the rule requiring
an ordinance be read on three separate dates.
There were no
questions or comments. The roll was called. VOTE: ayes 4 –nays (sic)
- The rule was suspended.
Councilman Baughman made a motion to
pass the ordinance."
NOTE: At the beginning of the meeting before
any ordinances were voted on, Franklin T. Gerlach of 814 7th Street
spoke with regard to this proposed item concerning the renewal of
the SOGP lease to obtain water from the City of Portsmouth and
re-sell it to "industries they own" at an increased rate.
From
the official record of the City Clerk: "Mr. Gerlach noting that the
existing twenty-year contract with Southern Ohio Growth Corporation
doesn’t expire until 2006, stated it to have been Council’s practice
to allow the Council that is seated at the time the contract expires
to be the Council that authorizes any renewal of that contract.
Saying there may a reason for renewing the contract three years in
advance, Mr. Gerlach advised Council that what they are about to do
is to give about two and one half million dollars to a private
entity. He said as a citizen and a user of water he found this to be
a lot of money over the twenty years of the contract, saying this
does not include any rate increases that might
occur……….
………………………………… He suggested that someone look into it
more fully to make sure this is what Council wants to do considering
the amount of money involved."
The following comments were made
after the motion to pass the ordinance was made by Councilman Howard
Baughman according to the official City Clerk’s record:
ANN
SYDNOR: ORDINANCE NEEDED FOR WELCOME CENTER
"In response to the
President’s request for questions or comments, Councilwoman Sydnor,
with regard to Mr. Gerlach’s questions and comments, stated that it
to be her understanding that in 1965 this idea was conceived by,
what was then known as Portsmouth Area Community Improvement
Corporation. She said the gentlemen who formed this corporation to
do development within the county needed to generate funds and
therefore this agreement was worked out with the City and an
ordinance was passed in 1966 that authorized a twenty-year contract
for the purpose of furnishing water to various industrial sites
owned by the corporation. She pointed out that in 1986, City Council
renewed the contract for another twenty years. She acknowledged Mr.
Gerlach to be correct that last renewal is not due again until 2006.
She said the corporation, now known as Southern Ohio Growth
Partnership has made a decision and stepped forward with the Welcome
Center.
SYDNOR ADMITS RENEWED CONTRACT NEEDED FOR SECURITY FOR
BANK LOANS TO SOGP/WELCOME CENTER
She noted that since there is
not any guarantee of federal money SOGP needs a guarantee of a cash
flow in order to be able to commit to this project. She said the
purpose of renewing the contract is to guarantee the local lending
institutions funds will be forthcoming. To Mr. Gerlach she
acknowledged that Council does not usually renew a contract early
but noted this to be a project that will benefit, not only
Portrsmouth, but Scioto County, and hopefully, the region. Mrs.
Sydnor reiterated the purpose for which SOGP needed this renewal to
take to the financial institution.
MAYOR BAUER: "REVENUE STREAM
WILL CONTINUE"
The Mayor stated that in addition this is
assurance that that revenue stream will continue (To SOGP) and will
allow funds to retire the debt for the welcome center property in
twenty years.
BAUGHMAN CALLS $2.5 million dollar giveaway
"exciting."
Councilman Baughman agreed with everything stated by
Councilwoman Sydnor and the Mayor. He also describeed this to be one
of the most exciting things that has come before Council. Mr.
Baughman said one of the most frustrating things with being on
Council is to adhere to all the rules and regulations with regard to
how funds can or cannot be used. He expressed pleasure that the City
is going to have welcome center that will house public restrooms,
the Chamber of Commerce and several other organization that will
benefit Boneyfiddle. He described this legislation as the "the smart
and right thing to do" and expressed his excitement at Council being
able to participate.
There being no further questions or
comments, the roll was called. VOTE: ayes 4 – nays 0 The ordinance
was passed ORD. #80-03"
BIGGER THAN THE MARTING SCAM
Most
citizens know how we were robbed of Two Million Dollars by the
SOGP/Marting Foundation/Clay Johnson Gang and a corrupted city
council in the purchase of the Marting department store building in
May of 2002.
However, most of us were not aware of the GIVEAWAY
OF 2.5 MILLION OF OUR MONEY ON AUGUST 25, 2003 by the City
Council.
Fellow citizens of Portsmouth: This ordinance for
renewal of a lease was not really a just a massive giveaway; the
ordinance #80-03 is really a Conspiracy to Commit Grand Theft of
$2.5 Million Dollars of City funds.
Let us consider the comments
uttered by Councilpersons in support of Ordinance #80-03, and
Ordinance itself.
STATE PRISON IS NOT "INDUSTRIAL SITE OWNED BY
SOGP"
The ordinance reads, in part: "for the purpose of
furnishing water to various industrial sites owned by said (SOGP).
Water that the SOGP is currently purchasing from the City is going
in city water lines to the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility
(SOCF). This is a state prison and can hardly be properly be termed
an "industrial site owned by said (SOGP)."
CITY LOSING MILLIONS –
SOGP LOOTING CITY COFFERS
While we are at his point let us look
at the profit being taken from the city by the SOGP. The Shawnee
Sentinel has obtained invoices from the Southern Ohio Correctional
Facility that document that during the fiscal year ending June 2004
the following payments were made to Southern Ohio Growth Partnership
by the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility:
September 2003
$61,765.13
December 2003 54,356.17
March
2004
54,888.52
June
2004
34,480.32
TOTAL $205,490.14 paid by the Southern Ohio
Correctional Facility to SOGP/CLAY JOHNSON
For the water that was
delivered to the State Correctional Facility the Southern Ohio
Growth Partnership paid the City of Portsmouth:
September
2003 $30,482.86
December 2003
25,468.58
March
2004
28,362.98
June
2004
19,066.22
TOTAL $84,314.42
paid to the City of Portsmouth
by Southern Ohio Growth Partnership (SOGP)
Money received by
Southern Ohio Growth Partnership was $205,490.04
City billed the
Southern Ohio Growth Partnership $84,313.42
The difference is a
SOGP profit of $121,176.62
for the fiscal year ending in June
2004.
Multiplying $121, 176.62 a year by 20 years
equals: $2, 423,
532.40.
These figures indicate that Mr. Franklin T. Gerlach was
right on the money when he, "advised Council that what they are
about to do is to give about two and one half million dollars to a
private entity."
DOES WELCOME CENTER NEED $2.5 MILLION OF OUR
MONEY?
Now, let us consider the comments made by the Mayor and
the Council members at this meeting. Councilwoman Ann Sydnor
justified the renewal of this agreement with SOGP because "Southern
Ohio Growth Partnership has made a decision and stepped forward with
the Welcome Center. She noted that since there is not any guarantee
of federal money SOGP needs a guarantee of a cash flow in order to
be able to commit to this project. She said the purpose of renewing
the contract is to guarantee the local lending institutions funds
will be forthcoming. To Mr. Gerlach she acknowledged that Council
does not usually renew a contract early but noted this to be a
project that will benefit, not only Portrsmouth, but Scioto County,
and hopefully, the region. Mrs. Sydnor reiterated the purpose for
which SOGP needed this renewal to take to the financial
institution."
What was Ann Sydnor talking about? Does SOGP need
$2.5 Million Dollars to contribute help in renovating the old
Kenrick Building? The building was sold to Portsmouth Murals,
Inc.(SOGP) on October 30, 2003 by George Clayton for an inflated
price of $350,000. On October 30, 2003 the building was paid for by
Portsmouth Murals, Inc.; there was no lien or mortgage on this
property.
But, according to records at the Scioto County
Recorder’s Office, on the same day they purchased this Kenrick
property it was mortgaged by Portsmouth Murals to Oak Hill Banks to
obtain a $600,000 loan. Why was this necessary? Several gifts and
grants that have been obtained were apparently sufficient to pay for
the building.
What has happened to the $600,000 loan? Will it be
eaten up by administrative fees at the allowable rate of 20% per
year? Or has the money been placed in stocks and bonds to earn more
money? Unless we can get federal or state agencies to begin fraud
investigation we may never know.
SOGP/CLAY JOHNSON REFUSES TO
MAKE PUBLIC ACCOUNTING
The SOGP and its shell affiliates refuse
to reveal how any of the money they receive is spent. Their
organization is more secret, and less honorable than the Cosa Nostra
(Mafia). In 1997 the Shawnee Sentinel was given some reports by Ron
Fisher of Bank One on the expenditures of Empowerment Zone funds.
The reports we were given at that time were mis-information. We were
lied to.
What Councilwoman Ann Sydnor was really saying about the
urgency of renewing the water lease with SOGP was that
SOGP/Portsmouth Murals needed this new lease agreement to use as
security for the pending $600,000.00 loan from Oak Hlll Banks.
BAUER AND THE "REVENUE STREAM"
Now, Mayor Greg Bauer said the
"revenue stream will continue and will allow funds to retire the
debt for the welcome center property in twenty years." At the time
the Mayor was talking there was no debt on the Kenrick
building/"Welcome Center." Did Greg Bauer believe that the $2.5
Million Dollars that SOGP would receive from this renewed lease
would be invested in improvements to Kenrick Building? Mr. Bauer was
right, "the revenue stream will continue" but don’t expect any
public accounting of the "revenue stream."
BAUGHMAN EXCITED:
RESTROOMS AT WELCOME CENTER
According to official Council
records, Councilman Baughman agreed with everything stated by
Councilwoman Sydnor and the Mayor. After all, the money will be
going his close relative, Clayton Johnson. Mr. Baughman also
described "this to be one of the most exciting things that has come
before Council." He expressed pleasure that the City is going to
have a "welcome center that will house public restrooms," the
Chamber of Commerce and several other organization that will benefit
Boneyfiddle. He described this legislation as the "the smart and
right thing to do" and expressed his excitement at Council being
able to participate."
It is easy to comprehend Mr. Baughman’s
excitement. Anytime you can pull a $2.5 MILLION DOLLAR FLIM-FLAM on
your fellow citizens for the benefit of one of your relatives, and
get public restrooms too, it must be exciting.
This is simply
another gigantic swindle by the City Council/SOGP Mob that almost
got by unnoticed.
Action by angry citizens will likely be taken
to halt this monstrous rip-off, but don’t expect Mayor Kalb to take
any corrective measures.
Jim Kalb, as President of the City
Council, oversaw, conspired, and led efforts to runs dozens of
suspicious deals through city council. Several of the crooked
council members who assisted Kalb in his betrayal of his fellow
citizens are gone from Council. Already Jim Kalb has joined with
Councilman Marty Mohr in a new conspiracy with SOGP/Clayton Johnson
to deny citizens the recovery of the Two Million Dollars due from
the illegal Marting Foundation scam. Only one of Kalb’s old-time
chief conspirators remains on council, Howard Baughman. Mr. Baughman
has indicated that he will not run for re-election.
MAYOR JIM
KALB COULD REPENT AND ATONE
Mayor Kalb is willing to give $2.5
Million Dollars to SOGP/Clay Johnson at the same time he is raising
water rates on "the rest of us."
Jim Kalb as Mayor now has the
opportunity to correct some of the many illicit actions he guided
through Council as President. He could begin his atonement by
leading an effort to rescind the $2.5 Million Dollar Water Lease
Give-away to SOGP (Clay Johnson) that he guided through City Council
in August 2003.
However, we have little hope that Jim Kalb will
ever take the high road. He has been steeped in a brew of dubious
deals and devilish designs for over twelve years and has followed
the former Mayor’s practices of back room deceptive deals and secret
no-bid, over-priced, under-the-table contracts with his "old
friends."
Written and posted by Austin Leedom at 1:00 a.m. on
Tuesday, February 8, 2005.
WWWWW
CASE NUMBER 97CIH00120 Scioto
County Common Pleas Court
James Kalb, our present Mayor, was sued
in Common Pleas Court on July 2, 1997 by Ray Thompson on behalf of
the citizens of Portsmouth. The action was to recover several
hundreds of thousands of dollars taken from the city treasury by
council members illegally to allegedly pay medical claims.
Ann
Sydnor took $200,000, John Thatcher took $100,000. Jim Kalb, an
employee of Krogers and a member of City Council took $12,000. The
Judge ruled taking the money was illegal, but recovery of the money
was not ordered because the Council members were given approval by
Solicitor Richard Schisler.
In a public meeting with the
Concerned Citizens Mr. Kalb said he took $12,000 from the city
treasury "because everyone else was taking money." It was alleged
that Mr. Kalb’s medical bills had been paid by his employer’s
insurance and he then also collected a like amount from the
city.
Ray Thompson’s attorney, speaking in a loud voice, in
court, publicly accused Sydnor, Thatcher and Kalb of theft in the
matter. Written by Austin Leedom at 12:35.am. Tuesday,
February 01, 2005.
ARE BIRDS DYING FROM CONTAGIOUS VIRUS OR
DEADLY POISONS?
By Austin Leedom at 3:50 p.m. Tuesday, January
25, 2005
Thirteen dead birds were found Monday, January 24, 2005
in the alley in the rear of the Fork and Fingers Restaurant on
Chillicothe Street? A very reliable informant said that someone was
spraying chemicals in this area recently, but Mayor Kalb apparently
has no knowledge of this.
Are we in danger that these are
diseased birds carrying West Nile virus or any other viruses, such
as encephalitis, or any the many deadly diseases birds are
known to carry?
An official at the City Health Department
informed us that they only check on dead birds in the
spring-time.
The Scioto County Health Department was also not
interested.
Mayor Jim Kalb was questioned about the dead birds
during the City Council meeting last night, January 24, 2005. The
Mayor ignored the question and did not answer.
Did these dead
birds die from a highly contagious disease that may cause serious or
fatal damage to people? Or, has some deadly poison been applied to
the Fork and Fingers Restaurant area? Dead animals at a restaurant
are a definite health hazard. If the poison kills birds what will it
do to children, and elderly people? Who knows why these birds
are dead?
The City and County Health Departments are not
interested. Mayor Jim Kalb refused to answer when asked in a
public meeting.
