3/3/12

Why would the "Non-Biased PAC task force" hire what some believe looks like a biased, rent seeking "consultant" to study feasibility?


Steven A. Wolff, CMC, Principal
AMS Planning & Research Corp. Presented October 20, 2011
to the annual convention of the Association of ...Pacific Performing Arts Centres...

We are committed to the arts.


Your success is our success.

From AMS Planning & Research Corp. PAC Stats brochure

Does the brochure give anyone the idea
that AMS Planning may provide a biased feasibility study
in exchange for an annual fee after the center is built?

Does the last page of the brochure where AMS shows their annual fee
give anyone the impression that the PAC task force is rigged?


Economic Impact / Feasibility Task Force

Patrice Hinnant, co-chair
Reid Phillips, co-chair
Betty Cone
Notable Robbie Perkins 2011
Campaign Contributors:

Roy Carroll, whom Robbie works for
Betty Cone
Susan Schwartz
Samet - had a representative on the study
Randall Kaplan
David Craft
Joseph Gorga - Study Group
Charles Hagan - Study Group?
Ross Harris - Campaign Manager

Florence Gatten

Nancy Vaughan 2011:
Jim Melvin
Florence Gatton - Study Group?
Ross Harris
David Craft
Sue Schwartz
Daniel Craft
Charles Hagan III

Larry Czarda
Laura Way
Len White
Lewis Cheek
Mac Sims

Jim Kee 2011 Campaign Contributors:

Don Linder - Study Group?
Jim Melvin - Study Group
Henry Isaacson - Study Group, Roy's attorney?
Mac Sims
Robbie Perkins
Zack Matheny
David Craft
Ralph Shelton - Study Group?
Nancy Vaughan
Randall Kaplan
Richard Beard

LINDA SHAW 03/24/10 Richard Beard
ROBBIE PERKINS 09/21/07 Richard Beard
ZACK MATHENY 08/10/09 Richard Beard
ZACK MATHENY 09/13/07 Richard Beard
ROBBIE PERKINS 10/11/09 Richard Beard
Rich Whittington
Roy Carroll
Susan Schwartz

Zack:

Susan Schwartz
Richard Beard
Chip Hagan
David Hagan
Henry Isaacson
Jim Melvin
Tom Sloan

Yvonne:

Betty Cone
Henry Frye
Ralph Shelton
Charles Hagan III
Don Linder
Jim Melvin
Robbie Perkins

Charge: develop comprehensive report
of the projected economic impact on downtown by a performing arts center.

 
And hire nationally recognized consultant
to review past studies and assess current market conditions.

Should Robbie recuse himself?

"This is going to happen."

Robbie Perkins
...(c) A public servant shall take appropriate steps,
...to remove himself or herself to the extent necessary,
to protect the public interest
...from any proceeding in which the public servant's impartiality
might reasonably be questioned... 

§ 138A‑36. Public servant participation in official actions.

Mayor Robbie Perkins says trying isn't enough.


"This community is going to get this done," he said Wednesday.

"It's not an option.

This community has got to get things like this done."

Robin, Doug and Allen

"(e1) A member of the board or any other body
exercising quasi‑judicial functions
...shall not participate in or vote
on any quasi‑judicial matter in a manner
that would violate affected persons' constitutional rights
to an impartial decision maker.


Residents have also said they feel the outcome of the task force,
which aims to “create an open, candid and constructive dialogue
around the needs of a performing arts center,”
is a foregone conclusion because of who is leading the process.

The Community Foundation,
which supports creating a new [taxpayer funded] performing arts center,
hired Mayor Robbie Perkins’ former campaign manager [Lobbyist]
...Ross Harris to manage the task force.

...Perkins has expressed his strong support for a performing arts center,
particularly one built downtown...

Ginsburg at Yes Weekly
Impermissible conflicts include, but are not limited to,
a member having a fixed opinion
prior to hearing the matter that is not susceptible to change,
undisclosed ex parte communications, a close familial, business,
or other associational relationship with an affected person,
or a financial interest in the outcome of the matter.

If an objection is raised to a member's participation
and that member does not recuse himself or herself,
the remaining members shall by majority vote rule on the objection.
§ 160A‑388.
I object.

