The lecture circuit or Paul Helmke's job

What is Mayor Dick going to do after he leaves office? I've been asked the question so many times. I don't know ! But, I figure it's a question in need of an answer. First, I am going to speculate. Richard comes from a statistical quality orientation, and was a founder of the local TQM Network.

What is TQM Network?

The TQM Network is a program of the Northeast Indiana Business Assistance Corporation (NIBAC) a 501c3 non-profit organization. NIBAC, originally founded by Graham Richard, and a local group of like-minded professionals dedicated to grass roots economic development through assisting others to improve individually and organizationally in the areas of competitiveness, profitability and quality. Through Cheri Becker’s diligent leadership and an active board of directors, we began working toward their vision for Northeast Indiana to become known internationally for the quality of its products, services, people and work life.

Well where does the money come from?

To begin the journey toward achieving that vision, in the early 1990’s a group of area manufacturers and community representatives collaborated to receive grants to fund this vision. A total of $385,000 from the State of Indiana through the Strategic Development Fund Grant (SDF) was secured and matched with almost $425,000 of private local capital to seed the development of a highly innovative program called the TQM Network.

Where is this cutting edge business located?

Downtown..

The TQM Learning Center is located in the FourthWave Building (formerly NIPSCO), at the southeast corner of Main and Barr - across the street from the Performing Arts Center. Parking is immediately east of the building, with entry from eastbound Main or northbound Lafayette

.

Would that be the old Nipsco building where FourthWave is located?

You betache..

TQM Learning Center - Leadership & Learning Center
300 East Main Street, Suite 120
Fort Wayne, IN 46802

Does this have anything to do with the Lean six sigma implemented for city workers?

Oh yeah, the employees and city department served as guinea pigs.

Six sigma was the starting point for improvement in the city. The TQM Network provided bargain-priced training, and companies like ITT and Raytheon lent black-belt level employees to the city to work on improvement teams with city employees.

As a quest speaker, Scott Lasater, Director of the Lean Six Sigma Enterprise Institute will lead this session. For the last decade, Scott Lasater has been known around General Electric as 'The guy who taught Six Sigma to Jack Welch (CEO, GE)'. As Master Black Belt and Director of Global Lean Six Sigma Training, he has trained over 5,000 business leaders internationally. His primary focus has been developing and coaching GE customers as Black Belts and their senior executives in the deployment of Lean Six Sigma. In the last three years alone, his Black Belt students saved in excess of $450 Million for their own organizations.

What is Mayor Dick up to of late?

,,Mayor Richard will share the latest innovation he is forging, the new High Performance Government Alliance - a partnership with the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce and the TQM Network. Mayor Richard will describe how the City and other Indiana governmental entities will be using business and education partnerships and broadband technology to be globally competitive. This powerful alliance has the potential to save tax-payers millions and radically improve the quality of life in Indiana.

Who are some of the partners?

American Society of Quality
American Society of Quality, Section 0905
American Society for Training & Development
BAE Systems
Barnes & Thornburg
Barrett & McNagny
Briljent
Business Excellence Consortium – Milwaukee School of Engineering
Cavanaugh Consulting Group
City of Fort Wayne
CH2MHill
Concentra
Crystal Ball
EH Design & Consulting
Economic Growth Partnership
Fort Wayne Metals
Goal QPC
JMP
IFN Technologies
Indiana Data Center
Indiana Institute of Technology
Industrial Solutions Group
IPFW
Ivy Tech Community College
Minitab
National Serv-All
Northeast Indiana Innovation Center
OnCall PSN
Parkview Health
Raytheon
ReVision LLC
SAS Systems
Springboard Thinking Group
WCM Associates

Do you think their any conflict of interest?

Oh yeah big time.

Do you think the Harrison Square Park will generate business for TQM Network?

Now that's a question we should ask Mayor Dick. If you can't find him in city hall you know where to find him, just go right down the street to his 501(C)(3). And you have to pay a $100 to hear him speak.