The City Service Department is only place we
received a reasonable response. Director Chris Murphy said his
department had no knowledge of bird-killing. Mr. Murphy said the
only pest control he has knowledge of is in his City Service
Building. When treatment of the Service Department building is done,
the procedure is observed by a city employee and signed off on the
purchase order, according to Director Murphy. By Austin Leedom at
3:50 p.m. Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Jim Kalb’s Wretched
Performance as Mayor Encouraging Challengers
Seven, count them,
SEVEN OFFICIALLY SEEKING MAYOR’S OFFICE -
As of 1:45 p.m. today,
according to the Scioto County Board of Elections, James Stout and
Jason Stout, both of Valley Street, have now entered the race
for Mayor of Portsmouth. They join Will Mault, Lee Scott, Steve
Sturgill and Jim Kalb who earlier took out petitions for the office.
NUMBER SEVEN TO TAKE OUT PETITIONS WAS SECOND WARD COUNCILMAN DAVID
MALONE, ACCORDING TO SCIOTO COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS AT 4:15 P.M.
TODAY, Friday, January 21, 2005. More candidates are expected.
Other persons likely to join in the race are Tim Loper, Russ Pyles,
Terry Minch, Howard Baughman, and Marty Mohr.
WE GET AN INCREASE
IN WATER RATES
WATER MAIN IS LEAKING FOR OVER TWO YEARS
AND
CITY IS GIVING A $2.5 MILLION GIFT OF WATER TO SOGP-CLAY
JOHNSON
Written and published by Austin Leedom on Friday the 21st
of January, 2005.
WATER RATES RAISED FOR MOST CITIZENS
Mayor
Jim Kalb recently announced a five per-cent raise in City water
rates (for most users.)
WATER MAIN LEAKING FOR TWO YEARS
A
main water line that runs from the Portsmouth Water Treatment Plant
just east of New Boston to the City of Portsmouth has been leaking a
large constant flow of water for over two years. Our source states
the leaking water has been tested, it is treated, drinking water
quality.
Recalled-Mayor Greg Bauer was informed of this leak two
years ago; also Mayor Jim Kalb has known of the leak for many
months, according to a highly respected source who indicated that no
action has been taken by either Mayor.
You can listen to and see
the leak at the rear of the Festival Food Store in the Wal-mart
Plaza in New Boston by looking into a large grated manhole behind
the store. The leaking water is draining directly into a large storm
sewer.
For former Mayor Greg Bauer and present Mayor Jim Kalb to
ignore this waste of water is irresponsible.
KALB & BAUER
ENCOURAGED A $2.5 MILLION DOLLAR GIVE-AWAY TO SOGP-CLAYTON JOHNSON
IN AUGUST 2003
This action is especially revolting when you
consider that these two promoted a renewal of an agreement through
City Council on the 25th of August 2003 to add another twenty years
to a give-away pact with Southern Ohio Growth Partnership
(SOGP-Clayton Johnson.)
This contract sells water to SOGP
(Clayton Johnson) at a rate below cost. SOGP (Clayton Johnson) in
turn sells the water to the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility and
pockets the profits from our water. The City of Portsmouth maintains
the water lines, at the expense of the "rest of us." Inside
information from a city employee has told us that the quantity of
water that SOGP purchases under this agreement is not even
metered.
According to Councilwoman Ann Sydnor who voted for the
renewal, SOGP needed the continuation of this contract in order for
SOGP to help in the renovation of the old Kenrick Building on Second
Street. This building is allegedly to be used to house the offices
of SOGP and its sub-corporations. The Kenrick building was purchased
on October 30, 2003 for $350,000 from Portsmouth Murals, Inc.,
(subsidiary of SOGP.)
SOGP-CLAY JOHNSON IS AHEAD $600,000 ON
KENRICK BUILDING SCAM
The same day of the purchase (October 30,
2003) the old Kenrick building was mortgaged to Oak Hill Bank for
$600,000. The money used for the purchase of the building came from
donations and grants. This was good for SOGP-Clayton Johnson. The
building cost him nothing and he was able to obtain $600,000 from
the Oak Hill Bank to use as he sees fit. There is no evidence of any
renovation work in progress at the Kenrick Building.
$2.5 MILLION
DOLLARS FROM WATER USERS TO SOGP-CLAY JOHNSON
According to city
council records of the meeting on August 25, 2003 former Mayor
Franklin Gerlach spoke with regard to this action by the council.
"noting that the existing twenty-year contract with Southern Ohio
Growth Corporation doesn’t expire until 2006, stated it to have been
Council’s practice to allow the Council that is seated at the time
the contract expires to be the Council that authorizes any renewal
of that contract. Saying there may be a reason for renewing the
contract three years in advance, Mr. Gerlach advised Council that
what they are about to do is to give about two and one half million
dollars to a private entity. He said as a citizen and user of water
he found this to be a lot of money over the twenty years of the
contract, saying this does include any rate increase that might
occur. Mr. Gerlach said it to be very unusual for Council to commit
itself over such a long period. He said he knows Council has
committed to making waterline improvements and he knows there are
funding obligations that accompany that and felt the debt could be
made more rapidly or further improvement made with that amount of
money. He suggested that someone look into it more fully to make
sure this is what Council wants to do considering the amount of
money involved."
The Council’s reaction to these prudent words of
Mr. Gerlach was to suspend the rule requiring an ordinance be read
on three separate dates and immediately pass the ordinance.
Councilwoman Ann Sydnor encouraged the passage of the ordinance.
She "noted that since there is not any guarantee of federal money
SOGP needs a guarantee of a cash flow in order to be able to add to
this project (the Kenrick building renovation). She said the purpose
of renewing this contract is to guarantee the local lending
institutions funds will be forthcoming."
Councilman Howard
Baughman who proposed suspending the three-reading rule said, "this
legislation as being ‘the smart and right thing to do’ and expressed
his excitement at Council being able to participate." The quotations
are from the written recording of the meeting by City Clerk Joanne
Aeh.
Mayor Kalb it is time to stop the leaks from the water main
and the $2.5 million dollar donation of water to SOGP-Clayton
Johnson. Fix the leak and cancel the give-away of our water to
Clayton Johnson and you won’t need to raise the water rates on the
"rest of us."
The voters are watching you, Jim Kalb. It is long
past time you began being a Mayor for the people, not an accomplice
to SOGP-Clay Johnson in looting the city coffers.
The judgment
of the people will soon come forth against your reign. They will
speak:
"Thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting."
Daniel 5:27
Written and published by Austin Leedom on Friday the
21st of January, 2005.
The City of Portsmouth
needs a leader.
Greg Bauer was recalled from the Mayor’s Office in June 2004.
The citizens had "had enough" of Bauer’s tax raises, water rate
increases and crooked contracts. Angry residents turned Bauer out
with a vote of 64% to 36%, almost 2-1 against him.
His
replacement, Mayor Jim Kalb, has been a woeful disappointment, even
to the people who know him well and did not expect much from him.
Mayor Kalb has raised water rates and plans more tax burdens for the
citizens while giving away our tax dollars to his corrupt friends
with unbid contracts and back-room shady deals.
When Economic
Development Director Bobby Burns was murdered in July of 2003 Mayor
Greg Bauer appointed a friend of local disc jockey Steve Hayes to
the position of Development Director. The appointee’s qualification
was that she was the long-time girl friend of one of the disc
jockey’s very personal friends.
The only apparent development
attained by this new Economic Development Director has been a great
increase in her income from her previous job at the Public Library.
At the "special meeting" of the Portsmouth City Council on
Thursday, January 13, 2005 the lack of City Development was obvious
as the council met to consider and adopt an ordinance to tie a new
county sewer line from the Rigrish Addition to the present sewer
line in Sciotoville so sewerage can go to the Sciotoville Water
Treatment Plant. The County will pay for the costs of the sewerage
treatment.
This project has been underway for three years. During
that time the County Commission and their Sanitary Engineer have
obtained grants to pay the entire costs for the project. The County
will bear all costs, with no new taxes or levies against the
citizens.
However, there is an existing problem. The sewer line
that the county will tie into to drain the sewer water to the
Sciotoville treatment plant is not suitable for the added sewer
water. The capacity of the sewer line would be sufficient, except
that the pipe is old and leaky. Infiltration of surface water into
the sewer drain during heavy rains already causes sewerage to back
up into some homes in Sciotoville and much sewer water actually
escapes from the pipe near the Scioto Shoe Mart and flows down
Harding Avenue. Although, both ex-Mayor Greg Bauer and Mayor Jim
Kalb, have known about this problem for eight years nothing
substantial has been done to remedy the problem. City Sewer Water
Director Mike Shaw told the councilmen that his crews have made
repairs to the leaky old line as time and money permitted, but that
much, much work was still needed.
The question is, "If the county
commission can obtain obtain grants to build this new line from the
Rigrish Addition to Sciotoville why hasn’t the City also obtained
grants to replace the leaky old line in Sciotoville?
When Mayor
Jim Kalb became Mayor (by default) when Mayor Greg Bauer was voted
out of office in June 2004 he promised concerned citizens he would
replace the apparently incapable girlfriend of Steve Hayes’ buddy
with a competent person. Kalb did not keep his word. City operations
continue as if Greg Bauer were still in office. Is grant-writing one
of the duties the Economic Development Director?
More tomorrow
on wild spending and incapable leadership by Mayor Jim
Kalb.
Written and posted by Austin Leedom at 12:30 a.m. on
Thursday, January 20, 2005
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
A SYMBOL OF
FREEDOM AND THE PRICE TO BE PAID
We citizens of Portsmouth can
change the City for the better if we will
display half the
courage that Reverend King demonstrated.
By Austin Leedom,
Shawnee Sentinel Writer
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Martin
Luther King, Jr. had the guts to stand up, and speak up. His life
work changed America to a better place for hundreds of millions of
Americans.
We citizens of Portsmouth can change the City of
Portsmouth for the better if will have half the courage that
Reverend King demonstrated. Here corruption has damaged us and taken
away much of our freedom.
Stand up. Speak up. Take an active
part in your city government. Most citizens are aware of the
terrible corruption we have suffered during the past seven years
under Mayors Greg Bauer and Jim Kalb. The city is bankrupt and many
citizens are suffering financially. Stand up. Speak up. Do your
share. Attend Council meetings; tell your councilmen what you expect
from them. If corruption isn’t halted there will be little left of
Portsmouth for the next generations. Freedom and honest government
is not a spectator sport. You must be a participant.
Freedom is
not free. A tour of our military or veterans’ hospitals can show you
the terrible price that others have paid for our continuing liberty.
On this anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr. all
Americans may give thanks to the Almighty Lord for the bountiful
blessings he has given us in this "land of the free and the home of
the brave."
A special thanks is due the Lord for providing us
with men and women who have bravely fought injustice, corruption and
discrimination throughout the life of our nation. Martin Luther
King, Jr. has set an example for other Americans to
follow.
Martin Luther King, Jr. died at age 39, on April 4, 1968
in Memphis, Tennessee when a killer’s bullet ended his thirteen year
battle for liberty for all Americans. He could have lived much
longer is he had only "sit down and shut up,"as many of us here in
Portsmouth have been told to do. However, it was not in King’s brave
heart to forsake his holy crusade.
In the beginning King’s
efforts were directed only to bring the black citizens into the
mainstream of American life. He later expanded his goals to include
all races in his battle for equal justice and equal opportunity.
God-fearing educated parents reared him; he became well
educated. He knew the history of martyrs for freedom from the
stoning death of Stephen in Palestine to the execution of John Brown
at Martins Ferry, Virginia. He had faith that the goals he sought
might be attained within the law, but he knew his early death was
predicted and wished for by many that feared his power of
righteousness would disturb their "superior" status.
Martin
Luther King, Jr. was an excellent writer and a powerful speaker. He
led major efforts across the nation for the entire society with
demands for stronger civil and voting rights legislation and for a
real, meaningful anti-poverty program.
In 1963 he led the largest
civil rights demonstration in history at Washington, D. C. where in
his famous, "I Have A Dream" speech, he "subpoenaed the conscience
of the nation before the judgment seat of morality."
His name
became "a hiss and a by-word" to millions of "good" Americans who
openly despised and hated Martin Luther King, Jr.; they feared the
changes his work might bring.
His name also became a symbol of
hope for other millions of the "rest of us" who dared to believe
that America could become "one nation, under God, with Liberty and
Justice for all."
He had "a dream" that the God-given rights of
justice and equality for all might be peaceably accomplished, and he
continued his battles while very much aware that he would "pay the
supreme sacrifice" as a result of his efforts.
He had great
courage, a righteous goal and the strength to keep on unto the very
end. He would not "sit down and shut up."
For over thirteen years
he was attacked for his role as a leader for the civil rights of all
Americans. A bomb was placed on the porch of his home where he, his
wife, and children lived. He was no stranger to jail; he was
arrested thirty times, and finally shot to death.
Through it all
he continued the pursuit of his "dream" with the clearest vision of
what was before him, the eternal honor of doing what was right in
the eyes of Almighty God.
Never lacking faith, never lacking
courage, nothing wavering, he persevered until death, achieving
praise that will never die, and a glorious resting-place. Not the
grave where his mortal body was laid, but an everlasting residence
in the hearts of mankind where his honor remains to forever stir to
action the never ending battle for human dignity, freedom, justice,
and equality.
It remains for us to take courage from his
sacrifice, sustain the struggle with the certain knowledge that
happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is a brave and
loving heart.
Martin Luther King Jr. could have lived to an old
age, but his courageous and compassionate heart would not allow him
to bear his brothers' suffering in silence.
Let us all take
solemn and thankful note of the efforts of this freedom fighter.
From his noble life, let us also take inspiration, hope, courage and
a resolution to help ourselves and our suffering fellow citizens
attain equal justice and opportunity.
Don’t "sit down and shut
up." Stand up. Speak up. Evil and corruption flourish whenever good
people are silent. Here in Portsmouth, Ohio we have suffered
impositions, discrimination, and violation of our basic human rights
for too long. We’ve been robbed by the city officials as they have
given away our money in unpublished, unbid deals, made a $2,000,000
illegal purchase of the Martings Building and allowed theft of our
property by city officials and employees. We have also suffered
repeated tax increases on our property while wealthy people have
been granted tax abatement on $30,000,000 of real estate. During the
past seven years our water rates have been increased five times for
a total 46% increase. Our present Mayor is now proposing increased
sewer rates, increased garbage fees and an increase in income tax is
being considered.
