ANOTHER FRAUD
UNDERWAY WITH COUNCIL
PLANS FOR A NEW CITY
BUILDING.
Written by Austin Leedom, 1:50 a.m.
Monday, December 10, 2007
IF THIS CORRUPTION CONTINUES
CITIZENS HOPEFULLY
WILL SEEK PRISON TIME FOR THE MAYOR AND
COUNCILMEN FOR ORGANIZED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.
FEDERAL
FUNDS ARE INVOLVED,
PERHAPS A FEW SENTENCES TO FEDERAL PRISONS
WILL
IMPROVE CITY GOVERNMENT.
Over twenty years ago
the Southern Ohio Growth Program (SOGP),
an organization
chartered by Attorney Clayton Johnson allegedly to
operate a
“program for the betterment of Portsmouth” by handling federal and
state
grants, was given special status by the City
Council.
Clay Johnson has done well; he has
become a multi-millionaire and dubious
associates have fared
well, but the City of Portsmouth and most of the rest
of us have
suffered as businesses have failed, unemployment, welfare,
violent crime, prostitution and illicit drug activity soared to
all-time highs.
This ever worsening situation
was wonderful for Clay Johnson; more crime,
more unemployment,
more welfare, more homes vacated enabled SOGP to
receive more
money each year to battle the poverty conditions in
Portsmouth.
Over the past fifteen years more than
$293,000,000 has been channeled to
this area through grants from
the United States Department of Agriculture,
Bureau of Rural
Development for the “betterment of Portsmouth.”
The SOGP
has refused repeatedly to make an accounting of the spending
of
this money. Their operations and spending are more secretive
than
the Cosa Nostra. (Mafia)
SOGP has
controlled the Council throughout the years since SOGP was
given
special status by the Council. SOGP has plans; they do make
plans
years in advance. Our Mayor and Council have no
plans; they make no
plans; they get their orders from SOGP bosses
Clay Johnson and his real
estate partner, Neal Hatcher.
Mayor Jim Kalb admitted he got his plans
from Neal Hatcher, to
this reporter, in August, 2004, soon after Kalb
took office as
Mayor from the deposed Gregory Bauer who was recalled
in 2-1
vote on June 22, 2004.
One of the plans was put in
action soon after the last repairs were made
to City Hall in
1975. The order went out to neglect our present
building,
make it look shabby, fail to clean or repair anything
less than a real
emergency (such as a failed furnace in cold
weather), if the roof leaked
destroying the interior, let it
leak. Then pointing to the terrible condition
of the
building they could demand a new building and move out so Clay
Johnson could order the Council to sell the present spacious
site to a
member of his organization for a very low price.
Then a present local
motel operator was to build a eight-story
luxury motel on our site;
the new motel building to be paid for
by federal grant money sent
here for the “betterment of
Portsmouth.” Of course, the new motel would
be granted tax
abatement, pay no real estate taxes for many, many
years.
Above Article Written by Austin Leedom, Monday,
December 10, 2007
Wednesday, September 26,
2007
By James K. Wilson, Sr.
Writer asks city
funds be used for childrens
playgrounds, city workers'
pay, more safety for all,
doesn’t want a fancy new
building.
“The City Building
After seeing
the bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, the
steam pipes in NYC blow
up, and the tunnel collapsed in Boston
I've come to the
conclusion that we are all nuts.
Why are we fussing
over where to build a new palace for our local elected
few?
Give our city hall workers a clean safe place to
work with a water fountain to drink from and then spend our money on
neighborhood playgrounds for our kids, streets, sewers, police,
firemen, other city workers, clean water, etc.
Make
this a town where the citizens come first. We should be
concerned about the well being of our citizens, not some palatial
structure that is used by the "elite" few of the city for only a few
hours a week.
Written By James K. Wilson, Sr.,
Portsmouth, Ohio,
Posted by Austin Leedom
Article Below written by Austin Leedom, September 23,
2007
Many
Citizens say, "Take them all out on Election
Day." Citizens are rightfully angry about
constantly increasing water rates, poor services, denial of
freedom of speech, criminal discrimination in enforcement of city
ordinances, especially sidewalk inspections,
abusive failure of Council to observe City, State and Federal
law in conducting Council meetings, angry with bullying
remarks from President and Vice of Council when
denying citizens right to utter just complaints against corrupted
officials with vicious, angry commands such as "You people
have used up all your rights," "Get out
of here, get out of my building," "all you people
sitting on the front row are pieces of crap," arrogant refusal by Mayor and Council to provide basic
humane water services on the third floor of City Hall
where council meetings are held, secret overpriced backroom contracts and the intentional shameful neglect of our
City Hall, the secretive plans to build a new City building
in the old Jeff Albrecht/Mike Mearan/Adelphia building site on
busy Washington Street near the OSCO
factory on a lot less than one acre in size and then hand
over the site on Second Street to an unnamed developer.
The plan is also to
spend 14 to 15 Million dollars on the building project on Washington
Street and also bail out a failed business next
to the Adelphia by paying $500,000 for small parcel of land
next to the
old Adelphia Building and add all the costs onto our real
estate taxes for the next twenty years.
All owners will not
pay increased real estate taxes as 28% of property in Portsmouth is
tax abated and owned by privileged wealthy
persons.
Appointed First
Ward Councilman/ Attorney Michael Hugh Mearan is leading the effort
to remove our city government building from
Second Street and make us pay more taxes on our real
estate. Mike Mearan will pay no taxes.
He doesn't pay any
real estate taxes now; he doesn't own any property, but does have
liens filed dating back to 1992 against him at
the County Courthouse in excess of $50,000 for
failure to pay his
state and federal taxes.
New Building
not wanted by citizens. New building not needed.
Mayor and Council
determined to "shove new building down our throats."
"Vote them all
out," is the cry heard across the city
from over-burdened,
over-taxed, disgusted residents.
By Austin Leedom, Sunday, September 23,
2007 |
