Longtime readers will recall that Randall Kaplan is Congresswoman Kathy Manning’s husband. (Never mind the two different surnames. That is how it is done in certain circles).
Kaplan and Manning were local attorneys who donated heavily to political candidates locally. He had an ambition to build a hotel on Elm. St. in downtown Greensboro, and lobbied ardently over a prolonged period of time to get the city’s taxpayers to fund a parking deck that would serve his hotel. He finally succeeded. According to the Rhino Times, he was initially approved for a $25.8 million deck, but the bond issue that was later passed was for $36 million. The price per parking space built was astronomical.
Of course, there have been price overruns. Now, they are seeking an additional $5.8 million from city taxpayers.
The proposal for this additional money passed the City Council unanimously without major discussion.
It is clear there is not even a single council member who represents the taxpayer. This is donor/ crony driven spending.
TC: What you say is absolutely true. The City Council is a rubber stamp for the corruption that is part and parcel of Greensboro’s city government. I keep waiting for an investigation by the Feds of this cesspool.
The word “cesspool” is a great description, Fred.
With our Republican-controlled General Assembly, we have the power at the state level to poke a hole in this balloon. But so far it has not yet happened.
I’ve often thought of the GSO city council as just a cabal of real estate folks who rotate in and out for the purpose of redistributing tax money to each other.
I think you’re justified to see it that way, Jaycee. They are bought and paid for, for the most part.
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