Stand up. Speak up. Come to the next City
Council meeting on Monday, January 24, 2005. Tell your councilman
you want your $2,000,000 back on the Marting’s deal, just like Judge
Marshall ordered; tell your councilman you don’t want more taxes,
don’t want more unbid contracts, don’t want higher income taxes, and
don’t want increased garbage fees.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was
not afraid to stand up and speak up. His life work bettered an
entire nation; courageous citizens of Portsmouth can change this one
small city.
Written by Austin Leedom, Saturday, January 15,
2005.
Preview: Sixth Ward citizens comment on their
councilman, Marty Mohr...... At the City Council meeting on December
13, 2004 Mohr confessed by his words and actions, that he and Mayor
Jim Kalb are now working openly for Clay Johnson, who is also
known as SOGP, also known as Richard D. Marting
Foundation.
Attorney/Banker Clay Johnson is best known
as the leader or Don of the Mafia-style gang that swindled the
citizens in the Two Million Dollars ($2,000,000) Martings building
sale.
Why did Mr. Mohr flip-flop against the citizens?
Has he taken a required "oath of secrecy" for full membership
in the mob?
Mayor Kalb following SOGP ORDERS
Early this
year then-Mayor Greg Bauer was ordered to delete from city hall
computers the local websites www.portsmouthohio.info and
www.dougdeepe.com that were revealing the truth about City Council,
and the SOGP Martings purchase. Jim Kalb became Mayor in June 2004,
by default, when Mr. Bauer was removed from office by a recall vote
of the citizens.
Mayor Kalb has apparently BEEN INSTRUCTED
NOT TO RESTORE www.portsmouthohio.info and www.dougdeepe.com
websites to city hall viewers. On day one of his administration Mr.
Kalb promised Shawnee Sentinel Reporters John Welton, aka Doug
Deepe, and Austin Leedom, that he would restore the banished sites
to the city hall computers. He has failed to keep his solemn
promise. He makes the excuse, "I like it that way," even when he
reminded that he is unfairly discriminating against Welton and
Leedom websites while allowing mob-friendly propaganda publications
such as the Community Common and the Portsmouth Daily Times websites
to remain on the city hall computers for city workers to
read.
Jim Kalb, we understand why you are afraid to go against
the orders you have received to keep our websites banned. We feel
sorry for you. Like former Mayor Greg Bauer, you have demonstrated
that you fear the SOGP mobsters, and have more concern for their
desires than you have for fair treatment of the other citizens of
Portsmouth.
Mr. Kalb, the SOGP, and their associated groups, the
Chamber of Commerce, the Retail Merchants Associations and other
groups such as Community Common and The Portsmouth Times and Steve
Hayes Radio, all ruled or guided by Clay Johnson did not get you
into the office you now hold. In fact, they worked diligently,
published and broadcast lies, and expended great sums of money to
retain Greg Bauer in the office of Mayor, they worked to keep you
from becoming Mayor.
You have responded to the abusive iron hand
of the evil SOGP and associates by bowing down to them. You have
been mistreating and ignoring the people who got you to your present
high position. You should remember who got you into your office. The
ruling mob of SOGP-Portsmouth is not your friend; they are only
using you because you fearfully permit it to happen.
We could
force you by court action to halt your violation of our rights.
However, it is better to simply let everyone know what you are,
better that we truthfully inform the public of what you are doing;
at the next election the citizens will again vote against mob rule
of our city and you will be on the outside, looking in. Or worse
luck for you, if you stay subservient to the mob, you may be inside
the bars, looking out.
Don’t be surprised if the former Mayor
Greg Bauer is soon confined in jail. It is a coming
attraction. You may not be far behind.
Mayor Kalb, it
appears you will not be allowed to let our websites to be viewed in
city hall; we have decided to print copies of our writings and
distribute them to all in city hall who desire to read them and also
distribute them to city hall visitors. We plan to publish and
distribute copies of our website publications regularly. We will
distribute them at the City Hall and at the County Courthouse. You
and the mob bosses can take whatever action you dare to stop the
Freedom of the Press.
Mayor Kalb, we feel sorry for you. You
could have been a good Mayor, but you have chosen to travel the low
road. By Austin Leedom, Shawnee Sentinel Reporter, 1:00 a.m.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004.
MAYOR - Jim Kalb and Councilman Marty
Mohr making secret deals with Clay Johnson , who is also known as
Marting Foundation, he is also known as SOGP. Johnson is
attempting to evade court orders in theft of money from taxpayers in
the Martings building fraud.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
An
Epistle to the Mayor
Enough Back Room Deals
Born to political
life in iniquity, reared in mis-use and theft of public funds, and
seasoned in political corruption by an arrogant, abusive, thieving
city council that he served on while admittedly taking $12,000 to
pay for medical payments that his employer’s insurance had already
paid for, Portsmouth Mayor James (Jim) D. Kalb, Sr. has now sunk to
a new low of double-dealing, theft, arrogance and deception.
Jim
Kalb’s record of theft in office of $12,000 in the late 1990’s was
overshadowed by the theft of $100,000 of taxpayer money by fellow
former-Councilman John Thatcher, a professional bill collector, and
the unlawful taking of $200,000 by former-Councilwoman Ann Sydnor
who took $200,000 from the city treasury using the same pretext as
Kalb did. Mr. Kalb escaped imprisonment in 1999 when a felony
charge of mutilating elections petitions was never
prosecuted.
Despite his criminal record Jim Kalb became Mayor, by
default, in June of 2004 after an angered citizenry turned Greg
Bauer out of the Mayor’s Office. There were abundant reasons why
Bauer was recalled, but the outstanding, criminal act of unlawfully
taking two million dollars that was obtained by special ordinance
from taxpaying property owners was "the straw that broke the camel’s
back." The Martings secret "done deal" was too much. Jim Kalb
was Bauer's chief supporter, Bauer was his mentor. Kalb
learned well from Greg Bauer.
One of Kalb’s first acts in office
was to give an unbid, secret contract to one of his old partying
buddies. This dubious deal of awarding Rick Fraley of Ohio Pest
Control an over-priced contract that cost the taxpayers $1,500.00
revealed Mr. Kalb's character. The old "Bauer Game" was still on;
only the name of the Mayor had changed. It was the same
game.
Now, Mayor Jim Kalb, in conspiracy with Sixth Ward
Councilman Marty Mohr, has been secretly meeting with SOGP/Martings
Foundation gangleader Clay Johnson in an effort to falsely take more
dollars from the taxpayers by another illegal deal. The Court
has ruled that Clay Johnson is to return our money. It was
stolen. Mr. Mohr doesn't agree with the Court's ruling.
Mohr and Kalb are trying a new flim-flam.
Marty Mohr, with Kalb’s
approval, made a large effort during the council meeting on Monday,
December 13, 2004 to promote a deal with SOGP Clay Johnson. That’s
right, make a deal with the head of our local organized crime.
Mohr demonstrated an arrogant audacity in suggesting that the
City accept a deal from Clay Johnson to return part of the money, in
increments, that had been stolen from the taxpayers in the Marting
theft. This theft was done in the darkness of secret meetings in a
deliberate effort to keep the public from knowing what was
happening.
The citizens who pay real estate taxes were taxed
over two million dollars to pay for a building that was honestly
appraised for only $762,000.
Make a deal with Clay Johnson? Greg
Bauer did. You would make a deal with the devil himself.
Who are
Jim Kalb and Marty Mohr working for? Certainly not the
citizens.
Clay Johnson and the crooks in City Hall have been
ruled illegal in an honest, fair court of law by an outstanding,
knowledgeable judge of high reputation.
Clay Johnson is an
attorney; he would not be interested in "making a deal" if there was
any doubt that the judge’s ruling will stand any and all appeals.
Yet, Marty Mohr promoted an ordinance to spend more of the
taxpayers’ money to hire an out-of-town attorney to seek an appeal
of the judge’s ruling.
It appears that Jim Kalb is in bed with
Clay Johnson and Marty Mohr. Remember, Jim, "the crimes you do two
by two, you pay for one by one."
Mr. Mohr even proposed spending
any money that Clay Johnson may return on renovating the Martings
building that Johnson once again now owns. The money belongs to the
taxpayers who were swindled by Mayor Greg Bauer, SOGP Clay Johnson,
Auditor Trent Williams and the Crooked City Council. (Five of the
six council members are now removed from the infamous "Crooked
Council" by action of the voters of this city, only Howard Baughman,
a close relative of Clay Johnson remains,… for awhile.)
Marty
Mohr, you have often said that you want to be Mayor of Portsmouth.
Forget such ambitions. The citizens have had enough of your
type. Ethically, you rank with ex-Mayor Greg Bauer and soon to be
ex-Mayor Jim Kalb.
More lawsuits are on the way. Marty Mohr and
Trent Williams also will be big in the news.
It is our hope that
we will soon have an issue of Shawnee Sentinel newspaper delivered
to every home in Portsmouth. All we will print is the truth about
your misdeeds, conspiracies and back-room dealings. Soon-to-be
ex-Mayor Jim Kalb, and his accomplices will be the "big story."
Watch for it; it is coming soon.
We are thrilled with your coming
dismissals from public offices, Jim and Marty. You have earned
retirement from handling public funds. Perhaps Auditor Trent
Williams and Fifth Ward Councilman Howard Baughman will be leaving
with you.
Written by Austin Leedom at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday,
December 14, 2004
12 Sep 04
KALB LOWERS PRICE ON BOAT CLUB
LEASE - CITY IS IN DEFICIT
ANCHOR PAD LEASE WILL BE IN VIOLATION
OF STATE LAW,
ACCORDING TO STATE AUDITOR
SECRETARY OF STATE
CANCELED ANCHOR PAD BOAT CLUB CHARTER
NO LIABILITY INSURANCE PLAN
SUBMITTED BY ANCHOR PAD
PLANS FOR SANITARY FACILITIES AT ANCHOR
PAD MISSING
ANCHOR PAD HAS BEEN SCENE OF GUN VIOLENCE
KALB
WAS TRAINED BY BAUER. Our new Mayor, Jim Kalb, has been
faithfully following the policies of his deposed predecessor, Greg
Bauer. Bauer is best remembered for his arrogant attitude and
questionable, illegal unbid secret contracts. Jim Kalb, for several
years, served as President of the City Council that rubber-stamped,
usually without question, all proposals, legal or illegal, by Mayor
Bauer.
CITY AUDITOR WAS MAJOR PLAYER IN THE CORRUPTION
The
Portsmouth City Treasury was looted by Bauer and his council
co-conspirators while City Auditor Trent Williams blindly signed off
on illegal contracts, and unethically took orders to pay
questionable amounts from the treasury.
On one occasion Auditor
Williams changed the name of a payee and sent nearly two million
dollars to an entity not named on the contract, on the authority of
a phone call from a local attorney. That’s right, almost
$2,000,000.00 disbursed wrongfully because an attorney told him to
do so.
Apparently, Auditor Trent Williams has yet to realize
that he is elected to serve all the citizens, not just the shyster
attorneys, the big-time developers with their "eminent domain,"
plans, and the other gangsters that infest our city. Mr.
Williams fails to recognize that all people are "important
people.''
KALB AND BAUER WERE BUDDIES
Greg Bauer and Jim Kalb
were buddies, they conspired to pay off city employee Cathy Shaw’s
illegal $2,000.00 purchase of a computer for her own personal use,
and together they covered up numerous crimes committed by Service
Director Mike Blackburn and other city employees. Mayor Bauer and
Council President Kalb were such good friends that Bauer even
contributed money to Kalb’s re-election campaign fund.
THEY WERE
BUDDIES, BUT KALB BETRAYED BAUER
But Jim Kalb turned on Bauer.
Bauer was recalled. Kalb became Mayor.
JIM KALB EXPOSED MARTINGS
THEFT
In February, 2004 Council President Jim Kalb exposed Greg
Bauer and the City Council. He revealed the monstrous theft by
Attorney/Banker Clay Johnson (who posed as the Martings Foundation)
of city funds in the illegal sale of the old Martings Department
Store building at a cost of over two-million dollars
($2,000,000.00.) The old building had been appraised six months
earlier as being valued at only $762,000.00.
WHY DID KALB GO TO
THE POLICE?
We are still uncertain why Mr. Kalb decided to go to
the police. Was he fearful one of the other conspirators would
reveal the grand theft in the Martings scam before he did and he
would end up in state prison for his part in the Martings crime, or
did he simply see a way to get Bauer recalled so he (Kalb) could
become Mayor?
So, Kalb and Bauer were old-time buddies and
co-conspirators in the biggest single theft of money from the city
treasury in the history of Portsmouth. There is little wonder that
Kalb would continue in Bauer’s ruinous, downhill path of arrogance,
discrimination, corruption, deceit and coverup. It is what Kalb
knows best. After all, he once admitted before a group of concerned
citizens that he took $12,000.00 from the city treasury, allegedly
for medical bills.
It is alleged that the medical bills
were already paid by his employer, Krogers. When asked why he took
the money Mr. Kalb said, "I have a family, I needed the money and
everyone else was taking money."
KALB TAKES CARE OF HIS FRIENDS,
AT TAXPAYERS EXPENSE
At the last city council meeting three weeks
ago, August 23, 2004, an ordinance was presented to council, as a
second reading, on a proposal to renew a lease for 1,000 feet of
prime riverfront property to Anchor Pad Boat Club for a two-year
agreement with options of five (5) two-year renewals at a cost of
$250.00 per annum.
This ordinance had received a first reading
two weeks previously. At the last meeting Mayor Jim Kalb aroused
citizens suspicions when he interrupted the proceeding and requested
that the modest fee of $250.00 per annum be reduced to only $100.00
per year. Mayor Kalb also suggested that the five-year options for
renewal be changed to ten-year option following the two-year lease.
