January 12, 2015 Ripp Report #28 Quid Pro Quo Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange Baldwin County District Attorney Hallie Dixon Dear Higher Authorities: For ten years I have been active in politics in Fairhope, as a concerned citizen, with no political ambitions. Countless times I have attended city council meetings requesting information about council or city actions that affect our community, many others have done the same. Not once has the council or the Mayor ever responded, silence is always the answer. I have witnessed abuses of power ranging from blatant lying to open meetings violations as well as criminal activity, always answered by our Mayor with silence. Mayor Tim Kant has eliminated Fairhope’s Finance, Environmental and Tree Committees, he has rendered the other committees powerless and/or completely under his control. The city council and Planning and Zoning are firmly in his control and offer no checks and balances to the system what-so-ever. I know the general response to the above would be public participation, however this is also ignored. There is a strong suspicion within the community, that our municipal elections have been tampered with, this has eroded any faith in our local government. The Fairhope fire department has been a tool of the Mayor for years, his control has been like a vice, manipulating the department like wet clay. Years ago the Mayor secured $50,000 from the fire department and an additional $50,000 from a city employee that he invested in his private investment company. He was not Mayor at the time, he was working closely with the fire department, all funds were lost, there was no accounting for the missing funds and no one said a word. I am providing you with The Ripp Report #27 that will explain our latest attempt to have some accountability within our community to this Ripp Report that explains our most recent controversy facing the citizens of Fairhope. Our Mayor and the same owner of the land the Publix shopping center was built on, who violated every condition outlined by the planning and zoning board, are now involved in a Quid Pro Quo project that smacks of criminal intent. The Fire Department has received millions of tax dollars to maintain its equipment as well as donations from the public; however we, the public and taxpayers, have been eliminated from any participation in the selection of a safe location for the new fire station. The Mayor has denied any public participation what so ever and the city council has remained moot while the fire department remains equally silent. The location of the proposed fire station is on a dead end street, a violation of the city’s comprehensive plan. It is located on a county road; no notice was given to Aldot or county officials, until we notified them. It is however part and parcel to a new proposed development by the same owner of the property that violated the first phase of the project and subsequently caused the massive damage to Fly Creek, which remains damaged to this day. The owner has now secured a new developer, Professional Equity Management out of Scottsdale Arizona, proposing to build a 300 unit development above the extremely damaged Fly Creek. The owner can now entice the developer with a brand new fire station located on the same site, how damn convenient, all the while keeping the developer in the dark about the sordid past deeds by the owner and Mayor. The owner and Mayor have another plan in place: connectivity to Rock Creek Subdivision . They deny this at the present time; however , once the fire station is in place they will push through the connectivity above the objections of everyone. The citizens of Fairhope have no other alternative than appeal to a higher authority to intercede on our behalf to this blatant Quid Quo Pro. Paul Ripp The Ripp Report, BCLE (Baldwin County Legal Eagle) on facebook
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 18:50:10 +0000