Fauxhope elected a council and mayor that represent the godfathers of the Fairhope good ole boys. This council and mayor are back to Mayor Can’t days. The city attorney is put in place to protect “THEIR” agenda. The municipal judge is a major developer in Fauxhope and his developments must meet the approval of the council that “APPOINTED” him as municipal judge.
It would not surprise me if less that 10 people in Fauxhope really know what their city government is doing.
Fairhope’s Triangle, is Fairhope’s most valuable land asset. This vacant piece of land has been the focus of litigation, on and off for over 25 years. Ultimately, Fairhope purchased the land as part of the legal settlement, for 11.25 Million which included the legal fees of approximately 3 million. Estimated land value today would be between 18 and 20 million.
The Restore Act Money, from BP, started a stampede of political entities, State, County and Municipal, to go for all the money they could grab.
Baldwin County Commissioners have their Mega “dump” Site.
DEAD LAST Mid term elections will again bring up all the advantages of the Baldwin County Mega site. Politicians, county commissioners and their hacks, all on board with the annual round of promises that the mega site, will soon pay off. Never mind that this is the same story since the purchase in mid 2011. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT In 2012 the Baldwin County Commission convinced itself that Baldwin County needed to spend 32 Million dollars on 2300 usable acres called the Mega site.
The Fairhope City Council is the worst council in the history of the community. Public trust, oath of office and conflict of interest are ignored and leadership is non existent. Their primary goal has been to obstruct the Mayor in any way possible. The Mayor’s office has been reduced to 2500 dollars for discretionary funds, the previous administration was allocated 15 thousand dollars, make no mistake you are the loser.
The Fairhope City Council should be recognized for it’s political spin. City council members, Burrell, Boone and Brown, the busy bees, scurried to Bone and Barrel restaurant immediately after the council meeting Monday night. They know that they should not be meeting, as per open meetings rules, with a quorum of the council, but hell they had to get their stories straight over a drink. This is proof that council members are meeting in a quorum, discussing what?
Well folks if you were watching football this last Monday night and have no idea what is going on with the Fairhope City Council, that same night, let me fill you in because a couple of councilmen were hoping you were distracted.
I must preface this commentary by first repeating something that inspired The Ripp Report many years ago. The realization that Baldwin County was extremely corrupt and that of the 14 municipalities of Baldwin County, Fairhope was the center of the corruption and majority of corrupt “connected,” players.
I have followed four Fairhope city councils and one thing I can tell you is with each new council several things became abundantly clear. The new members of the council are usually influenced by longer serving members. However, the newer members are usually kept in the dark as to the backstory involving long-term issues concerning the city. Another observation was the utter lack of transparency and accountability. I give our previous Mayor full credit for using the aforementioned tactics.
The City of Fairhope has three days before it swears in a new Mayor and begins another chapter in its history. It is past due time to turn the page.
In the recent City Sketches, the centerfold article “if they build it they will come” is a glowing tribute to Mayor Kant’s accomplishments. This city magazine has been a propaganda tool of the Mayor, paid for with tax dollars, and supported by a disingenuous editorial staff of one person.
QUESTIONS FOR MAYOR KANT
1. Planning and Zoning The number one financial drain in Fairhope is the Planning and Zoning Board.
They are appointed by the Mayor and are responsible for dozens of lawsuits since their appointment. They are also responsible for MILLIONS of dollars in lawsuit representation and settlements.
Mayor Kant uses the planning and zoning board as a vehicle for good ole boy deals and in doing so he violates our ordinances and our comprehensive plan.
Stay tuned folks for some interesting stores that are in the works involving our corrupt Baldwin County family court system. We will share with you how Baldwin County Commissioners and their connections to local Mayors impact YOUR quality of life.
Why do you know who has changed their Name? Wait till you hear this one.
The sheer number of tips to the Rippster is a reflection of the disgust by the general public of its elected officials.