Mayor Kalb suggested the ordinance be amended. The amendment was
done, and the Council passed the reading as the second reading of
the ordinance.
CITY IN DEFICIT, BUT NEITHER THE AUDITOR NOR MAYOR
WILL INFORM THE PUBLIC; THEY ACT LIKE THEY HAVE A
SURPLUS
LAY-OFFS ARE COMING
This was a very generous motion by
Mayor Jim Kalb in view of the fact that both he and City Auditor
Trent Williams have known since the first of this year that the City
of Portsmouth is in serious deficit. Already lay-offs of needed city
employees are being programmed. Kalb’s accepted proposal for
lowering the lease payments, if allowed to stand, will cost the city
a total of $1,800.00 in lost revenue.
$1,500.00 GIFT TO OUT OF
TOWN CONTRACTOR
This loss of revenue to the city treasury may
seem of little importance to Jim Kalb; he recently secretly gave an
overpriced unbid contract to an old bike-riding buddy, Rick Fraley,
of Ohio Pest Control of Rosemount. Jim Kalb secretly authorized a
contract that was at least $1,500.00 above the normal rate for the
work that was contracted. This amounts to a gift of $1,500.00 of
your money to Kalb’s old fellow biker.
NO LIABILITY
INSURANCE
Todd Miller has apparently represented himself as the
agent for the Anchor Pad Boat Club. The Anchor Pad Boat Club,
allegedly a non-profit chartered organization, does not exist
legally. This raises a question of liability to the city for any
injuries or criminal actions that may occur at the Anchor Pad Boat
Club.
SANITARY FACILITIES QUESTIONABLE
There is also a
question of proper sanitary facilities at the Anchor Pad Boat Club.
What facilities are in place to drain the human waste tanks of the
boats that anchor there? Where do the Anchor Pads’ commodes and
urinals join into the sanitary sewer? Are human feces and urine
being drained directly into the Ohio River at the Anchor Pad? If so,
this would be hazardous to health and in violation of state law.
ORDINANCE SHOULD BE TABLED
UNTIL HEALTH INSPECTIONS ARE MADE
AND INSURANCE IS IN FORCE
Before any lease is approved the
City Board of Health should inspect and approve the facility. The
Mayor and the Council should table this ordinance until proper
inspections and documents are produced.
The city should also
demand liability insurance coverage by the Anchor Pad Boat Club so
the taxpayers will not be paying for likely mishaps, criminal
damages, and health hazards at the Anchor Pad.
In an interview
early last week in the Mayor’s Office, Jim Kalb said he knew Todd
Miller and knew Miller to be a deputy for Sheriff Marty V. Donini.
Kalb said he had asked for the lower lease fee because the Anchor
Pad Boat Club maintained the riverbank and this saved the city the
costs of maintaining 1,000 feet of riverbank.
NO STATE CHARTER –
NO VENDOR’S LICENSE
At this meeting I mentioned to the Mayor
that the Anchor Boat Club Inc. does not
legally exist; I informed the Mayor that their Non-Profit Charter
from the Ohio Secretary of State has been cancelled, as of June 28,
1995, according to the Ohio Secretary of State.
The County
Auditor’s Office has informed the Sentinel that the Anchor Pad Boat
Club has no vendor’s license. Mayor Kalb was made aware of this
information by a Sentinel reporter.
MARK DARBY – FOUNDER OF
ANCHOR PAD BOAT CLUB
The Anchor Pad Boat Club was chartered by
Deputy Sheriff Mark Darby on June 1, 1990. The charter was cancelled
on June 28, 1995 for failure to file a statement of continued
existence. Todd Miller’s name is not listed on the Secretary of
State’s Charter.
At the River Days Festival in September 1999
Deputy Sheriff Mark Darby, according to several witnesses, assaulted
a disabled man, Jeff Ratcliff, by placing a loaded pistol against
Ratcliff’s head.
Mr. Ratcliff is permanently disabled. A native
of Portsmouth, Jeff Ratcliff suffered severe damages while being
held hostage in the Easter Day Riots at the Southern Ohio
Correctional Facility in 1993.
Jeff Ratcliff, unable to obtain
prosecution against Deputy Sheriff Mark Darby by City Prosecutor
Mark Kuhn, filed a civil action against Sheriff Marty V. Donini and
Deputy Sheriff Mark Darby. This case is still pending in Common
Pleas Court. Sheriff Donini investigated the victim, and caused Jeff
Ratcliff to undergo two lie detector examinations. Ratcliff passed
both examinations; Sheriff Donini then asked his deputy, Mark Darby
to undergo lie examination.
Mark Darby refused to take the lie
test and Sheriff Marty Donini finally, reluctantly removed Darby’s
commission. Mark Darby has long been under a cloud of suspicion and
had been fired by the previous sheriff for theft and armed violence.
Sheriff Donini did not prosecute Darby.
Mark Darby had lost his
commission as deputy sheriff in 1996 after being charged with armed
assault and theft after robbing a Sentinel reporter of 200
newspapers on the third floor of the county courthouse on October
28, 1996. Sheriff Jim Sutterfield promptly fired Darby, and revoked
Darby’s authority to carrry a sheriff’s badge and gun.
Less than
three months later Mark Darby was again carrying a Sheriff’s badge
and gun.
Marty Donini took office as Sheriff in January 1997 and
promptly commissioned Mark Darby as a deputy sheriff. Darby had a
badge and a gun again.
In January 1997, Sentinel reporters
questioned Sheriff Marty Donini, after hearing that Donini had given
a gun and badge back to Mark Darby. The Sheriff lied to us and said
that Darby had not been recommissioned. During intense questioning
the Sheriff then admitted that he had lied to us and excused the
misinformation on the grounds that he had been forced to commission
Mark Darby at the request of Judge Walter Lytten. The Sheriff, under
oath in a later court deposition, reluctantly admitted he had been
forced to take this action by the Judge because the Judge had
threatened to prosecute one of Marty Donini’s top deputies for theft
in office for using county equipment and county time to chase
bail-bond jumpers for a local bondsman. Donini commissioned Mark
Darby to keep his top deputy from being prosecuted. A simple crooked
trade-off.
OTHER UNPUBLISHED INCIDENTS CONCERNING ANCHOR
PAD
The Anchor Pad has been the scene of other incidents that we
have not yet published and at one time The Anchor Pad had a
reputation as a place to smoke marijuana and drink beer after hours.
STATE AUDITOR’S DEPUTIES SAY LEASE ILLEGAL
We have been
informed by an Ohio State Deputy Auditor that any lease as proposed
to the council for the Anchor Pad Boat Club is illegal and in
violation of the Ohio State Revised Code. The Deputy Auditor of the
State of Ohio informed the Sentinel reporter, in the presence of
Portsmouth City Deputy Auditors that all leases of city property
must be properly bid.
NO NECESSARY DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED BY
APPLICANT
Last week Joanne Aeh, city clerk, told the Sentinel
that there was no documents accompanying the lease proposal by the
Anchor Pad Boat Club. The lease proposal is suspiciously simple, no
restrictions, no liability agreement, no health inspection, no
agreement to maintain the property. The only items written are the
number of years of the lease and the price.
Look for this
ordinance at Monday night’s council meeting. It is expected to pass
quietly through and it is likely that protests by citizens will be
ignored by the council.
The City Council will be leasing our
riverbank to a disreputable non-chartered organization with a record
of violence, No State Non-Profit Charter, No Vendor’s License, No
Health Department approval of sanitary facilities, and No liability
insurance.
The city council has seen fit, at the urging of Jim
Kalb, to lower an already modest lease fee to Deputy Sheriff Todd
Miller who has admitted being in charge at the time of the last
violence.
Who is benefitting? What is Mayor Jim Kalb receiving
from this devious deal? Are former mayor Greg Bauer and former
deputy sheriff Mark Darby still involved?
9Sep04
Mayor Jim
Kalb believes big-time real estate developer Neal Hatcher is more
important than the rest of the citizens. As reported by Doug Deepe,
Mayor Kalb was too busy with Neal Hatcher to listen to citizens
whose homes are regularly flooded by hospital water run-off.
The
Mayor and City Auditor Trent Williams support "eminent domain." They
stated that if Neal Hatcher wants another citizen’s property, the
City should take it away from the owner so Neal can have it. This
was revealed in an after-hours interview in the Mayor’s Office on
Wednesday evening with Sentinel reporter Austin Leedom.
Shawnee
Sentinel and Doug Deepe are being discriminated against by City
Officials. More on this… story on Mayor and Chief of Police due on
September 10. ……. "The Chief and the Mayor."
SECRETIVE SOGP
SHOULD BE SCRAPPED
(Written by R. Kabash) Posted 1:20 a.m.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004)
The current SOGP needs to be scrapped
in favor of a Public-Private-Community Partnership that will learn
to live with the crisis of unemployment, a high crime rate, and to
meet the demands of their citizens.
I, for one, would like to see
all public welfare abolished and our citizens contented with at
least a modest income to survive on. Can you image a McDonalds or a
Dairy Queen employee sending their children to college, buying a new
automobile, or even paying their food bill and the heating cost in
winter here? Do you really think the bureaucracy along with the
bankers, lawyers,doctors, educators, spiritual leaders, old
established businesses and the "old money" people of Portsmouth
really care about civil justice for the majority of us ?
Do you
know any common folk that get a tax abatement on their property like
Mr. Hatcher and Mr. Clayton Johnson get on their new
buildings.
If Jim Kalb's ultimate goal is to reform the way City
Hall operates so that it's actions are transparent, so every citizen
has a fair chance to survive and be heard by a caring city
government then I'd say he's off to a good start.
That was his
promise in his post and The Portsmouth Daily Times. But if he
hob-nobs around with the elite pulling his strings in private,
awarding contracts to his chosen condescending friends, then we're
right back where we started from.
Portsmouth is enormously
complex because of the way we are exploited by our greedy elitist
and the shady way government money is absorbed by the very people
that are there to dole it out to the already established businesses.
Sometimes when the rich have stolen everything they can from the
poor you have a populace that has reverted to anarchy.
Did you
ever stop to think that is why so many of our local citizens have
been and are wards of the State of Ohio? All any of us want is a
level playing field to play on, the same field that the good ole’
boys play on. That's what our Constitution guarantees for every
citizen. It just doesn't apply here in Portsmouth. The men in the
silk suits don't make our country great; it's the folks down in the
dirt that are trying to grub out a livelihood, they are the real
heroes.
Don't ever let down on your guard, because if they get
the upper hand again, they will be more ruthless than before. Mr.
Olson has done his research well and he knows how evil they really
are. I know from first hand experience, myself. (Written by R.
Kabash) Posted 1:20 a.m. Tuesday, August 24, 2004)
MAYOR JIM KALB
FOLLOWING IN BAUER'S FOOTSTEPS (Posted at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday,
August 18, 2004 by Austin Leedom)
Written by Austin Leedom at
10:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 14, 2004
LOCAL WEBSITES BLOCKED BY
MAYOR AT CITY HALL
PORTSMOUTH DAILY TIMES AND COMMUNITY COMMON
Websites are available on City office websites, but local sites are
blocked by the Mayor. Why? Both the Daily Times and Community Common
websites are operated by out-of-state owners.
We have information
that the SOGP ordered blocks to these local websites that were
placed on City Hall computers by former-Mayor Greg Bauer during the
recent recall actions, and, since taking office, Mayor Jim Kalb has
refused requests to halt this unfair and discriminatory action.
http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/ Owned by a Florida
Company
http://www.communitycommon.com/ Owned
by Brown
Publishing
http://www.sciotocountynews.us/
Local owner – BLOCKED BY
Mayor
http://dougdeepe.com/
Local owner - BLOCKED by
Mayor
http://www.portsmouthohio.info/
Local owner - BLOCKED by Mayor
Who is controlling the Mayor’s
Office now? Is it Attorney/Banker Clay Johnson of the Southern
Ohio Growth Partnership (SOGP?) Or, is it
Clifton (Rudolph) E. Forrest, publisher of the Daily Times?"
(Shawnee Sentinel personnel have been forbidden to even enter the
Portsmouth Daily Times building since the Sentinel helped expose the
Martings purchase as a monstrous fraud.) Mr. Forrest recently
hired a former associate of the SOGP as Associate Publisher of the
Times. Both the Daily Times and the Publisher of the Community
Common openly backed the retention of the corrupt Mayor Greg Bauer
in the recent recall election.
Who is our new Mayor taking orders
from? Why has the new Mayor apparently turned against the
United States Constitution and the citizens of
Portsmouth? (Posted at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 18,
2004 by Austin Leedom)
MAYOR ASKS REPORTER TO MEET WITH OWNER OF
OHIO PEST CONTROL – MAYOR AGAIN REFUSES TO TELL WHO FURNISHED HIM
WITH DAMAGING DOCUMENTS
(Written and posted by Austin Leedom at
2:00 a.m., Thursday, August 12, 2004)
Rick Fraley of Ohio Pest
Control (A Rosemount company) was introduced to me by Mayor Jim Kalb
after the Mayor called me away from a meeting with the City Auditor
a few minutes before four o’clock yesterday (August 11, 2004)
afternoon to "talk with a man who wants to meet you."
I left the
City Auditor’s Office and went outside the front doors of the City
Hall where Mayor Kalb and Rick Fraley were standing about three feet
outside the west doors.
Mr. Fraley appeared to be unhappy and he
complained about publicity that he had received on the web sites. He
mentioned that I had written an article about a contract he had
received to termite-treat a metal and concrete building on Spring
Lane in May of this year. Mr. Fraley said that this treatment was
not unusual, that the metal building had wood siding interior and
that the trusses were wood. He offered to take me a tour of the
building to show me the wooden interior. (I did not accept the
invitation; I had already been there and taken photos.)
This
contract was unbid and granted by former Mayor Greg Bauer who
authorized payment of $5,456.00 to Ohio Pest Control on May 26, 2004
for the termite treatment of one small building and one large garage
at the Water Department on Spring Lane. (I have interviewed two
local Portsmouth contractors who told me they could have performed
this work for half the money and still made a good profit.)
Mr.