What about Mayor Dick's book?

Performance is the best politics?

About workers doing their jobs, I don't know, but you can buy the book here. Can't say the same for the Mayor but at least he wants the little guy to earn his money.

And what about wiring the city?

Verizon needed to keep its customer, but here's Mayor Dick's take on it.

Fort Wayne Finest Police Officers

City of Fort Wayne Police Station

Dear Police Chief Rusty York
City of Fort Wayne


The bully patrol was in the neighborhood today. I noticed them out my back window. As well as my new neighbor's building a fence. My neighbor probably has not been in the neighborhood more than six months. But, has been a victim of burglary at least once. By building his fence, he will reduce the pass through traffic. Criminals who pass through to see what you got for a quick grab, or to move property to a new location.

So seeing this,I was a little alarmed. Especially with the weather warming up, and with my last meet and greet with a break in "at the top of my stairs" moment. So, I decided to do what I do best, investigate. When I finally caught up with officers driving cars #430, #129, and #138. I did not ask their names, after their rude and insolent behavior. Specifically car #129, I asked him what was going on? He decided to be a smart mouth. Me, of all people, I am not the one. Remember I wrote you about behavior that was unbecoming of another one of your officer.

I still believe these officers need cultural sensitive training, and gender issue training thrown in there too. Officers with smart mouths and guns are not a good mix. Tone it down with the testosterone, the officer was only required to answer a question not to "F" it up. Here's an article to help them get over themselves.

Three of the five policemen whose 50-bullet barrage killed an unarmed man on his wedding day were indicted Friday in a case that heightened racial tensions and renewed allegations that the city's officers are too fast on the trigger.

Here another article to give to them or read to them during roll call.

I hope I am not asking too much, but Police Chief Rusty York, could you tell your bully patrols they are not members of the Klu Klux Klan organization. Sorta remind them, they are members of a law enforcement agency. And when a citizen asks a question, don't get informal with them, nor unprofessional or rude and insolent. Don't tell them to not worry about it. I am not street or their wives. Just answer the "GD" question.

Sincerely,

A law abiding citizen

P.S. I am working on my name calling. Time between 2:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m.

Indiana-Foreclosure King

Indiana Representative Win Moses discussed House Bill 1525 with WOWO's Charley Butcher. House Bill 1525 is to address the number of foreclosures happening throughout Indiana with education. This a solution bill that tells how homeowners should be informed about all the hidden cost in purchasing a home. The truth in lending required openness in lending, but the failure to disclose robbed many new homeowners during the reassessment. The money has been made and now the lenders are suffering. Local taxing units are suffering, because homeowners are losing their homes and are filing bankruptcies. Folks should be under the prisons!

Indiana has the highest foreclosures in the United States. You think this problem popped up over night? Indianapolis has the highest foreclosure rank in the State and no surprise Fort Wayne, the second highest.

Not only is Rep. Moses a johnny come lately. But Attorney General Steve Carter, busy with the no call list, failed to respond to the citizens of Indiana on the housing schemes. Many families lost what many see as one symbol of the American dream, a place to call their own. Home ownership.

Indystar reports in the Indystar:

The state attorney general is looking into a failed real estate deal that could involve nearly 500 Indianapolis houses and lead to a string of bankruptcy filings and foreclosures.

Why are Rep. Moses and A.G. Carter acting now on foreclosures? One was to educate the buyer and to explain why lenders are folding, Many of these schemes were concocted by less than stellar real estate agencies and lenders.

LRTB would arrange the purchases of houses by investors. The houses would be repaired by another company tied to LRTB. Later, LRTB would find buyers for the homes and split the profits with investors. But the project fell apart. Many houses were not fixed, and investors are now saddled with mortgage payments on multiple properties. Some may declare bankruptcy.

More

The houses are in neighborhoods within three miles of Downtown

.


