It's hard to understand a few things, our folks down at city hall are giving a good effort. We have talented people in the offices and yet they continue to get pounded. If the people outside the city would simply stop picking on them, give them a chance, and stay out of their business the city would do much better.
Some of you outsiders just keep stirring the pot and will not give our leaders a fair chance to get things done, maybe you should move into the city and offer some real help rather than the constant outside advice as to what is best for all of us city residents.
The misunderstanding over the work done up at the old civic center is simply an honest mistake and should be forgiven, anyone can make a mistake. Our recreation director works very hard and is a fair man, maybe a simple mistake was made.
Our folks have the talent, business skills and understanding to get this all complete if just left alone and given a second chance.
I live in the city, and I still get very frustrated about the lack of communication between our city entities to get a relatively simple project completed. And, I also get frustrated at this "good ole boy" network that would allow a project that had free work started to be replaced by a "buddy" that would get paid for the project. AJ Carr had his equipment already on site, and was told to remove his equipment and he wouldn't be needed. I could understand honest mistake, but he had already started the project, offered it for the cost of fuel, was told to move his equipment, and then be replaced by someone the city was going to pay, without any type of bidding process. Where was the misunderstanding? And no "outsiders" were butting into this project. The city officials created this mess themselves. They were "left alone", and the mess still happened.
It is easy to blame the "outsiders", but how did they come into play on this? And it is easy to say that only the "outsiders" are the ones questioning what happens. Believe me, there are many of us "insiders" questioning, and just because we work and don't have time to serve on committees and such, doesn't mean that we don't want to see things done properly, fair, and for the good of Corbin. And, like I said in another post, bottom line is the kids won't have a field in time, and the horse show is cancelled.
This is a job for the grand jury and the state commonwealth attorney. Not the local folks, the ones from Frankfort.
There is a smell of fraud and conspiracy here. And if any federal funds were involved, the US Attorney too.
There is no honest mistakes here. Someone got caught here, and the big question is who told whom to do what and when did they tell them to do it, and who all knew about it.
You don't ask questions to the ones at the top until you've got all the stories from the ones on the bottom.
Sure this was an Honest mistake and can be corrected if the folks are just given a chance, this sounds like more outsiders ready to turn this in to a full blown Watergate crisis? It would cost more to simply call all these Federal & State Prosecutors in than the 44k to do the job for the city.
Why can't the leaders simply back up, bid the job from this point, pay the services we have been given and move on? No mention of anything like that but were ready to spend 1 Million on Federal & State officials over money that would have been spent anyway.
No question outsiders who only give advice are at it again, give our folks a chance for goodness sakes, this is not Watergate.
A mistake is putting on one blue sock and one black sock in the morning when you're getting dressed. This civic center issue is no mistake. It was an attempt to defraud the city and the spending of taxpayers money.
The one thing that all the parties involved agree on, was that Carr was going to do the work for free except for fuel charges. They ALL agree on that.
The question is, when, and who, authorized Sams to send Carr and his equipment home, and bring in the Medlin man's equipment, and pay him to do work that was previously free. That's what we need to know. Who knew, and when did they know, and who authorized it. No one will talk to anyone now, as the city attorney I'm sure has told them to be quiet. We have the newspaper notes to go by.
Now, we need the KSP or FBI to investigate this, and find out who tried to circumvent the system and violate the law.
The just locked up Raymond Smith from B'ville for messing with taxpayers money as judge and this situation is no different.
Sorry Corbin Citizen, it's not a mistake. You sound as if you're related or close to the situation here, and wanting us to forgive and forget. It probably will be in the end, as is the corbin way in these types of situations. But it shouldn't be.
Sound like we need an Independent Federal Prosecutor, Ken Starr is out of work and we spent 44 Million Dollars on his investigation of White Water, maybe we can lure him out of retirement to go after these villians.
For goodness sakes let's go after these guys with the State Atty. General, a host of Federal Prosecutors and all the money in the state budget, were only 600 Million in the hole. All for a simple mistake?
If AJ was going to do the work then why has he not done it? He has had plenty of time? It's March and the kids will be staring Baseball within a few weeks and then on into football, poor ole Sam's and the folks were just trying to get this completed and your ready to bring the 101st Airborne in to catch these bad guys?
On the other hand Knox County has taken us for anywhere from 2-10 Million Dollars since 1999 and no one has lifted a finger, this may be a job for the Atty General. Sam's made a mistake, the city Manager obviously made a mistake, these are great guys and should have a chance to make this right.
These guys should be forgiven and have the opportunity to correct a mistake anyone could make. Their just trying to get these facilities done as they want to simply support and help the local kids.
Sure glad you did not treat Wally & The Beaver like this when they made a few mistakes, ya know Eddie Haskel talked them into some messy dealings back in the day.
Forgive these Officials and give them a second chance
Sounds like you don't expect much of our elected leaders or city officials Corbin Citizen. That's your perogative, but, for me, they should be above board and honesty and integrity should be their cornerstone.
They violated that, and now, they'll pay the price.
Sure they stopped the work, only when they knew there was a chance of getting caught. If not, it would still be going on, and the city and tourism commission would be paying the bill.
You asked if AJ was going to do the work, why hasn't he done it, surely you've read the papers. THEY told him to stop and leave the site. Have you not read that. I think you have, and you're just playing the devils advocate here. Either that, or you've jumped into the can with the city leaders now and are blindsided by their back hallway politics.
No mistake here in my opinion, just an attempt to defraud, and maybe even a little conspiracy. We'll just have to wait and see.
But I'll admit, there will probably be nothing done about it either way, as we're corbin, and that's the way things go in corbin.
Of course, we thought that about ol Judge Raymond C. Smith too, and he's heading to the pokey. And remember another corbin businessman that recently went to the big house on an insurance fraud issue. There is justice, you just have to dig it out occasionally.
We'll just keep plugging in our opinions here, Corbin Citizen, and we'll both just have to wait and see how it turns out. You'll probably prevail and they'll be "forgiven", but you never know, I may come out right and watch them get on the jail van at the courthouse.
