Fringe Alert: Biggest Boondoggle 2010
In a year full of idiotic boondoggles, the nominating committee had a real challenge coming up with the best, or worst, depending on your point of view. The committee considered size, because it matters, but also pure, unfiltered nonsense, too.
1. The Hall of Shame. County Clerk-Recorder paid a campaign supporter named Brett Barbre $48,000 to “study” an OC Sports Hall of Fame. Forget the fact that this has nothing to do with Daly’s job, or that Barbre was nothing other than a cash conduit. Just remember that the guy didn’t do anything. As Daly succinctly put it: Barbre was paid for ideas not long reports, and of course Daly got neither. Too bad it was our money. Oh, yeah -the media snoozed.
2. The Money Pit. Chalk up another one for Tom Daly. He talked the County Supervisors into sinking $2.1 million into a tear-down derelict building in Santa Ana to house his archives and his defunct Sports Hall of Fame (see above). The Board was lied to and crucial information about the true cost of making the building habitable was withheld. To this day collective amnesia reigns, especially with John Moorlach who ordered an investigation and later went along with the cover-up. Yep, the media snoozed.
3. The Megalopolis. Yet another plan for downtown Fullerton, Der Transporation Center Meisterplan anticipates the final destruction of any remaining authenticity in Fullerton and its replacement with every master planner’s wet-dream. Albert Speer would be proud. Fortunately it will never come to fruition. But millions will be wasted and lots of damage done trying. Be sure to thank Bankhead, Jones and Keller next time you see them.
4. Pringle’s Folly. High Speed Rail – LA to Anaheim. Not needed and not wanted except by Anaheim’s ex-Mayor-for-Hire and recent tongue bath recipient Kurt Pringle; Pringle was recently busted by the Attorney General for holding incompatible offices, and Jerry B. now knows what Orange County has known all along: Pringle is in it for Pringle. Big Time. FFFF has shared the record of foreign junkets, cover-ups, faked ridership numbers, etc., etc. I don’t even have the energy to do the links. I get tired just thinking about it.
The damage done by this monster to the fabric of the cities it would pass through and to the public purse is incalculable. But hey, Kurt’s gotta pay his bills, too, right?
Well there you have it, Friends. Four embarrassing boondoggles of varying shapes and sizes. Who will the selection committee go with? Stay tuned…
The other three might be larger in scale in some ways, but The Transportation Center Specific Plan is wrong headed, anti-democratic, and specific to Fullerton that I think it should win. Far from being a transportation center plan, it is actually just another collection of retail/office/housing McFake boxes crammed as close to one another as possible for the sole purpose of making some developer rich on the taxpayer’s dime.
The funnuest part? There is no provision for High Speed Rail in it!
I have to agree. The Daly boondoggles were actually perpetrated a couple years ago. The MeisterPlan is brand new. In fact it is the idiot ZurSchmied’s parting F-U to Fullerton.
Adios Rob, don’t let the baseball ba- I mean door hit you one the way out.
If Daly was using his own money to buy the derelict building im sure he wouldn’t have done so. But hey its the tax payers money so no one will miss that money. Apparently Tommy boy likes to spend Other Peoples Money. Shame Tommy!!! Shame on you!!
I’m dying to hear 4SD Observer explain how that Transportation Center plan in any way comports to any of the bullshit Pam Keller promised in her 2006 scampaign: citizen-driven development, no influence from outside developers. Ha.Hahahahaha!
This is Keller’s parting F-U to Fullerton!
True enough, Joe. Still we may be able to take comfort in JFDs idea that nothing will come of it. But a lot of damage may be done trying.
Everything I needed to know in life I learned in kindergarten. I learned: there is no such thing as a stupid question, be nice to everyone and share your toys and make sure others share their toys and wealth on silly public projects because that is the nice thing to do, and don’t say mean things about people evenn if it is true anywhere at anytime and especially on blog sites that are read by fullertonions.
“fullertonions”
Now that’s funny. I call them Chamber of Commerce members. Barely smarter than onions.
Fullertonions… I love it. Makes me want to cry. Boo Hoo.
Speaking of RZS, how about w catsgory for best retirement/resignation?
That’s the problem, the worst ones don’t resign, they just reshuffle. Speaking of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic:
http://fullertonchamber.com/archives/2442
All good choices., #4 (HSR) isn’t complete without mentioning the millions of Measure M dollars that Pringle got funneled into his new (wrong side of the 57) train station that hasn’t attracted any private funding as he assured everyone it would. No conflict there either.
NOT SURE WHICH IS WORSE: THE $29-MILLION BOND FOR REDEVELOPMENT AND “LOW-INCOME HOUSING” OR THE TRANSPORTATION CENTER SPECIFIC PLAN.
wonder if tom is happy that his girl anna is back because i know i i am!!!