Sounds familiar? Do you remember the city lauding a program called Fort Wayne Neighborhood Housing Partnership? Do you remember the story which told how homes were supposedly fixed up? (no pun intended) Do you remember how these homes were over appraised and sold to uninformed home buyers? And the city leaders had the folks come down and failed to act. Criminal action I would think on the part of the city in failing to act when they had evidence of wrongdoing.

Why you say because the same crook that cooked up the scheme are the very same one that told you there was no wrong doing found. And you believed them. But why would folks cook up such schemes, you say?

In the good old days, getting a mortgage was something to be proud of," Zuckerberg said. "Now you just walk in, and they hardly check any records. The mortgage lender makes a commission when they sell the mortgage. They don't care who the borrower is because they are going to sell the mortgage to a securitized trust.''

, from the Indystar article. The lender makes a commission!

I did not say anything about these folks being honest. But,you so want to believe in the integrity of these crooks. So much so that when you receive your property tax reassessment, question these crooks about the increase in the value of your home was out of the question. Even knowing that you did not spend one dime as Jake Parker would say, making improvement in your home. Besides, the increase in your home values moved you up along side your neighbor in bragging right. Even if you're not in a position to sell your home right now, you are willing to pay the taxes on the new value, just for the bragging rights. It's sorta like who can pee the farthest, or who's pecker is the...you get the long and short of it.



Read a synopsis of House bill 1525, and watch for the words property taxes.

New home construction and homeowner education. Provides that after June 30, 2007, a builder may not enter into a home construction contract with a prospective home buyer unless the builder first gives the prospective home buyer a written estimate of the property taxes that:
(1) will be owed by the prospective home buyer on the new home; and (2) are based on an assessment made on the first assessment date after the construction of the new home is complete. Specifies that the required estimate may not be based on an assessment of unimproved real estate.

Requires the Indiana housing and community development authority (authority) to prescribe a form to be used by builders in making the required disclosure. Defines an "at risk home buyer" as a person who: (1) has a credit score that is less than 620; and (2) seeks to obtain a home loan from a creditor.

Requires the authority prepare and make available to creditors home ownership educational materials for use by at risk home buyers. Provides that after June 30, 2007, a creditor may not enter into a home loan with an at risk home buyer unless the creditor first gives the at risk home buyer the educational materials prepared by the authority.

And you thought it was the poor, uneducated ones who are the most gullible you say. It's those folks that the local officials can easily bamboozle. No it can't happen to you, because you're middle class. These are your friends, you say. Take another look at that Reassessment form 11 again? Friends, nope, just politicians making money off of your inability to challenge your friends and their policies. Remember it's your money that local politicians are spending.

I would think you would have a say on where your money is spent. Nope, earmarked When you earn your money, local government has earmarked a certain portion to invest and spend anywhere they want. Because they know you have not figured it out and you will not challenge them

Note: Hat tip to one of the local readers of the blogosphere on explaining the term earmarked. In closing the bible does not say money is evil, it's says the love of money. And these local folks not only love your money but they love spending your money. Earmarked.

Fort Wayne City Police Department Leased Building

Hey here's a picture of Fort Wayne City Police Department. It's in a leased building that our tax dollars rent. And has been renting for over 10 years. Are you thinking like I'm thinking? Yep, we could have purchased a building for all the rent that was paid over 10 years, huh !

Rumors has it that some people got sick, caught cancer after the tire-burning. I don't know how much of the rumors are true. But to have gone to work after all that poison was released in the air makes you wonder?

And take a look at the land where the tires actually burned. Guess what? This land sits right behind the Fort Wayne City Police Department Leased Building. Right behind the police station!


Does it not look dangerous? Well, sometimes, you can't see danger, that's why I'm reminding you. Seeing that water sitting there reminds me that tires burned on this sites for days. Water could not put the fire out. Think polluted, Think Love Canal. Bring your children over and let them roll round around on the grass in the greenspace called Renaissance Pointe.