George Hartzman

“Necessity; the tyrant’s plea.”
John Milton

"If anything, this ...should be transparent to a fault,
tell all gladly, to anyone who asks
and give the conspiracy theorists nowhere to go"

Allen Johnson

How about disclosing who owns all the properties 
that will dramatically increase in value
and how much they have given to whom
and how many are involved in the "non-biased task force? 

The News & Record buildings are directly above the proposed PAC.

Hat Tip: Ed Cone

"...rent-seeking is an attempt to obtain economic rent
by manipulating the social or political environment in which economic activities occur,
rather than by creating new wealth.
...spending money on political lobbying in order to be given a share of wealth
that has already been created.


Many current studies of rent-seeking focus on efforts
to capture various monopoly privileges stemming from government regulation
of free enterprise competition.


Since resources are expended but no new wealth is created,
the net effect of rent-seeking is to reduce the sum of social wealth.
Rent-seeking generally implies the extraction of uncompensated value
from others
without making any contribution to productivity.
...a more common example of rent-seeking is political lobbying
to receive a government transfer payment,
or to impose burdensome regulations on one's competitors
in order to increase one's market share.
...such behaviors may result in substantial social losses.
Wiki


Posted Image







The board of directors of the Greensboro Chamber Foundation,
which Gave the Quarter Cent Tax Committee $10,000

Deborah Hooper
Dan Lynch
Jim Melvin
Susan Schwartz
Ralph Shelton
Steve Bowden
Denise Turner
Richard Moore
Patrick Danahy
Charles Hagan
Tim Rice

1/4-Cent Makes Sense Steering Committee

Steve Bowden
Pat Danahy
Roy Carroll
Shirley Frye
Henry Isaacson
Skip Alston

Greensboro Partnership Board Members (partly publicly funded),
which gave the Quarter Cent Tax Committee $10,500.

Mr. Arthur Samet
Mr. Roy E. Carroll III
Ms. Deborah L. Hooper
Mr. Randall Kaplan
Mr. Kenneth C. Mayer Jr.
Mr. Jim Melvin
Mr. Charles E. Melvin Jr.
H. Walker Sanders
Mr. Robin Saul
Mr. Richard L. Moore
Mr. R. Steve Bowden
Ms. Susan S. Schwartz
Mr. J. Patrick Danahy, Greensboro Partnership President & CEO
Ms. Shirley Frye
Nancy Hoffman:

Susan Schwartz
Tim Rice - Study
Henry Isaacson - Study? and Roy's attorney.
Samet


Location location location


7 comments:

g said...

JIM KEE 10/27/09 Alvin C. Leonard Jr.
JIM KEE 10/27/09 Roy E. Carroll
JIM KEE 10/27/09 Vanessa Y. Carroll
LINDA SHAW 03/23/10 Roy Carroll II
ROBBIE PERKINS 10/13/09 Roy E. Carroll II
ROBBIE PERKINS 10/19/09 Vanessa Y. Carroll
TRUDY WADE 10/23/09 Alvin C. Leonard Jr.
TRUDY WADE 10/23/09 Roy E. Carroll II
TRUDY WADE 10/23/09 Vanessa Y. Carroll
ZACK MATHENY 10/23/09 Alvin Leonard
ZACK MATHENY 11/07/07 Alvin Leonard
ZACK MATHENY 10/23/09 Roy Carroll II
ZACK MATHENY 10/23/09 Vanessa Carroll
ROBBIE PERKINS 10/22/07 Alvin C. Leonard

g said...

Notable Downtown Greensboro Contributors

Greensboro Partnership, $25,000.00
Joseph M. Bryan Foundation, $11,000.00
Cemala Foundation, $10,000.00
Bell Foundation (Steven D. Bell), $5,000.00
Brown Investment Properties, $1,500.00
Greensboro Regional Realtors Association, $1,210.00
Cone, Elizabeth W., $1,000.00
Elm Street Center, LLC, $1,000.00
The Carroll Companies, $550.00
Schwartz, Susan, $125.00
Brown III, Chester H. & Martha, $100.00


"He who oppresses the poor to make more for himself

or who gives to the rich, will only come to poverty."

