IT'S A GO GO GO GOFLASH: August 30, 1999::::::::::
Jenny Murphy of the Farmers & Merchants Bank Dispenses a press release to the news media. Well, to the Quincy Herald Whig, WGEM and the Press News. IT'S A GO GO GO. according to the City and Jenny, the Missouri Gaming Commission finally gave them a notice to go ahead with construction. They have been waiting 4 years for this go, go, go from the gaming commission to start construction on the new new gambling boat Sept 1, 1999.
WHOOPS. WAIT A MINUTE.
FLASH: August 31, 1999::::::::::
The news media contacted the Missouri Gaming Commission and the gaming commission stated they have no such notice. It is the same as it was four years ago. The gambling boat can and could have started building their boat 4 years ago if they wanted to.
Well now who is lying here. One side says they received this notification and the other says there is no such thing.
Well, let's look at the pattern here. The gambling boat people received the ok from the gaming commission in 1995 to take the gambling boat peoples application. Since then, come about every four to six months the gambling boat people put out a press release.
First the boat would travel the river and be placed next to the City sewer plant. Plans were displayed all over town with the drawings and location and everything.
Then, the boat was going to be placed further south where the cabins are.
Then, the boat was going a little farther south and dug into the shoreline and not be a traveling boat.
Then, the boat was going to be placed next to hiway 61 where the old ball diamond used to be.
Then, the boat was moved across hiway 61 where the City shed is.
Then, the boat was moved to south of the mobile home park.
The projected cost went from over $24 million - to $12 million - and now down to a couple million.
To bad the old Pete's Boat House burned down. They could have just used that building and put a moat around it.
On the first, Councilman Andy Ayers was asked where the bulldozers were, he said they will be here on the 3rd of September.
SEPTEMBER 3, 1999
John, who sits around on his three wheel, wheelchair down around Bunge elevator says he has seen those imaginary bulldozers digging for the imaginary boat.
FLASH:::::
Want your picture taken for FREE:
Go into G&G's anytime when the City police dispatcher is on duty and your entry and exit will be on video and taped. I guess this for in case you are arrested for DUI or DWI, they have a record of your being in a tavern.
Makes you wonder, with three known video cams and possibly more, who is getting recorded coming and going in City Hall. These cams can record sound too.
SEPTEMBER 1, 1999:
Councilman Andy Ayers now says that the letter wasn't because the City Water Commissioner was not attending the coffee klatches every day. He now says that the City Water Commissioner was not doing his job properly and the City came within an inch of having the State shut off the City water supply. He must think everyone in town is dumb.
What he is not saying is that the City water Commissioner has been asking the city council for the needed testing equipment which cost around $1,000, and the City Council won't spend the money for it.
INSTEAD the Council spent over $1,000 for a gun safe to keep old unwanted hand guns and drugs for the police department.
Did you know the City hired ANOTHER police officer. This makes three. Darn, we only have two cars. Well, they'll fix that, Police Chief Baker will get a new police car. Who cares about the cost. The City is getting a million a year from the gambling boat.
The Council is planning to build a NEW combination city street and fire department building on the corner of Route C. Cost $100,.000 PLUS.
Where is the money coming from, well they just add it to the loans already at the Farmers & Merchants Bank. So far the City is in debt for more than the taxes for the next three years, they are now trying to in debt the City for the next ten years.
SOONER OR LATER, THE TAXPAYERS WILL PAY AND PAY DEAN DEARLY.
August 27, 1999
The City Water Commissioner was given a letter of reprimand for not attending the coffee gab sessions held in City Hall every morning. Councilman Ayers stated that the Mayor did this all on his own, yet never brought up at any future Council meetings to correct it.
August 25, 1999
The City of La Grange and the Chamber of Commerce has sent out letters to a few select businesses in La Grange asking for donations for Appreciation Day. Let me get this correct. Here is a Mayor and City Council who not only does not do business or very, very little business with any business in La Grange "unless you call the Mayor selling new windows to the City while he is the Mayor, doing business" and have not only actually refused, but have gone completely out of their way to do business out of town, now want the local business's to donate to their appreciation day. Give me a break.