The Sunday Funnies-Property Reassessment by your local government

Amanda Iacone reports on Fort Wayne.Com about reassessment. Iacone reports:

All of the property updates – about 130,000 – will have been mailed by Monday. About 20,000 properties had no change in their value and will not receive the forms, said Ryan Keuneke, chief deputy assessor.

I posted here:

The assessors offices are mailing out form 11 R/A. I know many of you want to believe that your leaders are honest people !!! But be warned because your new tax bill will increase and it has nothing to do with Fort Wayne Community School but greed from your local officials to build Harrison Square.

This notification form 11 R/A is an important part of the reassessment because it starts the second phase of the reassessment process. The second phase involves a review process by the property owners on the accuracy of the assessors assessment. Any property owner wanting to challenge the accuracy of the assessment must file an appeal in writing for review of the assessment on form 130 or form 133 within 45 days of the notification.

The mailing is not an update. This statement that your property has been assessed at a certain values based on faulty record keeping in the assessor office from years and years of abuse in assessing property is a notice. This abuse of power from assessors caused Judge Thomas Fisher to determine that it was so widespread that Fisher promulgated rulings governing a uniformed way of assessing property and a way to measure whether or not these assessors were playing by the rules.


So, out of the office and on to the streets, assessors had to learn how to assess property and record property. Time was of the essence. Going door to door many homeowners were not letting folks in or were not at home. So assessor birth a way to get the job done in the mandated time period.

The updates reflect changes in assessed property values. Many properties increased in value because the last time properties were assessed, local assessors used sales and market data from 1999

.

Nope, it was made up. Hired new inexperience computer techies and manipulated the system. And that's what they did. Many homes were sold to capture the over assessment creating sales disclosures that were based on misinformation. Homes were not worth the values and the unsuspecting buyers were duped. And these sale disclosures are what the assessor offices is using to duped the public in this year current assessment. That is if homeowners do not appeal.


Of course some property was assessed in the proper fashion but many inconsistency existed and still do to this day. The State was outraged at the greed of the local government. So the State legislators to protect homeowners from the greedy locals increased the homestead deduction, place a circuit breaker on the taxing amount, and required annual assessment.
From the State:

The circuit breaker became law in 2006 with the passage of House Enrolled Act 1001. It is aimed at helping Hoosiers by ensuring they don’t pay more than 2 percent of their property value in taxes. The goal is to provide predictability in tax bills and equity among Hoosier taxpayers.

The Circuit Breaker is slated to become mandatory statewide for residential property in 2007. Homeowners will not see the potential Circuit Breaker impact until their 2008 tax bill. The circuit breaker expands to include all property types in 2009. Taxpayers will not see the impact of the expansion until their 2010 tax bill.

State law now requires that properties be reassessed each year so that property tax bills increase bit by bit instead of a large increase every several years, County Treasurer Bob Lee said.

The quote by the Treasure Bob Lee, here's another take on it, from the state.

Under the old system, real estate was generally only reassessed every 10 years. That left taxpayers with a large change in their assessments every decade. Annual adjustments curb that large lump sum change in assessments by annually adjusting values based on sales

.
The annual assessment would prevent sticker shock to homeowners. And homeowners would be better able to prove their property values did not triple in value every year. This placed the inexperienced staff back into their offices researching sales disclosure form to increase their knowledge and record keeping in trying to make money for the city. Rather than truly assess property value to meet the budget.



The willy-nilly reassessment caused sticker shock and many high end tax payers were outraged and threaten to go to court. Deals were made. The squeaky wheels property owners assessment were reconfigured undocumented, just a number change in the system. The unsuspected just bite the bullet of the egregious increase. The number of appeals were reduced and unknown to the public. The meme-journalists only reports those folks that would not go away. The number of folks who demanded immediate reduction to the proper values of their homes and was cut a deal are missing in the informal appeal process.


Oh the heading,

Tax growth to hit 14.5%; past delays fuel increase

The tax growth is more than 14.5% and it's has nothing to do with delays. More from the state

Hoosier taxpayers could see an increase or a decrease in their tax bills after the annual adjustment of their assessment based on their location and the expenditures by local government.

