“DOWN HOME” FAIRHOPE JESTER
The last Fairhope City Council meeting should prove to everyone that this “Catalyst” Council is not going to listen to their constituents, they are benefiting, with an insurance package, from a part time job, that other part time employees are exempt from.
Wake up Fairhope the last recreation piece of property Burrell and Council had authority over was the soccer fields. Millions was spent on a soccer field complex that had no plan, did not meet specifications, and was across from a gun range. Now Council wishes to locate another recreation property, in an area that is in an aircraft flight pattern???? This deal stinks so much that Councilman Conyers and Robinson jumped ship, for the first time. Burrell, Boone and Brown were all in to purchase 2.6 million in property without any public hearing. FOLLOW THE MONEY.
It is also not in the budget, so now they have to cut other services and departments and re arrange the whole budget. This will be the forth year in a row that the Council will not approve a City Budget on time.
This Council has been holding up infrastructure projects since they were elected.
The Council rejected land that had the most public support, for a piece of land Burrell Boone and Brown wanted that had no public support or public notice, it also did not pass muster with the National Park recommendations. The appraisal is highly questionable and should be investigated.
It should be mentioned that Councilman Brown got the soccer field clubhouse/bathroom contract over $750,000. This was just a warm up to the ESAC contract. You as a citizen of the community should be asking how the hell this was allowed to happen?
This Council was found guilty, in Federal Court for violating the right of free speech. That case is now is being used in similar cases as a precedent around the country. Fairhope Council President Burrell and Council now have the dubious reputation of this case around their necks.
Councilman Brown now has his eyes on the new recreation property and the potential contracts it may yield.
“I did not use my position as Fairhope city councilman to get it rewarded. We were awarded the project because of our reputation. The ESAC is a nonprofit; they don’t follow municipal bid law where projects are publicly bid.”
Mr Brown’s reputation is based on HIS actions. The EASC being a non-profit is moot. Councilman Mr. Brown holds a board position with EASC, His sole responsibility is to be Ethical, Transparent and Accountable to EASC and the Citizens of Fairhope. He has failed. The EASC Board made a horrible mistake by awarding the sole bid to Mr. Brown.
The Ethics Complaint has been in a limbo status since May 2 2018. The Ethics letter below will show you the contempt and condescending attitude that they had to the allegations in the complaint. The Ethics Commission could make three telephone calls and see enough red flags to investigate the complaint. The Ethics Commission’s inaction and dismissals of complaints, actually encourage elected officials, to use their office for personal gain. [embeddoc url=“https://cdn.rippreport.com/ethics-complaint.pdf" download=“all”]
What’s important is that you cannot use your office to create a benefit for our self or any business with which you’re associated or your family. You may bid on the work but you cannot have used or use in the future your position to get it awarded.
s the above what we want our children and the Fairhope Junior Council to understand as an ethical guide to good government? Does the above not support Ethics, Accountability and Transparency?
The second choice is the opposite, elected officials who use their office for personal gain are contributing to political corruption, they violate Ethical standards have no Transparency or Accountability. If you do not understand that, stop reading.
You have to ask yourself, How can citizens of a community ignore the most basic common sense public policy. “Public Officials cannot use their office for personal gain.” This is a policy of the Ethics Commission as well, they do not enforce their own policy.
The Ethics Commission is the investigator, it should not be incumbent upon the citizens of the community to be the investigator.
THE COMPLAINT AGAINST MR. BROWN INVOLVING THE EASTERN SHORE ART CENTER WILL BE SENT TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL< NEXT WEEK.
Councilman Brown also was all in on giving away 102 acres of municipal property.
The Council almost got away with the give away, but do not go to sleep because the three BBB’s will sting ya and try this give away again, while you are sleeping.
Fairhope City Council is a Catalyst Council, it does not listen or respect community involvement.
Fairhope has had one City Council President in office for over 7 years, Jack Burrell. Burrell leads the dog and pony show.
Burrell ,Boone and Brown, who have all used their office for personal gain, should not be trusted to make a 2.6 million dollar purchase, using tax money, without community involvement.