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.By Michael Holtzman
Herald News Staff Reporter
Posted Aug 18, 2010 @ 09:44 PM
FALL RIVER — For the first time in five years, the Community Development Agency issued a legal ad and sought a waiver from federal officials under the “conflict of interest” statute to provide HOME funding loans, Executive Director Michael Dion said.
He provided a copy of a waiver request he wrote Monday to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in order to give $10,000 loans to three city employees as first-time homebuyers and a much larger loan to a member of the Redevelopment Authority.
The homebuyer loans were for two school department employees, Rakhi Shatri and Chou Siv Tang, and a third for Keith Hussey of the department of public works.
Hussey’s been out of work on workmen’s compensation after losing both of his legs last year when a vehicle crushed him on the back of a refuse truck.
The $10,000 first-time homebuyer loans are forgiven under the HOME program if the owner remains living in the residence for at least five years, Dion said.
The fourth loan, for $180,000, is for Thomas Martin Sr., who owns TM Construction and Remodeling Inc. in Fall River.
He’s seeking the HOME funds to rehabilitate three units at 178 Franklin St.
Mayor Will Flanagan nominated Martin to the Redevelopment Authority to replace longtime member David Raymondo, who resigned. The City Council unanimously ratified Martin on June 24.
A month later, Martin, at his first Redevelopment Authority meeting, voted in favor of a $21 million casino land sale agreement to the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe. That critical vote was 3-2, dependent upon the state legalizing casino gambling this year and other conditions.
Before Martin joined the Redevelopment Authority, he was approved for $220,540 in CDA HOME funds to rehabilitate six rental units at 2589 S. Main St.
On the recent $180,000 low-interest loan request, up to $22,500 could be forgiven under a lead abatement grant program, Dion said.
Dion, in a June 24 letter to the law department, wrote that HUD could consider a waiver for the city employees and board member if there was a public disclosure stating the nature of the conflict of interest, along with the legal counsel’s opinion the loans do not violate state or local laws.
“It is my understanding that Mr. Martin is not employed by the Community Development Agency, which is issuing the HUD-sponsored loans … will not participate in any way in his loan and will make full disclosure of his municipal employee status (as a board member),” wrote Assistant Corporation Counsel Elizabeth Pereira.
“Therefore, it is my opinion there is no violation of state law,” she wrote. She made the same points for the three city employees.
The HUD regulation applies to “any person who is an employee, agent, consultant, officer or elected or appointed official of the recipient,” Dion wrote HUD, identifying the four individuals.
In the conflict of interest public notice by the CDA, no names were issued, only general information about their work/service and the CDA program. “I’ve never named an individual in the newspaper,” Dion said. “We don’t usually get a lot of these.”
He read from the last legal ad they placed for a conflict of interest notice. It was from Aug. 4, 2005.
E-mail Michael Holtzman at mholtzman@heraldnews.com.
This is only the latest example of the blatant trashing of the public funds by the Sylvanagan administration. How much more clear of a classic quid pro quo can you get than this:
"The fourth loan, for $180,000, is for Thomas Martin Sr., who owns TM Construction and Remodeling Inc. in Fall River."
It's actually easy to follow, as long as you are not a Sylvanagan kool-aid drinker and bum kisser.
The City faces a debt of gratitude , and maybe a Workman's Comp lawsuit, for injuries to one of several individuals who were injured on the job, and in one case, lost both legs in the service of Fall River. They also have two other School Department employees they wish to help create new households. Up to this point, I actually have no problem whatever. However, I'm also oh so sure none of these people could in any way be used for political purposes down the road, oh not at all!
You have a situation where Bag-Boy Deluxe Sylvanagan, he of the indolent brother recently hired by the School Department, is taking a vicious public relations beating for his asinine policy leading to the withdrawal of CD funding from the Y which was requested and awarded by the City's CD Office to help rehabilitate it's building for the apartments on upper floors typically used by qualified low to moderate income individuals and families.
So, me thinks a light bulb went on over the BB Deluxe's teeny weeny head, and he figured out a way to kill two birds with one, er, request for allowing a waiver of "conflict of interest" requirements called for in use of federal CD funds. This way, he gets to funnel $180,000 worth of reconstruction work to his good close personal friend, "Thomas Martin Sr., who owns TM Construction and Remodeling Inc. in Fall River", who will rehab the units to be purchased with the loans for the three employees in question. Only problem is, it's the very same "Thomas Martin Sr., who owns TM Construction and Remodeling Inc. in Fall River", appointed by BB Deluxe Sylvanagan to the Redevelopment Authority to be the deciding vote , in a 3-2 vote, in the sale of the land originally designated for the Bio-Park to the Wampanoag Indians as a site for the currently dead Destination Casino!
Let' s see, it'a all just an unfortunate coincidence, right? This one particular Construction and Remodeling firm owner, and probable Sylvanagan campaign contributor, happens to be the deciding vote in a $21 million dollar land sale, of which the residents will get NOTHING because it's going to the Redevlopment Authority, and then, lo and behold, gets a $180,000 home rehab building award from the Fall River CD office which is controlled lock , stock and barrel by that very same Mayor BB Deluxe Sylvanagan. I'm sure it's just a dizzying confluence of coincidence, in true, crooked politician Fall River style. Yep, it may not be a quid pro quo, but it sure seems "quid pro quo"ish to me. But hey, I'm just a negative old man, right, a hater . Yep, that's me all the way.
Lately, the smell from squalid politicians in Fall River is nauseating. YOU let this happen, not me. I didn't vote for the talentless idiot who is surrounded by a vicious cadre of sickening henchman and women who make the Brown Shirts look tame in comparison.
Watch out Fall River...things haven't even gotten ugly yet!
A field rep from HUD was in Fall River visiting the YMCA on Wednesday. There were some councilors there as well. When told where some of these funds were going, the rep went to city hall to speak with the Pillsbury dough boy and was told that he was too busy and couldn't see him. I don't think we've heard the last of this.
ReplyDeleteMardy Xifarias is an old time ally of Mike Dukakis and many bigwigs in state Democratic circles....BB Deluxe Sylvanagan is a used paper towel in comparison, as are most of his so called big money /FROED based supporters...this will NOT go well for Fall River...watch and see how the pros do it!
ReplyDeleteThat vast sucking sound you hear coming from the 6th floor of City Hall is the joint butt buckering of the Fall River municipal law form of Dewey, Cheatem and Howe (Sylvanagan, Fiola and Torres).