In essence, the assessment represents a property owner’s share of the overall tax burden for a specific area.

Tell that to those who work for city government, as they over assess and collect field of revenue to pay for a hotel, baseball stadium......

In the newspaper

Rep. Jeff Espich, R-Uniondale, ranking minority member on the House Ways and Means Committee, said about 7 percent of that is a direct result of trending.

.That suggest that of the disclosed 14.5 per cent in property value increase is too high. But the real increase is hidden in the details.

Outrageous

Dear Attorney General Steve Carter:

We know you visited the City of Fort Wayne and suggested a fine of almost $200,000 for the injury to the Schwab Foundation, but what about all folks at Fort Wayne Neighborhood Partnership. And what about the NeighborWorks folks with the folding of its nonprofit. Where's the money?


Former Executive Director Nicole Turner-Ridley should feel vindicated with the recent reporting of the closing of the doors of the NeighborWorks organization. Ridley firing may have been used to cover the operation of the organization by the board members. I blogged about this earlier:

One thing that I don't understand is when an investigation is ongoing for African-Americans the media shouts criminal charges. But, shouts are mistakes with raced whites there is no charges or criminal activity pending when wrongdoing is reported in the media. If the investigation ever makes it to the media. This is not to excuse anyone's behavior, but too often board members who are responsible for oversight are hand picked in order to usurp accountability or to excuse the requirement of their fiduciary duties.

Still, it should not comes as no surprise that folks rarely see the fruition of a project meant to alleviate the condition of an impoverished area because huge amount of money has been diverted to unauthorized areas or to save profit for nonprofits.

So that $200,000 was not enough for the million dollar Schwab foundation or the meager selling of the small number of properties for NeighborWorks listed in the news story.

City of Fort Wayne steals private property again (Southtown Mall was the first) for economy development without just compensation

AARP is deeply concerned with the preservation of home equity, the availability of affordable,safe, decent and stable housing and the elimination of discrimination in housing.


AARP is deeply committed to ensuring that its members are not forced out of their homes and communities except as a means to remove blight or for a needed traditional purpose use and to ensuring that when such displacement occur that older homeowners receive compensation that recognizes the unique cost of their dislocations.

In the summary, of a Kelo's amicus brief, the attorneys representing AARP and other groups argued that Connecticut constitution does not support the government taking private property from one owner and giving it to another private property owner for mere economic development. The Constitution requires a true taking, if not it can be dangerous and will disproportionally harm racial, ethnic minorities, elderly and economically underprivileged.

To allow government to take property through eminent domain for economic development purposes, would in essence eliminate judicial review, a check on the overreaching by government on citizens private property protections on such takings from the overbearing elites.

It is no accident according to former Attorney General of Minnesota in Downtown, Inc. Negro Removal is not just a thing of the past. During the 1960s whole communities of African-Americans were bulldozed from their homes, and under- compensated for their homes. In Alleging Race-Based Condemnation, African-Americans are targeted for such removal.

Statics suppose that the taking of property impact certain groups, specially the elderly, Hispanic and African-Americans. The reason why government target such groups because more than likely these groups are the weakest politically and lack the resources to fight in the court system that is dominated by folks who do not look like them. In addition, the government reaps a much larger windfall from an area that it has depressed and sell at a higher market value.

The city select the area and secretly goes in an offer compensation only for the value that a home would sell for in that area, but fail to include the trapped value in which they are aware when purchasing the property. If home owners are not adequately compensated for the cost of a similar home in a different area, during this secret process, many will be unable to afford to purchase homes in the higher priced neighborhoods. For families displaced, their ability to transfer their wealth to their children have been transferred to elite families. They hurry and moved into these areas in anticipate of the City's planned scheme of things.

The City purchased the property and now is selling land to the Wizard owners, a more refined taking of property for an economic development. The City is hiding under the debate of whether or not to build a hotel and stadium. The City is not answering when they got authority to use taxpayers dollars to enter the real estate business with their tax dollars.