Proverbs 22:16


Notable Downtown Greensboro Board Members

Brenda Jones Fox, Guilford County
Dan Lynch, President of the Greensboro Partnership
Greensboro Economic Development Alliance,
whose board members include Linda Shaw and Nancy Vaughan
Betty Cone, who worked for former Mayor Johnson’s campaign
Susan Schwartz

"Better is a little with righteousness
than great income with injustice."

Proverbs 16:8

"The art of government
consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of citizens
to give to the other:"

Voltaire

E. Durant Bell, Bell & Company, Zack Matheny’s ex-employer


Kimberly Brown
Chester Brown, TREBIC
George House, Downtown Hotel,
Partner Randall Kaplan is a Greensboro Partnership board member
Al Leonard, Carroll Companies, TREBIC, who works for Roy E. Carroll III
and board member of the Greensboro Partnership

g said...

ROBBIE PERKINS 09/28/09 Arthur Samet
NANCY VAUGHAN 09/18/09 Arthur Samet
ZACK MATHENY 08/06/09 Arthur Samet
ZACK MATHENY 04/30/07 Arthur Samet
ZACK MATHENY 07/06/07 Charles E. Melvin Jr.
ZACK MATHENY 07/06/07 Charles E. Melvin Jr.
ZACK MATHENY 07/30/07 Charles Hagan III
ROBBIE PERKINS 09/14/07 Chester Brown
ZACK MATHENY 06/21/07 Chester Brown III
ZACK MATHENY 10/07/09 Chester Brown Jr.
ZACK MATHENY 10/09/07 Chester Brown Jr.
ROBBIE PERKINS 10/02/07 Chester H. Brown Jr.
TRUDY WADE 09/08/07 Chester H. Brown Jr.
NANCY VAUGHAN 05/27/09 Norman Samet
ROBBIE PERKINS 10/28/09 Norman Samet
NANCY VAUGHAN 09/23/09 Randall R. Kaplan
JIM KEE 10/27/09 Robbie Perkins
JIM KEE 10/27/09 Robbie Perkins
ROBBIE PERKINS 08/07/07 Robbie Perkins
ROBBIE PERKINS 07/19/07 Robbie Perkins
ROBBIE PERKINS 07/18/07 Robbie Perkins

g said...

ZACK MATHENY 09/13/07 Susan Melvin
ZACK MATHENY 09/13/07 Susan Schwartz
NANCY VAUGHAN 05/27/09 Sylvia Samet

g said...

Notable Board of Directors
of the Piedmont Triad Partnership

Jon Bell
Bell Partners Inc.

Henry H. Isaacson
Isaacson Isaacson Sheridan & Fountain

J. Edward Kitchen
Joseph M. Bryan Foundation

Jim S. Melvin
Joseph M. Bryan Foundation

Timothy Rice
Moses Cone Health System

Arthur L. Samet
Samet Corporation

http://www.piedmonttriadnc.com/directors/default.aspx

g said...

On the feasability studies for the downtown hotel project, proposed by Randall Kaplan and George House, whose realtor for the deal was Skip Alston, who got paid even though the deal fell through.

"At the public hearing, I spoke of the differences between two hotel studies created within 30 days by the same company. The first, commissioned by the City of Greensboro, dated Jan. 18, 2010, suggested the project wasn’t feasible. The second, paid for by the developers, dated Feb. 16, 2010 said it was.

The first study said average food and beverage revenues for comparable downtown hotels in large cities ranged from $75.54 to $92.28. The second study projected food and beverage revenues of $169.29 per room, about 4.4 times more than the Downtown Marriott and twice the original estimate, for a hotel surrounded by restaurants, night clubs and a ballpark."

g said...

Supporters for Robbie Perkins for Mayor

...Nancy and Trip Brown
Chester Brown, III
Linda Brown
...Roy Carroll
Bob Cone
Carol Cone Douglas
Shirley Frye
Ross Harris
Julie Lapham
Dr. Joe LeBauer
Kathy Manning and Randall Kaplan
Marsh Prause
Sara Lee and Paul Saperstein
Ralph Shelton
Debi Silber
Mac Sims