Fraley was asked about the unbid contract for mosquito control in
the amount of $3,750 which was granted him by our new Mayor Jim Kalb
on July 22, 2004; I told him that it appeared to be over priced. Mr.
Fraley said that it was a fair price; he also said that he charged
the same amount to all his customers.
We have information that
Rick Fraley has contracted with Porter Township to do mosquito
control spraying at a rate of $150.00 per hour. That rate is $58.33
less than he charged the City of Portsmouth.
The recent
Portsmouth unbid contract granted by Mayor Kalb was for 18 hours of
spraying for mosquito control. This is equal to $208.33 per hour.
(Two other pest control contractors, both from Portsmouth, told me
that their rate was $125.00 per hour for mosquito control spraying.)
At this rate the price for the 18 hours of spraying for the City of
Portsmouth would have been $2,250.00 had one of the local Portsmouth
pest control contractors performed the work. This is a difference of
$1,500. 00
Rick Fraley said he was displeased with a previous
article he said I had written concerning these contracts. I asked
him to show me what part of the article he considered wrong, and
told him if I was in error, I would make proper corrections. I
explained to Mr. Fraley that there are other websites and reporters
who publish news in this area.
Mr. Fraley said he did not have a
copy of the article with him. I told Mr. Fraley that I did not
remember writing such an article but that I did recall an article
written by Doug Deepe in September 2003 about an unbid 2002 contract
that Fraley had received from former Mayor Greg Bauer. In that
article it was mentioned that Mr. Fraley had furnished NASCAR
tickets to Greg Bauer as a gift. Mr. Fraley denied giving Greg Bauer
NASCAR tickets. Doug Deepe also mentioned in his article that the
bid proposal prepared by Mr. Fraley in 2002 was presented to the
Mayor on the first day of January, 2002, New Year’s Day. Normally,
New Year’s Day is a holiday.
At the meeting with Mayor Kalb and
Rick Fraley of Ohio Pest Control yesterday I mentioned that one of
the local pest control contractors had asked Mayor Kalb for an
opportunity to bid on contracts this year; Mayor Kalb had refused to
consider any bid from this man. This was because Mayor Kalb had
received a copy of a court document that showed that the would-be
bidder had a close relative who was once convicted of a
fourth-degree felony twelve years ago. Rick Fraley denied furnishing
Mayor Kalb with the court document and Kalb refused to divulge the
name of the person who had given him the document. Mr. Fraley said,
"It’s on the internet."
We (John Welton and me) had received this
same information from Mayor Jim Kalb at an interview in his office
on the 29th of July, 2004. At that time Mayor Kalb refused to tell
us who had furnished him with the copy of this court document. He
told us, "It’s on the internet." John Welton and I both realized
that this type of document is not normally available on the
internet. It was a copy of a complete judgment entry and a complete
bill of particulars. This indicated that someone had gone to the
Common Pleas Court Clerk’s Office and searched out these pages from
the 12-year-old case files.
John Welton and I both complained to
Mayor Kalb at that time that we believed it unfair to deny a local
taxpaying citizen from bidding on a contract while paying out our
tax dollars to an out of city contractor. We also objected that
$1,500.00 too much money was paid for the service, particularly at a
time when the city is in deep deficit.
Mayor Kalb said it was
legal, and it appears it is legal, although we feel it was unfair
and wasteful. Mayor Kalb defended his decision. He said he felt he
could trust Rick Fraley to do a good job, and he said he had known
Rick Fraley many years; they had once ridden bikes together.
To
my knowledge in the nine years I have known Jim Kalb he has never
given me, nor anyone else any false information. I appreciate a
public official that is honest. However, we cannot abide by
secretive behaviour, and the withholding of information that we
believe should be available to the public. However, we can
appreciate his protection of his informant.
We are concerned
because these are our dollars he is spending, and we trust he will
be an honorable steward of our assets. We only respectfully ask that
he will bid the next contracts, and give proper consideration to our
local contractors.
I hesitated to write this article so early in
Mr. Kalb’s career as a Mayor. We have high hopes that our sincere
belief in his ability and integrity will be sustained.
(Written
and posted by Austin Leedom at 2:00 a.m., Thursday, August 12,
2004)
The Scioto County Republican Central Committee has voted to
spend money to retain a corrupt office holder in power.
Many
persons in this area have long been of the opinion that the
Republican Party is composed of self-serving, wealthy
persons who serve to promote their own programs and the plans of
other 'select' well-to-do members of the established business and
political operations in our area.
The main basis for this
opinion is the sad fact that a few members of the Party do support
other office-holding members of the Party even if these office
holders have consistently demonstrated dereliction of their duties
and have arrogantly performed unethical and dishonest acts that
enrich themselves, and their 'friends' at the expense of the tax
paying citizens.
The present general opinion of many people has
some merit. However, many of our finest public officials
are honest, fair, Republicans who are dedicated to serving all the
citizens; for example, County Clerk of Courts Mildred Thompson, and
the Republican Judges James Kirsch, David Spears, Howard H. Harcha
III, William T. Marshall and Russell Kegley also have a reputation
for being hard working, honorable, fair, and just in their
actions.
Certainly it is not fair to degrade the entire
Party because of a few 'bad apples.' But, bad apples need to
be removed from the barrel, not left there to spoil the entire
lot.
Most Republican office holders are upright, moral, honest
people who perform in a fair, ethical manner. However, Judge
Richard Schisler is another story. In fact, he has been and will be
the subject of many stories of unconstitutional, judicial
corruption. He has caused much suffering to damaged citizens
by his infamous RULE 28 which he created that bans citizens and
peace officers from filing any criminal complaints in the Municipal
Court until approved by the City Solicitor’s
Office. This RULE 28 is a great advantage to the
judge. By barring citizens from the court he has less work to
do, less cases to hear, more time to play, and he still draws the
same fat paychecks.
Equally disreputable is David Kuhn, the
non-working City Solicitor who refuses to prosecute officials for
crimes. Five felony crimes against Mayor Bauer’s City Service
Director Mike Blackburn went unprosecuted in 2003. (Mayor
Bauer and Mike Blackburn were co-conspirators in thefts from the
city). These crimes by Mike Blackburn were designated as criminal
acts by both Portsmouth Chief of Police Charles Horner and Assistant
County Prosecuting Attorney William K. Shaw.
The most disgraceful
of all men in public office is Mark Kuhn, also a Republican, who now
is to be county prosecuting attorney.
Mark Kuhn, nephew of
David, was appointed to the office of City Prosecutor seven and a
half years ago. He is the most disgraceful attorney in town; like
his Uncle Dave he does little work and has condoned, or refused to
prosecute numerous cases of assaults against females. On
February 27, 2004 his over-bearing, abusive, gun-toting assistant
Dean Conklin brutally and viciously slapped a young lady who had
gone to David Kuhn’s office seeking help from a man who had been
threatening her family. Conklin hit the lady, then
roughly shoved her down a short passageway and out into the main
hallway at the City Building. The Kuhns have refused to
prosecute their armed ruffian. Moreover, after the attack, Mark Kuhn
trailed the injured victim to the hallway outside the County
Prosecutor’s Office and there, in the presence of five witnesses
verbally attacked the female victim in a loud and threatening
manner. I audio recorded this vicious message delivered to the
victim by Mark Kuhn in the County Courthouse. Read more
about this in the Sentinel; click on Mark Kuhn on the frontpage of
www.portsmouthohio.info.
(Note: The Portsmouth Daily Times
refused to report this 'Republican' crime.)
Now, it becomes
worse. The perception of corruption that many citizens have of the
party has been high-lighted by the resolution of the Scioto County
Republican Central Committee to support the mendacious Mayor Gregory
A. Bauer in his battle to maintain his office in the face of a
angered citizenry’s recall effort.
According to the minutes of
May 11, 2004 meeting of the Republican Central Committee, Mayor
Bauer spoke regarding the recall election; then the corrupt
insurance agent C. B. Hermann made a motion, seconded by our bandit
Sheriff Marty V. Donini to oppose the recall. The motion was carried
by the entire central committee with no opposition.
Then a
motion was made by Dan Hall with a second by Art Lewis to place paid
advertisement in the Portsmouth Daily Times. The motion was
carried.
(Note: a large expensive inaccurate, misleading "SAVE
BAUER" ad was printed in the Portsmouth Daily Times on Page A4 on
Thursday, June 9, 2004.)
Apparently a family member of the
Republican candidate for the Court of Appeals voted for these
resolutions to back the Mayor. Mac McFarland apparently was
there because the minutes of the meeting indicate that Mac McFarland
reminded members of the Fundraiser that was to be held for Matt
McFarland at Dick’s Pizza on May 25.
(If you don’t like what
Bauer’s political party is doing you may not want to patronize their
friends, such as Dick’s Pizza.)
The resolution to support Greg
Bauer revealed that the Central Committee is willing to overlook the
thefts and lies that Mayor Bauer has repeatedly been caught
officially committing. This was a disgraceful resolution and shed a
dishonorable light on the good, honest Republicans in this
county.
Let us take a look at the three principal players in this
resolution to keep one of the most corrupt Mayors in America in
power.
Number one, C. B. Hermann, is a documented, dishonest
insurance agent. He has been party to acts that have gained him huge
profits by receiving the City’s insurance business from Mayor Bauer
for the past seven years in illegal unbid contracts. Also, he has
been in court in an action that revealed he has charged private
citizens for insurance services he failed to provide, or was not
authorized to provide.
C. B. Hermann will, according to
documents obtained from other official offices, lose as much as
$100,000 a year if Bauer is voted out. No more unbid, illegal
"done deal" contracts from the Mayor’s Office. C. B. Hermann has
profited greatly from his unbid "done deals," but is in debt
$112,101.00 to the Southern Ohio Growth Partnership, (also known as
the Same Old Gang Program), or (SOGP,) according to official records
from the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office.
Sheriff Marty Donini
is a well-known unconvicted felon; he has long been a dishonor to
Scioto County, to honest law-enforcement officers and to other
Sheriffs in Ohio who know him all too well. His reputation is
appalling.
His administration has been incompetent, drug crime
is at an all time high, personal and property crimes against the
citizens have soared and Donini’s office has failed to protect
Scioto residents as he has sworn to do. However, Marty Donini
personally has profited much; he has been able to acquire numerous
parcels of real estate. The seven and one half years of being
Sheriff has made Marty Donini very prosperous.
In February of
2004 Marty Donini was forced, under oath, in a County Board of
Elections trial, to confess that he is a thief and that he had been
ordered by the Ohio Peace Officers Training Board to quit carrying a
weapon, and to cease acting as a peace officer.
Marty Donini has
squandered hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars in his
administration by exorbitant and questionable spending. He has
also failed to account for furtherance of justice funds in an amount
exceeding two-hundred thousand dollars ($200,000.00.) He has
also failed to account to the Attorney General’s Office for huge
amounts of money, drugs and weapons his office has siezed in drug
raids over the past seven and one-half years. Marty Donini is
very likely headed to state prison to join former Sherifff Gary
DeMastry of Fairfield County who was convicted of the very crimes
that Donini has been committing for the past seven and a half
years.
C. B. Hermann, Marty Donini and Greg Bauer, three bandits
boxed together, are leading the Republican Party Central Committee?
The party would do well to purge, not protect, these three who bring
into disrepute the entire Republican party.
According the County
Board of Elections the Mayor must file a report of contributions
received twelve days before the recall election. We plan to
publicize his report as soon as we receive it. Updated by
Austin Leedom at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 10, 2004
THE
CITY COUNCIL MEETING THAT WASN’T
(Written and posted by Austin
Leedom, 2:40 a.m. Tuesday, June 15, 2004.)
The Portsmouth City
Council meeting was extremely brief this past evening, on Monday,
June 14, 2004. Contrary to ordinary practice the public meeting room
was kept closed to the public until about eight minutes before the
meeting began. While the members of the public were kept waiting
outside in the hallway on the third floor of City Hall they could
observe some of the council members entering the small office of
City Clerk Joanne Aeh.
This room is where the council normally
holds their private council meeting before appearing in public.
Usually, after all the spectators have entered the public meeting
room the council members have made it a practice to enter the room
from their private meeting room, (Clerk Joanne Aeh’s office) which
is in back of the public meeting area, exactly at six o’clock.
(Note: Sixth Ward Councilman Marty Mohr has always refrained from
attending these secret meetings.)
The City Fire Chief and one
Deputy Fire Chief were on hand to keep some of the citizens from
entering, so that no more than forty-nine persons could be in the
room. Forty-nine is the number of persons that the Fire Chief has
determined is allowed, under fire regulations, to be in the room at
any one time.
Portsmouth Police Chief Charles Horner met the
crowd of approximately forty-five citizens at the meeting room door
when it was finally opened; many of the citizens were irate and
angry with the present administration. Several persons had talks
prepared to present to the council and many others were there to
present complaints without the aid of notes and documents.
When
the doors to the meeting room were finally opened the Police Chief
guarded the entrance as he passed out tickets to only twenty-five
"lucky" citizens and allowed them entry into the public meeting
room.
The Chief explained that the first twenty-four seats for
the meeting had been reserved for the officials and one member each
of the ‘media.’ The Police Chief first passed out special tickets to
selected media. Those selected by the Bauer administration were WPAY
Radio, the Number One Radio Station in the area that was represented
by newsman Lorenzo Bentley who did a live broadcast of the
proceeding; The Portsmouth Daily Times was represented by Star
Reporter Jeff Barron; The Community Common was represented by
top-notch news reporter Mike Deaterla; The Scioto Voice also had a
seat reserved by a special ticket although no representative of that
publication was observed by this reporter. WNXT, the second-class
radio station in our area, was appropriately represented by Sam
McKibben, who reads news items for the station.
(WNXT, with
Bauer’s watering-hole buddy Steve Hayes acting as a disk jockey
mouthpiece, has been a consistent champion in defense of the Mayor
deceitful deceptions throughout the past thirteen months. Mayor
Bauer did not forget his buddy Hayes when decisions were made as to
which citizens were not be deprived of their constitutional rights
to attend a public meeting.)