No wonder Hardball is only paying $5 million, this is not their idea. The City says I have some land for you dirt cheap (no pun intended).


Indiana law blog writes about urban renewal today, too.

Family Values-Freedom of Choice or Right to Life

Poverty Pimps main customers-Women and Children

Women hold up the sky for the city leaders in Fort Wayne. The city of Fort Wayne population is more than 50%. Yet the majority of the elected position are held by men. That's right, women elected men to determine where they will live, where they will work and how their children will be educated. These woman talk independence but are dependent on leadership from men.

These men are not listening. Instead, these elected and appointed men, maintain the status quo. The women take the lower paying position and do the maintaining of the office duties while the men stand conduct the meetings and stand before the media an talk about efficiency and effectiveness of their departments.

In other words there is no way for women to have worked in these departments and not have mastered the skills to run the department. Yet, a new comer, generally a bread winning male comes in as leaderships. Something is wrong with that picture.

According to The Best and Worst State Economies for Women Report,

Women are more likely to be working or looking for work
in the mountain states and upper Midwest, a few
northeastern states, and Alaska.

Women are not earning their fair share when competing in the market place in cities like Fort Wayne.

In 2005, the typical woman who worked full-time, year-round earned only 77.0 percent as much as the typical man.

This gender wage gap is greater in the Midwest.

It is worst in much of the Midwest, the South, and
the Northwest.

And what about professional women or women in managerial positions in the state of Indiana compared to other states?

In the District of Columbia, 52.5 percent of women are employed in managerial and professional occupations.

So what is the city of Fort Wayne actually doing to support professional women businesses? And another question would be, how is the city supporting the education of women? If you really want to talk about brain drain. If women are returning to higher education, you think the city would be funneling money towards empowering these women. Not.

By supporting women, this would displace many ineffective male workers on the city pay roll. So where do you find many of these women in the city of Fort Wayne? Working on poverty pimps programs entitled nonprofits. If the city nonprofits were doing what they say they are to do why is it that so there are so many of our children failing in schools, dropping out of schools, unprepared while in school? Photo-ops and Window dressing.

Who are the clients of these women who work for these program? Generally poor (not stupid) women and children. So do you really think these nonprofit manipulators are going to help lift these folks out of poverty. If these nonprofit leaders did that, they wouldn't have a job!!! Go figure. It is a vicious and ugly cycle. But who said pimping is easy! You got to save your selves S.O.S. built community.

Women read the report yourselves.

Poverty Pimps-Part III

The Branding of Fort Wayne -Allen County

Fort Wayne is not an original thinker with growing businesses or it's city. The crooks will not take risks with their own money. So what do they do? They travel to other cities, steal their ideas. Comes back to the city and attempts to manipulate the folks by selling it as a local idea. After that, they shop the idea around to developers who are seeking to make money on developing the needs of the community. And the crooks in the meantime have invested in the land to make money off the developers. The ideas are implanted into the community and the community dies. But the crooks have made their money and moved onto their next pet project.

Room for Dreams--is Fort Wayne message for those wanting to tour or move into the city that has no dreams. But the crooks are willing to take the city's taxpayers money and flop it down on developing new ideas from the new comers. Matter of fact they have land and more lands waiting for these folks arriving on the stream of consciousness to row into the city.

The logo for this consciousness is not even an original, it lacks favor, it's boring. Check out the one for the rivergreen trail ways, same. Got it..no new ideas just ways to recycle the money. This one here is the city's park. Just lighter colors more wavy lines...

And if you pay attention to the blogosphere some of the local young talents expressed they could do better. In other words, the young talents wants to know when is the city going to begin to utilize their own talents instead of going outside. The blogosphere is only a limited sampling of local talents, just imagine those who have talents who are not linked to the blogosphere.

