RFP Special Response Team
With the primary looming in our future, we’ll recap the performance of County Commissioners who face reelection: Judy Klusman, Greg Edds, and Jim Greene. Well known for wasting huge sums of taxpayer money on poorly thought out projects (sometimes illegal that the Commission’s minority, Pierce and Caskey called to their attention). Let’s recap:
• The infamous I-85 “gateway” signage that NC DOT wisely never approved. The private dollars that Edds claimed were to be collected to pay for over half of the signs costs were never collected. Why didn’t Edds do at least the minimum of research on these two embarrassing signs before moving forward? Of course Klusman, Edds, and Greene didn’t need approval to blow money on design work and much needed survey work. Be glad they don’t work in the safety deposit box department of some bank.
• The trio stopped all leases at West End Plaza, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenues. Holding off any needed upfitting not already in the works. The upfitting costs far more now as the economy improves and construction costs and interest costs skyrocket. Dozens of small business owners were forcefully herded into blighted Downtown Salisbury to set up shop (many didn’t go because leases down there were prohibitive and the area was unsafe) when affordable space at West End was unavailable. The few small businesses who adventured into Downtown Salisbury opened and closed within months due to the leasing costs, Municipal Services District Tax, fees, costly hit n’ quit vandalism, and overhead were so extreme and the foot traffic almost non existent. Thank you Klusman, Edds, and Greene for fighting for rattlesnake real estate special interests.
• The land give away to Easter Creek Development to build a spec commercial building never finished and yet they are claiming possession of the property. This was the only buildable land in the County for commercial or industrial development. What a deal for Easter Creek and a kick in the pants for the County. At least, Pierce voted against it, calling the incentive deal illegal until Klusman, Edds, and Greene were forced rewrite the contract to get around the State statute.
• The outrageous Apple lease for I-Pads for the school system for 16 million dollars where the same equipment could have been purchased from the Apple equipment the schools already had for a mere 16 thousand dollars. But School System wouldn’t have have received the Apple Technology Award without forking huge money over for the deal. Again, Pierce objected and called out the superintendent and the entire school board for sending the overpriced request to the Commission. Klusman, Edds, and Greene took the bait and passed it without a thought. The alleged school system needs to put Klusman, Edds, and Greene’s names on the $16 million dollar Apple Technology Award.
• While Edds, Klusman, and Greene waste millions of County taxpayer dollars and never created any meaningful projects to help our citizens, a least we have two commissioners Pierce and Caskey who fight for our County Taxpayers and do projects that put our County ahead.
As the fundraising season approaches, let’s pay close attention to the supporters’ donations to the Klusman, Edds, and Greene and then decide if want to support their businesses.