However, there were no seats
reserved for the hardcopy newspaper Shawnee Sentinel, nor the
Dougdeepe.com website nor the Portsmouthohio.info website. This was
rather disconcerting. Mayor Bauer should have been sufficiently
grateful so that he would have made certain that these three
publications were given proper reward for their unceasing efforts to
furnish him free publicity.
Personally, I consider Mayor Bauer’s
lack of respect for the efforts of these three publications that
have kept his name so constantly on their frontpages to be an
ungentlemanly act of ungrateful disregard.
After all, these three
outstanding news outlets have, in the past thirteen months,
publicized more solid, honest documented real news about Mayor Greg
Bauer and the City Council than they have received during the entire
six and one-half years that Greg Bauer has been guiding our once
fine city on a runaway slippery slide in a wild ride downhill
through a blizzard of bribery, deceit, and official larceny and over
the icy cliffs of corruption into the snowbanks of degradation, and
financial ruin.
Their freely given revelations and exposures of
Mayor Bauer’s criminal actions have made Portsmouth and Bauer
by-words for arrogant municipal governmental corruption. All this
and they get no "favored status" entry into a public meeting? Such
dearth of gratitude by an honored public official is despairing.
Please don’t forget us if you are at the next council meeting,
Mayor. We have done all we could to help you out.
When the
allotted number of citizens were allowed into the public meeting
room Fourth Ward City Councilman David Malone was found seated at
his usual place at his table in the big room. Also, the Honorable
Mayor Greg Bauer was seated at his normal place. Neither of them,
apparently were in attendance at the secret meeting.
Greg Bauer
presented an uncommonly good appearance at last night’s meeting. He
was clean-shaven, his hairs were neatly in place and he was wearing
a clean white dress shirt that fit him and he had what appeared to
be a new necktie. He looked more like a big-time defendant ready to
face the bar of justice than an unkempt, small town riverside mayor.
Perhaps the good Mayor is improving his wardrobe and his appearance
in preparation for future court appearances.
The City Clerk
Joanne Aeh, and First Ward Councilwoman Ann Sydnor, and Fifth Ward
Councilman Howard Baughman then came forth from their little ‘holy
of holies’ secret meeting room and took their appointed places at
their tables. Then Assistant City Solicitor Rick Campbell entered
the main door and was seated at the Solicitor’s table. There were
now only three councilpersons at the meeting.
Then more persons
were allowed in. Jamie Tuggle, former Assistant Mayor, was granted
entry. As he passed this reporter he mentioned the word "indictment"
to me. I didn’t hear the rest of his words. Mr. Tuggle appeared to
be very nervous.
More persons were then allowed into the room.
Among them was the man who is head of the City sewage disposal plant
and the Mayor’s Secretary Lynn Risby, a British subject. They sat
together in the rear of the room.
Ann Sydnor, veteran council
member, and past-President of City Council called the meeting to
order, asked the persons present to stand for a minute of silent
prayer and then the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was made by
most of the people present. The British lady Lynn Risby again did
not make the pledge of allegiance. She has told me that she is not
an American, and does not want to be an American citizen. However,
this non-citizen was given ‘favored status’ to attend the meeting
and American citizens (one a 100% disabled veteran) were refused
admittance to the meeting room, and forced to remain
outside.
Somehow, this did not seem fair. However, Greg Bauer is
running this city; fairness, laws and rules have carried little
weight in Portsmouth city affairs during his
administration.
After the Pledge of Allegiance Councilwoman Ann
Sydnor observed that only three council members were present and it
was necessary to have a quorum of four members before a meeting
could be held. A motion, and a second to the motion was made to
adjourn the meeting was; it was approved, and sustained by all three
members. Mrs. Sydnor then announced the meeting was adjourned. Deep
dissatisfaction and disappointment was voiced by many of the
"ordinary persons," but some of the city employees that were given
special seating tickets did not appear surprised. Remarks were heard
that the absence of the council members was a planned action to
allow spending for work on the Martings he-hab to continue. The only
item of legislation on the agenda was the second reading of a
proposed ordinance to halt spending on the renovation of the old
Martings department store.
It was all over and inquiry about the
missing members was made. I learned nothing concerning the missing
Councilwoman Carol Caudill, nothing about why Council President Jim
Kalb was AWOL. I was told that Marty Mohr had given advance notice
that he would not be present due to other necessary activity. The
City Auditor was noticeable by this absence; I was told that Auditor
Trent Williams was with his family on their annual
vacation.
After the aborted meeting about twenty-five of the
‘ordinary citizens’ exited to the shady east side of the City
Building where small meetings, and much conversation took place for
the next half-hour or more.
The next meeting is scheduled for
Monday, June 28, 2004. Perhaps a larger room for the meeting can be
obtained so ‘ordinary’ people can get inside the doors as mandated
by state law.
(Written and posted by Austin Leedom, 3:20 a.m.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004.)
One of the largest crowds in history at
Tracy Park cheered the speakers at the Rally to Reinvest in America
Wednesday evening. Chief speakers at the rally were West Virginia
AFL-CIO President Jim Bowen, West Virginia Union President of the
United Mine Workers Cecil Roberts, and The Reverend Jesse Lewis
Jackson of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. The main message was
that it is past time for the federal government to invest in
America, not in foreign countries. The speakers spoke of the need
for good paying jobs, health care for everyone, education for every
citizen and a halt to the out-sourcing of jobs to other
nations.
The Color Guard of the American Legion Post 471
presented the Flag and led the large crowd in the Pledge of
Allegiance.
Many members of the various local unions were
present, as were local elected officials Todd Book, Representative
to the Ohio General Assembly, Scioto County Commissioners Tom
Reiser, Skip Riffe and Opal Spears. Also at the rally were Mike
Crabtree, candidate for County Commissioner and Eric Wrage,
candidate for the office of County Prosecuting Attorney. City
Council President Jim Kalb was present. New Boston Mayor Jim
Warren of New Boston also was in attendance at Tracy Park, but
the Mayor of Portsmouth was noticeable by his failure to appear.
This is the second time that national figure Jesse Jackson has
appeared in Portsmouth; both times Mayor Greg Bauer failed to
show. (Thursday, June 9, 2004 by Austin Leedom) More info at
www.reinvest-in-america.org
CHIEF MATE ABANDONS SHIP AND CAPTAIN
BAUER AS THE "SS CORRUPTION" STARTS TO GO UNDER
(Written and
posted by Austin Leedom on Thursday, June 03, 2004)
TUGGLE ‘JUMPS
SHIP’ AS THE DAMAGED ‘SS CORRUPTION’ LISTS AND TAKES ON WATER AS THE
TIDES OF PUBLICITY SWEPT THE HEAVILY DAMAGED CRAFT ONTO THE ROCKS OF
REALITY.
On the 9th of May, 2004 the Shawnee Sentinel published a
rumor that Assistant Mayor Jaime Tuggle was leaving the Mayor’s
Office. Tuggle allegedly had been involved in heavy shredding
operations for the Mayor as local Police and State authorities
closed in on their office as a result of investigations asked for
City Council President Jim Kalb in February, 2004.
A few days
before May 9th, Sentinel reporters had told Mr. Tuggle, "When the
shredding begins the indictments can’t be far behind." We were in
Mr. Tuggle’s office to receive documents on communications from the
Mayor to the Police Chief. They were never provided to us. We have
reason to believe that the documents went into one of the two new
shredders that had been purchased a few weeks before.
We noted to
Mr. Tuggle at that time, "You people need more help in this office,
it has been weeks since we asked for the documents." Tuggle replied,
"Yes, we do need more help in here, but good corrupt help is hard to
find." At that time Mr. Tuggle had a glass on his desk that was
labelled "BRIBES." Apparently bribes had not been good that day;
there was only one dollar bill in the glass.
On the 12th of May,
2004 the Sentinel confirmed to the wide-world that Jaime Tuggle had
indeed quit the employ of the Mayor.
Tuggle has now joined other
illustrious past employees who once sailed with Captain Gregory
Bauer through the stormy seas of official corruption.
Mike
Blackburn was the last big-time Bauer accomplice to leave town.
Blackburn may still face prison time for ‘deals’ he did with Greg
Bauer. The last information we had on former City Service Director
Mike Blackburn was that he was in Wyoming.
Good luck to Tuggle;
he may escape indictment without going West.
(Written and posted
by Austin Leedom on Thursday, June 03, 2004)
Tuesday, May 25,
2004.)
ANGRY CITIZENS SPEAK AT COUNCIL MEETING
(Written and
posted by Austin Leedom at 12:10 a.m. Tuesday, May 25, 2004.)
An
overflow crowd of angry citizens crowded into a small Municipal
Court Room at City Hall Monday night, May 24, 2004. Many of the
citizens were wearing T-Shirts that displayed the words "RECALL
BAUER, VOTE JUNE 22" on the front side of the shirts and a cartoon
caricature of Greg Bauer on the rear of the shirts. Many of the
ladies had fancier T-shirts with the words, "Had Enough, Recall Greg
Bauer," imprinted on the shirts.
Reporters from The Shawnee
Sentinel, The Community Common, and The Portsmouth Daily Times
attended the meeting.
At six o’clock the meeting was about to
start when high-ranking officers of the Portsmouth Fire Department
announced there were too many persons in the room. Only 49 persons
may be allowed in the room according to an order from Fire Chief
Robert Storey. Several persons voluntarily left the room, and the
meeting began. Three members of the Fire Department, and the Chief
of Police were on hand.
Councilman Howard Baughman had the honor
of offering up the invocation. Instead of praying, he offered a
moment of silence. Then the pledge of allegiance to the flag was
recited by most of the persons present. It was reported that the
Mayor’s secretary, Lynn Risby, again refused to pledge allegiance.
(Ms. Risby has told the Sentinel that she is a British subject, not
an American and does not want to be an American.)
Many disturbed
citizens spoke at the beginning of the meeting, it was urged the
proposed ordinance to halt construction on the Martings’ Building be
passed as an emergency measure to stop the Mayor from continuing to
incur debt to Tanner-Stone Company, the architects. (Tanner-Stone
was formerly known as the Hayes, Tanner and Stone Co. A
local disk jockey is the son of the now deceased Mr. Hayes; it is
believed he still has a large monetary interest in the company, and
that this is the reason he has so vehemently supported Mayor Greg
Bauer in his various devious endeavors)
Lee Scott, one of the
early leaders of the "Recall Greg Bauer" warned the council members
that the citizens were watching them closely. He said, "Our
reactions are going to based on your actions."
Former City
Councilman Harold Daub questioned why the Mayor had ordered a $2,000
study for asbestos in the Martings’ Building when he had previously
assured the city council and the citizens that there was no asbestos
in the old building.
On the first reading of the proposed
ordinance to suspend work by Tanner-Stone on the Martings’ Building
Councilman Marty Mohr, 6th Ward, said the ordinance was vague and
asked that it be modified to direct the Mayor to immediately halt
further indebtedness to Tanner-Stone Company. The council approved
the modification and voted 3-3 on first reading of the
ordinance.
On an ordinance to authorize the Mayor to grant an
easement to Mullins Investments for use of .866 acres of city
property for right-of-way for ingress and egress and further
development of the property, Mayor Greg Bauer asked that this
ordinance be changed to include any and all future entrances and
exits to the property and approve any future signs that might be
erected on the property. The ordinance was changed and approved.
(This property along the west side of Scioto Trail just south of the
N&S railroad was purchased, under the guidance of Mayor Bauer,
from the City at a very low price.) This is the site of the new
Dairy Queen now under construction.
In reports to the citizens
Mayor Bauer reported that the annual employees’ party was very
sucessful.
Councilman Marty Mohr thanked the citizens who have
been helping with cleanup and grass cutting in the city. Mr. Mohr
had proposed that citizens help in the cleanup at the previous
council meeting, but the Mayor had disagreed with
him.
Councilwoman Ann Sydnor had nothing to report.
Councilman
David Malone talked of traffic and told of the success of police
cameras in recording violations at intersections. Mr. Malone also
said he had been in communication with the Portsmouth City Schools,
and that the PCS was willing to allow the council to meet in their
auditorium.
Councilwoman Carol Caudill said the City Service
Department was doing a good job.
Council President Jim Kalb
suggested to the Mayor that the Mayor find a larger space for the
council to meet. (Both President Kalb and Mayor Bauer have been
aware of this very serious problem for several months. Tonight the
citizens’ rights were violated by the city officials for failure to
provide sufficient space for the meeting. Litigation is expected if
this situation continues.)
The other city officials had no
reports to offer.
After the officials reports and the close of
the legislative session citizens again were permitted the
opportunity to speak.
Mr. Conkel of Sherman Road complained of
illegal extensions of Sherman Road near the hospital and asked why
Stevens Construction had asked for a decision from the Planning
Commission. It is not known that the Planning Commission has made
any decision or report, but work has begun on the extension.
Lee
Scott, the man who is renovating the Old Columbia Theatre with
private money, said that the Martings’ deal was a rip-off and warned
that the Mayor, who had first stated that renovation of the
Martings’ Building would cost less than $3 million, then stated that
it would cost $4.5 million, now faces perhaps twice as much expense
for the citizens because the recent escalating costs of building
materials.
Harold Daub, former member of council, chastised the
Mayor for the unbid purchase of garbage trucks and garbage cans
(from Andy Glockner Leasing); he claimed it was an unnecessary
expense and was particularly improper considering the large amounts
of money already spent on many other improper projects.
Another
citizen complained of the trash and rubbish in the city alleys. "We
have some alleys in this city that the rats are afraid to go
in."
Teresa Mollett, of Franklin Avenue, said citizens wanted
answers to many questions, and that the Council and Mayor have not
provided answers. She said, "We want the answers, we want our city
back for all of us, not just for an elitist few."
Russell Cooper
of Charles Street commended the Portsmouth Police Department for
their outstanding work in drug raids. He said Chief Charles Horner
deserves a commendation for the excellent work his department has
done in spite of being seriously short-handed. Mr. Cooper
recommended more pay, more personnel, and better equipment for the
police rather than spending large sums on a "white elephant."