Neither the Mayor nor any Councilman themselves try to do business with any business in town. Even the officers of the Chamber of Commerce try not to do business in town. Now, they want local businesses to give them product or services for their appreciation day.
The Chamber of Commerce should be renamed Chamber of Citizens as there isn't one business owner holding any office. For the past several years, the Chamber of Commerce has been going to Quincy to purchase any stereos or tvs or anything they wanted to give away. Not one business in La Grange has been solicited when the Chamber wanted to buy something. Now they want the local businesses to donate to their appreciation day.
The City Council goes out of its way not to do business in town. When tires are needed for any truck, they go to Kahoka, when they need tires for the police car, they go out of town. The police car needs those special highway patrol high speed tires in case someone is speeding through the City and to get from the police chiefs home to La Grange in four minutes. Even the City Clerk sends two employees at twenty dollars an hour in a City truck to Staples to buy cleaning supplies that are available in La Grange. The street commissioner spends hours and days riding around all over the Country to get prices on tires for the City trucks when they can be bought right here in town.
The City has even gone so far to get a credit card so they can do more business at Caseys' and out of town rather than at a locally owned business. Whenever the fire department needed blowers, they didn't even contact the local small engine business. When the City Council put up for bids for a weed eater, the local business was given a set of specifications to bid on and then the City promptly bought a totally different model out of town for more money. When the City Council put up for bids for a computer, the Council promptly purchased the computer from a company 70 miles away for $1,000 more than a local in town bid. Then the City Council just recently paid another $1,000 to have the computer Y2Kd which is done locally for $50.00.
What is this all about. It is about a City Council and Chamber of Commerce who will go completely out of their way not to do business with any business in town and then want the local business to donate to them. This is what happens when not one business owner is on the Council or holding any office in the Chamber of Citizens, er Commerce. When the City and the Chamber do not support their local businesses, the business just closes its doors. Like the grocery store twice. They don't care, they get their paycheck every week.
Questions?
How can a Mayor force a City employee to a coffee gabfest a City Hall in the mornings?
How can a Mayor force this to happen or get fired?
How can a Mayor get away with cussing out an employee? Constantly?
Why wasn't a police officer on duty last Saturday nite?
Why did the City Police Chief Mike Baker search one employee for stolen CB and scanner and not any other?
Maybe the Police Chief should look in a garage.
Whose stupid idea was it to use sand for a base for a road to the "new" site for the City maintenance and fire station building?
Of the Councilmen asked, none knew the answer.AND THE BIG QUESTION?????
What City records were destroyed by fire? Who decided what was to be destroyed? and finally WHY??August 16, 1999
PROJECT BRIGHTER FUTUREWas it S.O.S save our school
or was it
G.O.S.A. give our school away
Consider this:Number 1:
When the original SOS was formed several years ago and the SOS members went around town to gather support and get signatures of people on a petition to do the boundary change, RALPH MARTIN and family refused to support and sign the petition.
Why?
Number 2:
Ralph Martin was asked by the Lewis County School Board to serve on a committee to evaluate the schools for closing. Ralph at the same time was an elected City Councilman. Ralph was on this committee for several months and at no time mentioned the fact that he was on this committee to close the La Grange School to anyone.
Why?
Number 3:
As an elected official of the City of La Grange Missouri he kept it a secret from the People of La Grange and never made mention of it at any City Council meeting.
Why?
Number 4:
Only when he mistakenly mentioned to a former SOS member that the Lewis County School Board was going to have a meeting in a couple of weeks to close the La Grange School did this information come out.
Number 5:
A meeting was called at the La Grange lions Club to alert the people of La Grange about the closing of the La Grange School. Ralph Martin appointed himself chairman and Fred Wiewel co-chairman.