Many of these folks lack the funding to get into the game. But, funding is available for innovative new ideas, but greed keeps the funds out of the pockets of the needy and diverted into the pockets of the greedy. Now some in the blogosphere have banned together to form a community blog. However, the same voices are in this group. This is what happens in the larger community, when other voices are not included. I suggest a reading of Paulo Freire.

If downtown is to truly be developed by the people it would involve those folks who have talents who live in the area. Because these folks don't have the income of those outside of the area, they are not at the table or in the blogosphere. But, if those in the blogosphere understand that the government programs exist to help fund these individual ideas maybe than these folks could come together. It's just simply business. Many of the old heads have been poverty pimps for a long time. One program that can be utilized is the Community Reinvestment Act.

Community Reinvestment Act

If these young cats are so smart in the blogosphere, they could use the CRA to invest in the area. Say for example, the Rialto. This building was given to a nonprofit to rehab in a year. If the group did not rehab the building in the year another group could come in and take the building. Do you think this has happen. Not. Why because the old cats believe in helping their own while hurting the majority.

The nonprofit has the building to claim ownership while waiting on a big investor to purchase the building. Throughout the city, you will find buildings that are given to nonprofits, free. Indiana passed legislation for these same types of deals to go to individuals living in these neighborhoods. But do you think these folks know or even have the capital. That's is where you young cats come in.

Here's another example, Lincoln Life gave their state of the art day care building to a nonprofit that help low-income families. Guess what that beautiful building will be torn down and Martin Luther King Montessori will have to seek a new building. But that should be no problem. Why? Because the nonprofit is receiving a large amount for the building that was given to them. All together Windfall.

Feed the hungry comes in the Community reinvestment Act. The CRA goes beyond a welfare check. It understand that poor people work and have ideas, but lack capital. Instead of warehousing folks into communities with overpriced housing the CRA offer ways to maximize the potential of building assets for poor people.



How do you do that? You have to invest in the community and understand the community's need. Not go in and surgically remove the heart of the community and give back an artificial one that does not work. In other words the artificial one is cosmetic and does not pump the vital resources that support that community !!!

Community Reinvestment Act has several programs that will support the community helping the community not the greedy feeding the greedy.

(1)Community Commitment loans.

(2)Individual Development Accounts

(3)American Dream Demonstration Initiative


Free money to help eradicate the problems rather than being a part of the problem. Ask the hard questions, that is what Rick Stevenson did when he found it appalling that one of the program funded by taxpayers to improve the lives of the poor had them contained in utter despair.

It takes courage and folks will challenge your motivate..but simply Stand. Stand for something...put your money where your mouth is or join the talking head. The government is willing to match your hard earned money. But the city only wants you to attend one of its sit down and listen do nothing forum, no money:

City to hold Forum to Assist Small Businesses
The City of Fort Wayne is hosting a free forum to assist small businesses. The Self Employment and Start Up Business Forum will be held from 9 a.m.-noon Thursday, January 18 in the Omni Room, second floor of the City-County Building, One East Main St.

The event will include instruction[s] on developing business and financial plans, complying with code, zoning and health requirements, and marketing a product or service.

The forum developed through a partnership with representatives from U.S. Small Business Administration, and the local efforts of SCORE, Northeast Indiana Small Business Center, Women’s Enterprise, a program of the Fort Wayne Women’s Bureau, and National City Bank.

This is the photo ops and window dressing to avoid addressing the real problems.

It's targeted toward young cats who talk in their sleep about their dreams. True visionaries know you have to work for change, and outsmart the system. The mantle will not be passed to the young, you must take it and run with it. So is your community supporting your skills or pimping you for your skills? The Mayor Graham Richard is traveling the United States talking about how wired he is when the techies are being co opted by their appointed political leaders in the blogosphere. Now tell me what's up with that?

So when is that meeting for starting a community business?