Bob
Mollett of Franklin Avenue spoke of Bauer lying about the traffic
light to be installed at the Elmer Mullins (Dairy Queen)
property at 15th Street and Scioto Trail and questioned the cheap
sale of the land to Mullins. Mr. Mollett also asked if the
garbage cans and garbage trucks from Andy Glockner were purchased or
leased.
(The cans and trucks are on a five-year lease with big
interest payments to Andy Glockner’s Leasing Company. This was
another Greg Bauer unbid "done deal.")
The failure to provide
sufficient space for citizens at the council meetings was also
questioned, and Police and Fire Department wage increases were
advocated. The proposal by the Mayor to privatize the solid waste
pickup was questioned, and it was asked why the space where the Old
Health Department Building had been, next to the City Hall, could
not be used for the site of a new city building.
William
Pennington of 416 Gay Street was the most colorful speaker of the
evening. While many of the speakers were wearing RECALL BAUER
shirts, Mr. Pennington was covered with a Confederate flag that he
wore as a poncho type garment. Mr. Pennington told of his ancestors
who served in the military, of conspiracies against him by police
agencies in Kentucky and Ohio and confessed to serving time in a
federal prison for threatening to kill United States President Bill
Clinton. He claimed he has evidence to put a former high Portsmouth
city official in prison. He spoke for his allotted five minutes and
nearly a minute longer as Council President Kalb tried to halt his
speech.
There was no planning meeting after the regular council
meeting as is normal.
The Councilpersons, the City Clerk, the
Mayor and other officials appeared relieved that the meeting was
over and most of them quickly left the angry crowd of citizens in
City Hall once the meeting was adjourned.
(Written and posted by
Austin Leedom at 12:10 a.m. Tuesday, May 25, 2004)
MAYOR’S FUND
RAISER HAS SMALL TURN-OUT
SPECTATOR ASSAULTED BY MAYOR’S
GUESTS
Written and posted by Austin Leedom at 6:00 a.m. Tuesday
May 18, 2004
About 30 to 50 people turned out for the Greg
Bauer’s fund-raiser dinner at Southern Ohio Medical Center yesterday
evening, May 17th, 2004.
Southern Ohio Medical Center private
police officers were there in force; they warned spectators,
including reporters, not to come onto the 18th Street SOMC property
where the fundraiser/dinner by Mayor Bauer was being held.
There
were less than ten spectators on the sidewalk and one truck with a
large, "RECALL BAUER," sign cruised the area during the
dinner.
Mayor Bauer’s family members and a few big-time "elite"
friends who have prospered well under Bauer’s corrupt administration
were seen among the guests.
By 7:00 p.m. the party appeared to be
over as musicians were seen loading their instruments into their
vehicles. Stevens Construction personnel were apparently in
attendance as one man was seen loading a musical instrument into a
Stevens Construction Company truck parked near the main entrance.
Stevens has prospered greatly from city contracts, most of them
handed to him by Greg Bauer without proper bids.
There was no
great revelry among the guests as might be expected. All the guests
seemed to be well behaved with the exception of two young men who
verbally and physically accosted a young woman on the sidewalk. The
lady was taking photos of the persons arriving and leaving the
$250.00 dinner.
The two young men left the lady alone when they
discovered the lady’s husband was with her. A stern warning from the
husband was sufficient for the two young men who retreated to the
safety of the SOMC grounds. The reason for the harassment of the
lady by the young men is not known; perhaps they had over-indulged
in "spirits."
Police were called. One man responded; Portsmouth
Police Sergeant Davis arrived, without flashing lights or siren. He
talked with all persons involved. The policeman then left the area.
There were no further attacks from the young men who were last seen
re-entering the party building.
The abused lady promised to
prosecute the men; she told Sentinel reporters that she intended to
file assault charges against them. We have reason to believe that
she will be unable to file charges against these "elite"
citizens.
For any citizen to attempt to gain entry into the court
to pursue charges against criminal offenders is laughable under the
administration of the present corrupt Municipal Court Judges Richard
T. Schisler, and Russell Kegley. These judges follow a policy (Rule
28) illegally created by Judge Schisler that unconstitutionally has
barred citizens from making criminal complaints without the
permission of Solicitor David Kuhn.
It is not believed that she
will be allowed by City Solicitor David Kuhn to file charges against
any of Mayor Bauer’s "friends." Attorney Kuhn is notorious for
not allowing citizens or police officers to bring criminal actions
against "special" people. Last fall Solicitor Kuhn refused to allow
Police Chief Horner to bring criminal action against Mayor Bauer’s
Service Director Mike Blackburn for five felony counts of theft,
although Chief Horner and County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Bill
Shaw both found multiple criminal acts for which Blackburn should
have been prosecuted. Blackburn was allowed to escape with no
punishment.
On February 27, 2004 Solicitor Kuhn’s armed
employee, Dean Conklin, viciously slapped an innocent young woman in
Kuhn’s office in City Hall, and forcibly shoved her out of the
office, all the while cursing her in a foul abusive manner.
After the lady was assaulted she fled to the County Courthouse and
was trailed by Kuhn’s nephew, City Prosecutor Mark Kuhn. Then, Mark
Kuhn, at the courthouse, harassed and loudly verbally abused the
victim further, in the presence of several witnesses. Solicitor
David Kuhn will not do his duty; he will not prosecute "special"
people, only "the rest of us."
There are two classes in this
county; Municipal Court Judges Schisler and Kegley, and the Kuhns,
protect the wealthy and powerful, no matter how evil their crimes,
the "rest of us" get criminal charges. Often false charges are
approved by City Prosecutor Mark Kuhn and/or his uncle, Solicitor
David Kuhn. David's nephew Mark Kuhn, who holds the appointed
position of City Prosecutor, is a darker shadow of his uncle. He has
allowed false charges to be prosecuted against innocent citizens for
political and personal reasons. This is the Mark Kuhn
that wants to be elected to the Office of Scioto County Prosecuting
Attorney in November.
(Note: The Portsmouth Daily Times had full
news of this assault that occurred in Kuhn's office, police
investigators made complete reports of the attack, but Editor Rick
Greene refused to allow the news to be published. The Daily
Times has the same standards as "the rest of gang;" according to
official public documents in our possession they are part of
"the same old gang.")
Written and posted by Austin Leedom at 6:00
a.m. Tuesday May 18, 2004
MAYOR GREG BAUER DOES IT
AGAIN – SOGP INVOLVED?
$237,500 check to Dairy Queen from City on
May 4, 2004
(Written and posted by Austin Leedom at 2:35 p.m.
Friday, May 14, 2004.)
I have in hand a copy of a check (No.
000697) in the amount of
$237,500 from the City of Portsmouth
Community Development written to ALLEN’S RESTAURANTS OF OHIO,
INC.
It is believed that this check is for the owner of the Dairy
Queen now under construction on Scioto Trail near the Norfolk &
Southern Railroad.
How many of the existing competitive
restaurants received such a check from the city?
Is this check
from the city part of the "secret" deal Bauer made with Elmer
Mullins? We have information that Allen is Elmer Mullins’
son-in-law; this is not confirmed.
We have been told that
Allens’s Restaurant purchased property to build the new Dairy Queen
from Elmer Mullins and that Allen has been illegally granted tax
abatement on the building.
As we have reported in previous
articles Elmer Mullins purchased the entire site from the City for a
very low price ($60,000) through an agreement with Mayor Bauer and
resold one small parcel from this purchase to Allen’s Restaurant for
nearly three times what he paid for the entire property.
This is
the location that Bauer claimed, during a recent city council
meeting, that a traffic light ($100,000) had been mandated by the
State of Ohio. During the last city council meeting he was
challenged on this by a councilman who claimed that Bauer had lied
about the mandate from the State in his statement to the council, in
order to get them to furnish a traffic light for the Elmer Mullins’
business and the Dairy Queen.
Bauer had also told the council,
in order to get them to pass legislation for the light, that the
county commission had consented to pay half the cost. County
Commissioners denied Bauer’s statement.
It has been claimed that
lying to council in order to get legislation passed is
criminal.
At this writing the Mayor’s Office is closed, and the
City Auditor is unavailable.
We have been unable to get backup
documents on this check from Auditor Trent Williams. It is reported
that he has not been in his office for last two days. Allegedly Mr.
Williams has been in Columbus, but is expected to return in time to
attend the City Employees Recognition Dinner this evening at six
o’clock at the Life Center.
(Written and posted by Austin Leedom
at 2:35 p.m. Friday, May 14, 2004.)
CITY OFFICIALS GIVE AWAY
BIG DOLLARS ON QUESTIONABLE CONTRACTS BUT ARE CHEAP SKATES WHEN
RECREATION FOR CHILDREN IS INVOLVED.
Written and posted by Austin
Leedom at 12:50 a.m. Friday, May 14, 2004
At 11:40 a.m. on
Monday, May 10, 2004 I saw and photographed five convicts mowing and
cleaning around the City Swimming Pool (aka McKinley Pool) located
on Findlay Street near the now demolished N&W Railroad Station
building.
THE WORKERS WERE DOING A GOOD JOB
I talked with the
Correctional Officer guarding these five men and learned that the
convicts were from an honor camp at the state prison in Chillicothe.
I was told that men are bussed from Chillicothe to Lucasville on a
daily basis to work outside of the Southern Ohio Correctional
Facility.
The Officer from Chillicothe told me that he had
received work orders from the Deputy Warden of SOCF that his
convicts would work in the City of Portsmouth for five days.
ONLY
PUBLIC SWIM POOL IN TOWN
This swimming pool is the only public
pool available in the City of Portsmouth.
For too long, the Mayor
and the City Council have found it to be a problem, almost every
spring, to find funds to help open and maintain the city swimming
pool. Most of the children who use this pool do not have private
pools at their homes.
We at first believed that the presence of
the workers from the state prison was the result of an effort by
Mayor Greg Bauer to get unpaid help to do work that the city workers
should be doing.
PHIL WHITE GETS STATE PRISONERS TO HELP EACH
YEAR
Today we checked further and learned that the city of
Portsmouth gives little support to the McKinley Pool.
The City
Auditor’s office advised that no expenses for maintenance or
manpower had been paid for the McKinley Pool for many years.
The
swimming pool is owned by the city of Portsmouth and is listed as 0
(zero) Waller Street, according to the City Auditor’s Office.
We
checked with the Portsmouth Inner City Development group and learned
that Mayor Bauer had not been responsible for providing the help of
the state prison workers at the Pool.
Phil White, the director of
the pool, told us that he has made arrangements for the past ten
years with the State to furnish workers each year for five days. He
told us he makes application for this assistance a year in advance;
this is part of a state-approved public community servIce
program.
We also learned that funding for maintenance and
manpower for the summer swimming season comes almost entirely from a
Community Action Program; the City of Portsmouth contributes only
$5,000 per year.
The city of Portsmouth does not assist in
maintenance. Mr. White told the Sentinel that one of the pool pump
motors burned up last year and after long effort he was able to get
the pump replaced only a few days ago, with no help from the
city.
This is the only public pool in Portsmouth.
The
swimming pool is open to all persons regardless of where they live,
in the city or outside. Some groups of children are brought in to
this pool by the busload.
"No one is turned away," said Mr.
White.
We commend the pool director for his work and his
hospitality. Many, many children are able to enjoy a cooling swim
thanks to his consistent, year after year, efforts to have this
recreation available for the children.
COST OF BOAT RAMP WOULD
FUND CITY’S SHARE OF POOL SUPPORT 160 YEARS
Help from the City of
Portsmouth to provide this recreation seems very cheap when compared
to an expenditure last year at the Offnere Street boat ramp to lay
another slab of concrete into the Ohio River to facilitate the
launching of expensive pleasure craft into the water by the elite
and affluent citizens. This new boat ramp was installed by Mayor
Bauer’s "buddy" David Distel, at a total price of over $800,000.
Let us do the math on this one. $5,000 per year from the city
for the swimming pool for poor kids divided by an $800,000 boat ramp
for the wealthy.
At the rate of current spending for pool
recreation by the city, the cost of this boat ramp was more than the
city will pay for the kids’ recreation at the McKinley Pool in 160
years.
MAYOR CHEAP WITH MONEY FOR KIDS
GENEROUS TO HIS
FRIENDLY CONTRACTORS
Does this sound fair to you, particularly
when the purchase of the $762,000 Marting Building cost the
taxpayers $2,000,000? That fat figure was at least $1,238,000 too
much to pay. How much recreation equipment and services for our
children would $1,238,000 purchase?
Recent Sentinel
investigations and other inquiries have revealed that this Martings
Building sale was a grand theft by city officials and local
"leaders." Local police and state agents are investigating. The
Mayor and the Council have strange priorities. Perhaps they will
explain to the investigators why they are so cheap when it comes to
spending a few lousy dollars for the kids and so generous when they
are giving away the city treasury to their "friends." (Written by
Austin Leedom on Friday, May 14, 2004 at 12:50
a.m.)
Citizens to
Pay for Greg Bauer’s Big Party
For Visiting Mayors
(Written
and posted by Austin Leedom at 3:00 a.m. on Friday, May 07,
2004)
The Ohio Municipal League announced recently in a letter to
all Ohio Mayors that the Ohio Conference would be held in Portsmouth
Wednesday, June 16 through June 18, 2004.
Greg Bauer will be the
host; the citizens of Portsmouth will pay the bill.
A golf
outing at the Elks Country Club will begin the activities early
Wednesday morning. In the evening fun, food and entertainment will
be provided to delegates and their spouses/or other guests at your
expense, according to the letter from the Ohio Municipal
League.
On Thursday and Friday various meetings will be held at
the Library at Shawnee State University. Many of the visitors are
expected to stay Friday night to enjoy another evening of revelry
with our Mayor Bauer.
Although, city funds are short and many
employees have been laid off, by the mayor, inside sources have
informed the Sentinel that the Mayor has city employees working
overtime on cleanup of the downtown area.
One report was that
seven private lots near the floodwall and the west end of Second
Street belonging to Dee Mauk have been cleaned up and mowed at city
expense. This is a $1,400.00 gift. Normally the city charges an
ordinary citizen $200.00 per lot for mowing and cleanup even if it
is a tiny lot. We have been informed that Dee Mauk works with C.B.
