Showing posts with label CJ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CJ. Show all posts

Friday, December 16, 2011

Louisville Ky MSD, Audits and Indictments?

Sometimes you have to take credit where it is due because no one else will give it to you. Yep pretty egotistical statement and in this case I will be a pretty egotistical guy. Thanks to Kentucky Open Records Laws we can find out a lot more than we ever have.

For years now we at LNP have been reporting on the fallacies of MSD, including the shenanigans of Attorney Larry Zielke, the incompetency of Director Bud Shardein, and a whole host of other issues. Today we are vindicated.

Why would I say that? For the last year or so the CJ, and others, have been finally reporting somewhat on the problems at MSD yet they were silent throughout the years in many case in order to protect the former regime leader in Jerry Abramson.

There can be no doubt about that now as the problems at MSD have been talked about for years in the public domain by yours truly. Why were other media outlets ignoring these problems when Jerry was in charge? While I thank Crit Luallen for finally doing a complete audit, why would she wait until the end of her term to do so when info was provided long ago about MSD and an audit requested by yours truly as well?

While there certainly are many questions to be asked, and accountability for all who helped hide this to protect the Democratic mafia with Abramson, it is indeed a great day to finally be proven right so thanks to Crit and her Department.

You can read the findings here from Crit’s office.

Mayor Greg Fisher announced at Noon today that Bud Shardein will be replaced as Director immediately. Unfortunately, though I agree with ridding Shardein 100%, the direction he is taking is suspect.

For starters, allowing Shardein to remain in any capacity until the spring is wrong. He has proven to be a dismal failure, a liar, and a thief. You don’t reward that behavior by allowing him to stay on so he can pad retirement.

You fire him immediately and deal with it. To allow him even so much as an advisory role is an insult to each of us who have been screwed by wrongful rate increases and faulty management.

Fischer also announced that three long-serving board members — chairman Arnold Celentano, Doyle Stacy and Jerome Clark — will shortly retire from the board as soon as replacements are found. Fischer asked them to stay until replacements can be appointed to maintain a level of institutional knowledge during the interim. There are eight board members, four of whom have been appointed by Fischer and have served fewer than six months.

Good to see Doyle Stacy being replaced as he was nothing more than a political hack appointment to appease the UAW for his work gaining an endorsement of Jerry Abramson in 2006. His work in that fiasco was rewarded so good riddance.

Another interesting twist to the story?

Greg Heitzman, Water Company president, will also assume the title of executive director of MSD starting immediately. Heitzman will be a loaned executive to help lead MSD during its transition toward compliance with the audit findings as well as a possible new business structure. Current executive director Bud Schardein, a 28 year MSD veteran, announced today that he will retire in the spring but will remain with the agency in an advisory role until then to help ensure a smooth transition.

I have problems with Heitzman being interim for MSD. Why? Because I believe that the Louisville Water Company is the second biggest scam against us ratepayers.

LWC is 100% owned and operated by the City of Louisville itself. Its purpose is to provide us with safe affordable drinking water. Period.

So why then can LWC continue to raise rates and post a profit that goes straight into the Louisville General Fund?

Is this not a form of illegal taxation since the Government owns it? Making a profit by raising rates is exactly one of the same scams MSD has been employing. Using a government agency for profit is, well, not exactly acceptable is it?

Greg Fisher you need a new Board Chairman? I volunteer. In the meantime.

There are a lot more questions to be asked and answered in the short-term but today, after years of railing against the illegalities of MSD, is as good a day as any to sit back, reflect on the fight, and say……

I told you so.


Listen daily from 7-8pm at The Ed Springston Show. Also visit Louisville Politics for more details and in depth coverage of local political and news issues.

Friday, November 25, 2011

MERGER WAS A LIE AND WE KNEW IT

Louisville Metro Merger Success or Failure?
When merger was passed, though I have yet to find anyone who would admit to voting for merger, many things were promised. Primarily we were promised this would streamline the process for attracting new jobs, we would have a smaller more centralized government, and of course the whole transparent government as well.

Merger has been a dismal failure in ALL areas and the way it has been handled is exactly why I voted against it.

The democratic mafioso in this town would, I knew, take the potential benefits of what merger could be and use it to line their pockets. The sad part is Abramson as the biggest public face of this rape continues to get elected.

How dumb are we Louisville to elect this man to a Lt Governor job so they could try and install him as Governor in the very near future?

In 2008 I started outing the fallacies of merger and comparing us to another City with a similar land mass but 1.5 times the population. San Diego previous stories

Using this model I put out a basic guideline that would save $1.8 million of our tax dollars just by downsizing the over bloated Metro Council on salaries alone. One Council member and one aide I stated then would save this money.

The Courier Journal recently put out an article saying merger was a failure Courier thanks to a commissioned report by Darryl Owens. Admittedly, Owens and I have no love lost for one another and I rarely, if ever, agree with him on anything but this report is meaningful in many ways.

Friday, November 18, 2011

LATEST AND GREATEST

Many stories have been coming to light over the last few days so we will use this space to outline just a few of them.

Constable David Whitlock is in trouble yet again. Thanks to a story by WLKY's Andy Alcock WLKY, Whitlock is now being accused of sexually harassing a Denny's waiter. We can't make this stuff up folks. Actually we could but the truth is oh so much more endearing. In fact this is just one sample of the many charges of harassment by Whitlock. Stay tuned for much more I assure you.

Seems Mayor Greg Fisher can't even keep his own insiders on board with MSD. According to this story his latest Board appointee has withdrawn from consideration because he is worried he may actually have to do some work on the Board of MSD. CJ

Real-estate developer Marty Cogan, Fisher's latest hand picked MSD Board member has decided to take himself out of consideration based largely on the fact that he anticipates the board will have extra work to do next year, after the release of an investigation of MSD management and governance by Kentucky State Auditor Crit Luallen.

So  what does he think does he believe he should be appointed to a Board without having to do any work? Well, yes probably since Abramson always told them what they will do and they really just follow directions.

So much for something different eh?

Finally, Occupy Louisville goes head to head with Light Up Louisville in Jefferson Square. WHAS.

Does anyone else have a problem with this? I certainly do. Jefferson Square is open to the public and I have a right to enjoy Light Up Louisville without having to deal with the chants and ignorance of Occupy Louisville protesters.

By all means guys have your protest, but do it somewhere else until after the ceremony. We just don't want to be bothered with your movement during a festive occasion. Considering stories like this one, Occupy Wall Street, I just don't think we really care right now about this. from the reports I have been receiving, and personal experience, it is time to move on.

See you next time folks.
Listen daily from 7-8pm at The Ed Springston Show. Also visit Louisville Politics for more details and in depth coverage of local political and news issues.

9/11 Twenty-One Years later....

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