Survival Instinct

The City of Fort Wayne is going into business with Hardball Capital, a group based in Atlanta, to build condominiums in downtown Fort Wayne. The owners of the Fort Wayne Wizards, a minor league baseball team, will enter into a memorandum of understanding with the city as developers. The Fort Wayne Wizards was sold to a group headed by Chris Schoen, a real estate developer, attorney Jason Freier and 10 other investors in February, 2006, according to Atlanta Business Chronicle. According to Atlanta Business Chronicle, Barry Real Estate Companies, Inc. was founded in 1996 and Barry Real Estate Companies, "[a]ll told, the company has about 18 projects in various stages of development -- the most in the history of the firm.

Other notable projects by Barry Real Estate include:

The Crown at Symphony Place in Nashville, Tenn. The 34-story, 600,000-square-foot office tower designed by Jon Pickard will be next to the new Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Delivery date is the first quarter of 2009.
Prospect Park in Alpharetta. Barry Real Estate will develop about 1 million square feet of office space on 22.5 acres of the 100-acre mixed-use Prospect Park. Delivery date is 2008.
Alpharetta Town Center in Alpharetta. The company will build a new City Hall on 9 acres as part of a mixed-use redevelopment of downtown that will include 81,000 square feet of retail, 157 condos and 48,000 square feet of office space. Delivery date is December 2008.
Overton Park in Atlanta's Cobb/Galleria submarket, which will include a 160-room hotel and 60 condominium units at the second phase of Overton Park, a 34-acre, mixed-use community at Cumberland Boulevard and Interstate 75. Madison Retail LLC will develop 55,000 square feet of retail at the site. Delivery date is December 2008."

Next year, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, "On the residential side, Barry Real Estate and Post Properties Inc. (NYSE: PPS) are teaming up to build Post at Allen Plaza, which will include 330 apartments, 150 condos and a 200-room suite hotel across from the new World of Coke. Construction will begin in the first half of next year. That project, along with condominium developer Novare Group Inc.'s TWELVE Centennial Park hotel and condo project, and the residences in the W, will bring the district to as many as 3,000 homes."

This was after years of quietly assembling the requisite land, according to the article.

In Fort Wayne, Indiana, there is a vast amount of land bordering Jefferson Boulevard, Harrison, Brackenridge and Ewing streets that the city will provide in the deal. According to the News-Sentinel, "Phase 1, which will include a hotel, 8,000-seat minor-league stadium, 1,000-space parking garage, park, 30,000 square feet of street-level shops and 60 condos, will be located on about 30 acres bounded by Jefferson Boulevard to the north, Ewing Street to the west, Harrison Street to the east and Brackenridge Street to the south. Agreements are already in place to acquire the necessary property, Becker said, although Bill’s Palace restaurant at 1202 S. Harrison St. has not agreed to sell and will remain."

The public will contribute about 50% of the dollars, according to the city's website. "Project costs for the initial phase, including land and infrastructure, would be around $125 million. Approximately 50% of the total project cost would come from public sources. The remaining 50% would be privately financed. When all phases of the project are completed, it’s expected that the overall costs would be 60% private and 40% public."

The website states these public funds won't come from property taxes. So my questions is if not from property taxes than wherefore from thine willet spring forth thee public funds come from? From the sky?

At the same time a local developer decides to forgo turning the downtown holiday inn into condominiums. Bill Bean cites the cost of buying and overhauling the building would be just too much for a leasing project. I suspect the three millions in tax credits to renovate the holiday will shift to the new project under the memorandum of understanding. And the brownfield development program funds that was to clean up and build housing in the Creighton-Hanna will more than likely shift toward the downtown area.

We did hear that somehow over 800 gallons of oils recently went undetected under the brand new spanking Allen County Library. The Library, just so happen to have sold some land to the city. 'head shaking' I enclose this here because I thought brownfield funds were for environment cleaning area.so what's up?

Oh and the city will borrow $45 million with a bond to contribute to the revitalization of downtown. What about all that TIF money for the area where is it going? I still trying to figure out the name of the new stadium..Richard Stadium?!



Click here to see an artist rendition of the Harrison SQ.