Hermann in the Portsmouth Insurance Agency. (C.B. is an old "buddy"
of Mayor Bauer and has been getting fat from illegal, under the
table, contracts handed to him for the past seven years by Mayor
Greg Bauer.)
It is believed that city crews will also be ordered
to clean up much of the mess around the old Selby Shoe building and
lots owned by big-time real estate developer Neal Hatcher, another
of Bauer’s buddies.
It is expected that prison labor will also
to be used in the cleanup of the city. Last fall we reported
prisoners were being used by the Elks City Club for cleanup and
other labor. The Elks apparently can’t afford to employ laborers.
This prison labor at the Elks City Club was reported to the Sentinel
after one of the jailbirds returned late to the county bastille in a
drunken, intoxicated state. Perhaps the prisoners will now be used
to cleanup at the Elks Country Club.
This is cheap labor; the
prisoners don’t get paid and if they get injured on the job the
county taxpayers pay the medical bills. Sheriff Marty Donini has
been working closely with Mayor Bauer for years on special
projects.
The Mayor’s Conference can be a great educational
adventure for the visiting Mayors, and may add tremendously to
Portsmouth’s growth, (in notoriety.)
(Written and posted by
Austin Leedom at 3:00 a.m. on Friday, May 07, 2004)
Courageous
Councilman Exposes Criminal Capers
(Written and published at 7:20
p.m. on Tuesday, February 24, 2004 by Austin Leedom.)
Jim Kalb is
a brave man.
CHIEF CALLS FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL
Last night at
City Hall, after a two-hour executive session with City Council,
Chief of Police Charles Horner made a public announcement. He
promised a standing-room-only crowd of citizens and news reporters
that he would call the Ohio State Attorney General’s Office today
for expert help in his investigation of the questionable purchase of
Marting’s old department store last year.
The chief said he began
investigation into the purchase two weeks ago after receiving
information from Jim Kalb, City Council President.
KALB'S
COURAGE IS COMMENDABLE
Mr. Kalb is to be commended for his
bravery. This was a daring act; official retaliation is to be
expected when official criminals are revealed. Kalb has shown the
way; he is a gutsy leader. Now, perhaps others public personnel with
knowledge of improper and illegal acts may have the courage to stand
up and do what is right. If you know of corruption, take it to the
Chief; he is not afraid to take action. He has performed honestly
and capably as Chief of Police.
Chief Charles Horner has also
shown the other city officials that he is fearless of what might be
attempted against him, or his official position.
MAYOR BAUER HAS
BEEN UNDER THE GUN BEFORE, BUT ESCAPED JAIL TIME
Last summer
Chief Horner investigated City Service Director Mike Blackburn’s
illegal activities in purchasing a $3,000 computer and other items
by using a phony city checking account Blackburn had set up with
Desco Credit Union.
At that time Mayor Bauer said, "nothing was
done improperly or illegally."
Seeking forgiveness of his
involvement in Blackburn’s crimes the Mayor made false statements to
newspaper reporters and went on the air with a local disk jockey who
conspired with him to portray Bauer as innocent. The Mayor refused
to discuss Blackburn’s crimes with the Shawnee Sentinel reporters
who first revealed the documented crimes.
Bauer sought further
cleansing of his official sins by requesting Police Chief Horner to
make an investigation and a report. A cover-up was expected, but
Chief Horner surprised the Mayor, and many others when he boldly
reported that Mike Blackburn had committed five felony crimes and
several misdemeanors. Blackburn has not yet been prosecuted;
Solicitor David Kuhn conferred with a man named "Waldo" from
Lawrence County and then refused to prosecute Blackburn or Bauer.
This month, according to inside sources, Mayor Bauer was
planning to fire Chief Horner for making a public presentation of
factual police data to the Rotary Club and another group. Public
pressure halted the Mayor from pursuing this planned
misdeed.
INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT KALB
Back to Jim Kalb now,
he has done what is right. He may suffer in some manner for his
honesty and courage, but he is strong and has no physical fear of
the miscreants involved in this criminal caper.
In a telephone
interview with Mr. Kalb this morning we were told that he had been
given information that was faulty; he had voted, along with all
other members of the council for Bauer’s proposal to purchase the
Marting’s store building.
Mr. Kalb said he has talked with
several citizens who had criticized council’s action and he had
defended the purchase. He said he only recently became aware of
information about the purchase that led him to report his findings
to the Chief of Police.
MARTINGS BUILDING SHADY DEAL - A
FIASCO
The purchase of the decrepit Martings store building has
been questioned by many citizens because of the inflated price, the
age of the structure, and the extravagant reconstruction cost.
Citizens have also complained that the council passed the ordinance
to purchase the building as an "emergency," on the first reading, an
action that negated any possible input from the public.
The
purchase was swiftly approved by council when presented by Mayor
Bauer.
"IT'S A DONE DEAL"
One quick motion and a quick vote by
the council and, "It’s a done deal," as Mayor Bauer likes to say
about the many dubious deals on contracts he illegally hands out
without bids.
BAUER'S PLAN TO PUT POLICE IN BASEMENT - A HAZARD
TO PUBLIC SAFETY
Also, many, many citizens (including this
website) have criticized Mayor Bauer’s plans to place the Police
Department in the basement of the old store after it is to be
re-habbed. Most citizens disagreed with this plan by Bauer because
of the emergency nature of police work. When a citizen (or a fellow
police officer), is injured or in serious danger the police need to
be able to respond as quickly as possible.
A minute can mean
life or death in many emergency situations. An extra minute to get
out of the basement may mean death or disaster to some citizen.
Also, burying the police away in the basement makes it difficult for
citizens to get to the police for records or assistance.
BAUER
SHOULD BE IN BASEMENT
It has been difficult for Sentinel
reporters to understand Bauer’s thinking on this matter. With his
record of corruption and arrogant neglect of his duties he has
angered many citizens. With so many citizens angry and disgusted
with Mayor Bauer he should want to put the police department on the
first floor and place himself in the basement in some "undisclosed
location." With Greg Bauer’s number of real friends he should want
as many police officers between him and the public as
possible.
Jim Kalb, President of the City Council, is to be
highly commended for his bravery in reporting city corruption to
Chief of Police Charles Horner.
Retaliation by Mayor against
honest councilman expected.
Jim Kalb is aware of the type of
people he is reporting on, and he knows that retaliation against him
is to be expected now that he has been bold enough to report such
official potentially criminal actions, but Councilman Kalb is
unafraid. We commend him, for we speak with wisdom of past
experiences with local officials.
We are well aware of the
dangers involved when you tell or print the true facts about some
public officials. Shawnee Sentinel reporters have been lied to, lied
about, abused, and even robbed of newspapers by an armed deputy
sheriff inside the county courthouse.
Two Sentinel reporters
were fired upon in a shotgun ambush by Sheriff Donini’s Chief
Special Deputy while investigating the Sheriff’s hilltop pleasure
spot known as the "Sheriff’s Camp" on McLaughlin Hill Road in
Jefferson Township in the late evening of August 22, 1998.
Retaliation is real, be alert Mr. Kalb.
So, reporting the truth
as you have boldly done can be "hazardous to your health." We know
you are not afraid, but be careful, Jim Kalb. You have good dogs and
a very good security system at your home, but be careful when you
are out.
There is good news for you. There will be friends
watching your back and the Police will be providing protection for
you; they are competent and quick.
Jim Kalb has the guts to
stand up and do what is right. Who will be next to do as Jim Kalb
has so boldly done?
(Written and published at 7:20 p.m. on
Tuesday, February 24, 2004 by Austin Leedom.)
47 DAYS UNTIL
RECALL ELECTION
We will view Bauer’s "friends," one by one, day
by day, until Election.
(By Austin Leedom at 12:30 a.m. on
Monday, May 03, 2004)
Mayor Greg Bauer’s contractors and vendors
are going to spend a lot of money to keep Greg in office. If Bauer
loses, contracts may be issued honestly: this will have a serious
effect on the profits of many of his "friends" who have profited
greatly while Bauer has raised your taxes.
Doug Deepe reported
yesterday that the "Keep Bauer Mayor" group has been active in
gathering money for a big advertising campaign. We have information
that a big fund-raising dinner will be held at the Elks City Club on
May 17th.
Ticket prices are designed to accommodate all of the
Mayor’s friends. For just $250.00 per couple you can go to the Club,
eat all you can hold and drink enough so you can bear to associate
with the other elite $250.00 "guests."
Also, as a bonus you may
be able to obtain a special favor or solidify an over-priced
contract that Bauer will try to sneak past council unbid with the
help of Council-people Ann Sydnor, Carol Caudill and Howard
Baughman. "Howie" B. holds first place in proposing that almost all
council ordinances are passed as emergencies on the first reading.
This is a big help to corruption, as these Councilpersons and the
Mayor do not want the citizens to have an opportunity to know what
the ordinance is about until it has already become law. Example: the
theft of funds from the city coffers to pay Clay Johnson (he is also
known as the Marting Foundation, it’s a one-man foundation) two
million dollars for a $762,000 old building in May 2002.
Invest
only $250.00 per couple donation and you can associate with local
"royalty."
At the Mayor’s party you may have the "honor" of
dining and drinking with the Honorable Judge Richard T. Schisler,
and his wife Sallie. The Schislers were reported as being present at
a fund raising planning meeting in Greg Bauer’s apartment earlier
this week. According to Doug Deepe’s report the Schislers have
referred to Mayor Bauer as "our boy." Just think of the glory of
rubbing elbows with such elite society. There will be many "special"
persons at the party. The Schisler’s are two of our
favorites.
Judge Schisler is infamous for a court rule (Rule 28)
he created that makes it impossible for any "common" person to ever
file any charges in his court against any of his elite "friends."
Schisler’s law is unconstitutional and in violation of the Ohio
Revised Code, but it gives safety from prosecution to his "friends."
The judge has also gained a notorious reputation of using the power
of his office to give special consideration to cases involving SOMC
where his wife is employed.
Judge Schisler is also of bad repute
for a few other things, but we will not write of "other things" at
this time.
Sallie Schisler, as you may have read it a previous
article on Doug Deepe’s website, helped the Mayor in 2002 to do the
public relations work on the Martings Purchase when Bauer first
began lying to the people about this monstrous grand theft involving
Clay Johnson. Sallie is well qualified; Southern Ohio Medical Center
pays her well as chief of public relations. Her work includes giving
the hospital "business " a clean image. An impossible job, but she
tries hard.
Mrs. Schisler works for SOMC. Greg Bauer is her
"boy." SOMC has already obtained free advertising for their hospital
business from Mayor Bauer. The banner-type signs hanging on the
public traffic light poles in downtown Portsmouth are advertisements
for SOMC. (on Monday, May 3, 2004, the SOMC banner signs were
down)
SOMC pays big money to the Portsmouth Daily Times for ads,
but SOMC gets free ads on our city traffic light poles. These ads
are paid for by the taxes of every citizen in Portsmouth; even
citizens who may not be able to afford $250.00 for tickets to the
Mayor’s recall defense fundraiser.
Tomorrow we will look at
another of Mayor Greg Bauer’s "friends."
(By Austin Leedom at
12:30 a.m. on Monday, May 03, 2004) (12:30 a.m. May 5, 04)
STATE
AUDITORS MISSING AFTER COUNCIL INTERFERENCE
(Posted by Austin
Leedom on Friday, April 30, 2004 at 3:40 a.m.)
STATE EXAMINERS
LEFT CITY HALL WEDNESDAY MORNING AFTER CITY COUNCILPERSONS ANN
SYDNOR, HOWARD BAUGHMAN AND CAROL CAUDILL INTERRUPTED THEIR AUDIT
WORK WITH INTERVIEWS. AUDITORS DID NOT RETURN TO WORK ON
THURSDAY, April 29, 2004, according to inside sources at City Hall.
NEW TREES DOWNTOWN
(Posted at 3:40 a.m. Friday, April 30,
2004 by Austin Leedom)
Wooten Landscape Company of Minford is
planting seventy-one (71) dwarf Corinthian Linden trees on
Chillicothe Street and on adjoining cross streets. Cost of project
is not known at this time. Is this part of Mayor Bauer’s
beautification program in advance of arrival of Mayors for
conference in June? Contractor told Sentinel reporter that
these dwarf trees would hold less birds than present trees.
MAYOR
CAN’T BEAR INVESTIGATION INTO CRIMES HE HAS COMMITTED
By
Austin Leedom at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, May 01, 2004
Mayor Greg
Bauer’s dubious deal with C.B.Hermann Insurance is being
investigated by Chief of Police Charles Horner, according to
Portsmouth Daily Times (PDT) top reporter Jeff Barron in today’s
issue, Saturday, May 01, 2004.
Mayor Bauer’s illegal acts
can’t bear scrutiny and publicity; Bauer is against any
investigation into the theft and mis-use of public money. Bauer and
three members of the city council, Ann Sydnor, Howard Baughman and
Carol Caudill are the key public figures in the biggest criminal
activity in town.
According to PDT Reporter Barron, Mayor
Bauer cried, "I wish his (Horner’s) efforts in discrediting the
administration would be focused on addressing crime issues in our
community instead of scrutinizing every move the administration
makes."
A question for Mayor Bauer: What makes you say that
scrutinizing your acts will bring discredit to your
administration?
Chief Horner is focused on crime issues. Some
of the top criminals in Portsmouth are the three elected council
members mentioned above and Mayor Bauer.
These people have
robbed the citizens of Portsmouth by their illegal acts and have
caused property tax raises on all the citizens except their buddies
who have been given tax abatements.
The average citizens
have received nothing from Bauer’s administration except tax
increases, and mis-information.
These City Hall gangsters
have caused more damage to the city than all other criminals by
taking funds meant to help the citizens and putting this public
money into their own pockets and into the pockets of other
crooks.
Chief Horner has been also investigating the crooked
Marting’s deal that Mayor Bauer and council committed in paying
Attorney\banker Clay Johnson two million dollars for the old
Marting’s building that was appraised for only $762,000.
By
Austin Leedom at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, May 01,
2004
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