Why?
Number 6:
At the School board meeting Ralph Martin and Fred Wiewel spoke to the board and begged to save our school instead of challenging the School board.
Why?
Number 7:
Ralph Martin and Fred Wiewel steadfastly refused the offer of any of the old SOS members. Many of the older SOS members were flatly told their help was not needed.
WHY?
Number 8:
Ralph Martin and Fred Wiewel through Project Brighter Future raised thousands of dollars to Save our School.
Number 9:
Ralph Martin and Fred Wiewel hired an attorney that no one saw or spoke to, that was supposedly never beaten in Court and filed a stupid lawsuit regarding the Sunshine Law.
WHY?
Number 10:
Ralph Martin and Fred Wiewel refused any other ways to stop the closing of our school.
WHY?
Number 11:
This is the big one.
WHERE IS ALL THAT MONEY?
Who has it now?
What happened to the new boundary change attempt?
WHERE IS ALL THE MONEY RALPH MARTIN???
WHY DON'T YOU PRINT A FULL DISCLOSURE OF WHERE ALL THAT MONEY WENT?
August 9, 1999
La Grange Revitalization Organization
So far the only ones I know are members are Susan Dean, Jim Ellison,
& Susan HiggensAt one time Ralph Martin and Fred Wiewel were members until they formed Project Brighter Future. The may be still members.
At first the LRO was trying to take property from the Blacks in town by harassing them by using the DNR and EPA.
They also used the City, "Ralph Martin - Fred Wiewel" by using the condemnation laws against citizens of La Grange to force them to sell their property.
When Jerry Brandt complained to the Gaming Commission about their unfair tactics to force people to sell their property, the LRO changed it tactics.
The LRO seems to be a part of a group of people I call the Gambling Boat Group. There are several people in this group.
So far I have identified the above, Susan Dean, Jim Ellison, & Susan Higgens. But I also believe that this group also includes Ralph Martin, Fred Wiewel, Jenny Murphy, & Mayor Harold Ludwig.
They have been using others to go around to people who own property near or around where they plan the Gambling Boat is going to be and have them try to buy the property from these people. The LRO also tries to buy the same property, giving the property owner the idea that there are bidders against each other, when in fact it is the gambling boat group bidding against itself just to get a price.
The LRO is supposed to be a Not for Profit Organization for the people of La Grange.
But really, what is the LRO?
How did the LRO come about at the same time the City of La Grange just happened to pick Dean Phillips to bring La Grange a Boat?
Yet, the LRO was already formed BEFORE the City picked a boat.
How did the LRO know that Dean Phillips was going to be chosen as the one to bring a boat to La Grange, BEFORE the Council meeting?
Where does the LRO get all its money?
Why Doesn't the LRO print a financial statement?
How much money does the LRO have?
Is the LRO for the people of La Grange or just for the few members of the LRO?
In regards to all the property the LRO is buying, Who will end up owning it if the boat comes?
Who will benefit from the LRO owning the property?
Where is the LRO getting the money to build that building on Main Street?
Who decides how much will be paid for a piece of property?
If the LRO is for the people of La Grange, why don't the LRO members publicly make a statement to the newspaper as to who they are, what they are doing, what they plan to do, and how the people of La Grange will benefit.
What are the LRO members, Susan Dean, Jim Ellison, Susan Higgens and others plan to get out of serving as officers for the LRO?
Why did they have Isabel Reaves put in jail? Was it because they wanted her property on the hill that will overlook the proposed gambling boat site? Why wasn't she appointed an attorney?
What will happen to Juanita Allen if she doesn't sell her trailer park?
MORE TO COME LATER
GUNS IN CITY HALL
DRUGS IN CITY HALL
ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES OF THE CITY COUNCIL and why they will be summoned to court.
WHY THE GAMING COMMISSION WILL NOT GIVE A GAMING LICENSE TO WARD SAVAGE.
No, it is not his fault.