What A Bunch Of Assholes
Posted by Jeff Pruitt - 8/15/08 @ 12:10 am - Filed Under Featured, Local Politics
I don’t use profanity much here at FWP so I apologize if this offends anybody but some things are so outrageous they invoke a visceral response.
If you didn’t read Kevin Leininger’s column in today’s NS then you should. As expected, Oakmont Development has decided to sue the plan commission for rejecting their Canyon Cliffs project. What is completely outrageous is that they have decided to sue them as individuals and not members of a government body:
Significantly, the three commission members are being sued as individuals, not as public officials protected from liability, “because governmental entities and employees are not immune from negligence in the performance of ministerial duties.”
[...]
“I didn’t realize you could sue (commission members) individually. This puts a different twist on what you volunteer for. Why would anyone ever serve?” she (Susan Hoot) said.
Of course that is exactly the point - these guys want to intimidate people into doing their bidding. They are trying to send a message that any government official or volunteer board member that dares to cross them will put their own financial well-being in jeopardy. The vast majority of the community is against them, the plan commission is against them, so their only recourse is to bring baseless personal lawsuits.
I’m sure I’ll get a litany angry e-mails but it doesn’t matter as nothing is going to change how I feel about this - these guys are a bunch of assholes…
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14 Responses to “What A Bunch Of Assholes”
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This (the lawsuit) is so ridiculous that it barely deserves a reply. If any Judge even allows this to go to trial you can almost be certain that there is a money connection between the developers and the Judge.
And this has nothing to do with my opinion about the development itself. I was against H.S., and I supported the efforts of many citizens to try and force the City to be honest about this. I also opposed the smoking ban, and I supported the right of the bar owners to challenge that LAW in court. But to sue individual Council members for their votes is absolutely ridiculous.
So what if they acted arbitrarily and capricously, that is their prerogative as elected officials. If you don’t like the law, challenge IT in court. If you don’t like the individuals, challenge them in the elections.
This is an outrage.
I do not believe that Neizer will win this suit….but these three are going to be forced to hire an attorney to defend them….Neizer is just extracting his pound of flesh.
Kevin,
Very well put Kevin, it is an outrage.
Mike Sylvester
I like Susan Hoot didn’t even think this was legal.
“If you don’t like the law, challenge IT in court. If you don’t like the individuals, challenge them in the elections.”
Mr. Marx is “spot on”! However, as most of us know, when big bucks are at stake he who has the most money rules.
Actions like these are the very reason fewer volunteers or candidates are willing run for office. Yes Jeff. The are, as you rightly say, assholes!
Phil, the thing that makes this suit even worse is that the members of the Plan Commission are generally NOT elected officials - they are volunteers who spend a lot of their time with no pay to do what they think is best for the community.
Attack the messengers. Defend the policymakers. This must be an Allen County/Fort Wayne mantra.
I think it is hypocritical that while we still don’t know the results of the Omnisource environmental study, the county is trying to protect one creek. But I don’t like this lawsuit at all, because it can work both ways. Deny someone permission to build, you get sued. Grant someone permission to build, you get sued by somebody else.
Jeff:
You’re being TOO KIND regarding what you (rightfully) call these morons…!
;)
B.G.
Add one more person to grab a deal… Bill Beam, who just last year purchased the building on Adams Center Road. Now he is going to LEASE it to our local purse manufacture. He is seeking a tax abatement on the property while Vera Bradly is seeking tax abatements on other parts of the project.
Let see, Mr. Beam is a major player in the local GOP. One has to wonder if he knew the county was already engineering (spending part of the 11 million dollars federal money) for Maplecrest Extended when he purchased the property?
Then we have Ken Nubbie makiing a bargin deal off of a local nonprofit to obtain property for the Sheriff Fries. Of course he kept the best five acres for himself. One has to wonder if he knew the county was already engineering (spending part of the 11 million doallars federal money) for Maplecrest Extended?
Oh, how this list keeps on going… One has to wonder when all of the payoffs is going to stop?
Then again we will not talk about who site developed the Wal-Mart on Lima Road or who is site developing the Heritage Retirement Center on St. Joe Road just south of 469. Where they both not approved by the County Zoning Board?
Robert:
Just a clarification - the OmniSource issue is a city issue; Cedar Creek is a county issue.
The lawsuit is ludicrous. Let’s hope that all the happenings will shine a light on just how many conflicts of interest exist and just how rampant the policy of “I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine” really is.
I love the Vera Bradley article - kidding of course. The headline touts “490 new jobs”, but the reality is the company terminated even more than that when it ended its relationship with several local companies who made Vera Bradley products.
Charlotte,
What I like is the wage payment they are going to pay… $24 grand for people to sew. That is 12 bucks per hour. Then again that may include fringe which would put it around 8-9 an hour. If it is overhead cost then the sewer will earn closer to 7 bucks per hour. Just depends what you roll into the number. I just can not wait to see the masses of Northeast Fort Wayne people lining up to drive Maplecrest extended to become a sewer for Vera Bradley. I guess the people of southeast Fort Wayne can not sew if you follow the story as it claiming the help Maplecrest Extended will do for them…. Can I please start laughing now!!!!
I guess I am still puzzled by the reason Vera Bradley terminated its other contracts. I know the company has provided excuses such as moving work in house.
Somehow though, given the propensity to outsource production, I still think it has to do with moving more production overseas.
The company refused to state what amount of work was being outsourced.
This looks like a SLAPP suit (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation). I had one of these once. I think the Legislature then amended the law to make these much more risky for assholes.