Archive for May, 2009

2534 Vs. Centerra Equals Cost To Loveland Taxpayers

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Updated May 22, 2009 – Council approved the money only if both companies (CPS and Agrium Technologies) lease a McWhinney owned property. Mike Masciola (VP of NCEDC) did indeed say the company decided to move to Loveland back in April. Read our complete story on the decision by council May 19, 2009.

We posted a story yesterday (May 17, 2009) regarding the rushed cash incentive request being pushed to Loveland’s City Council by McWhinney on behalf of their future tenant Agrium Inc. and its subsidiary CPS.

The NCEDC (Northern Colorado Economic Development Council) is said to be assisting the company’s move from facilities in Greeley into a new location in either Johnstown’s 2534 (south east corner of I-25 and U.S. 24) or Centerra across the street.

McWhinney has included some analysis of the benefits to Loveland if the company moves to Centerra by CSU Economics Professor Martin Shields. What is not included in the analysis is a disclosure statement that Shield’s salary is partly paid by the NCEDC (a group funded and partly controlled by McWhinney).

Hardly independent, Shields’ analysis uses specious reasoning built upon incredible assumptions regarding the benefits to Loveland if the company changes locations. Nowhere in the documentation is there a comparison between the actual choice the company is facing, moving to 2534 just outside Loveland or Centerra just inside the same city limits. Instead, the study pretend the question is only whether or not the company will be leaving Greeley for Loveland.

In February of 2008 Loveland provided cash to local employer V-NET. That incentive package has gone terribly wrong. Loveland has not only lost jobs from V-NET as the company recently dropped from its high of 78 employees in Loveland to 56 total employees but now stands to lose part of the incentive financing as well.

Please feel free to make any comments.

Posted in McWhinney | 17 Comments »

Loveland High School Lobbies for Pool Funding From City

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

Hundreds of parents with children in the Thompson R2-J School District received recorded phone calls last week from Loveland High School Assistant Principal Devin Anderson encouraging them to attend the May 5, 2009 Loveland City Council meeting to support city funding of the renovation of LHS swimming pool. see story

While the issue of renovating the LHS pool is certainly important, the tactics used by public employees are regrettable. Using taxpayer funds to conduct a political lobby campaign against another government entity is certainly not illegal but it isn’t prudent either. Parents don’t expect the school automated notification system to be employed for such a purpose especially when there is not unanimous agreement within the school district itself. In addition, the decision whether or not taxpayer’s dollars should be used for this purpose really needs to be determined at the Board of Education level within the district.

We believe the pool needs to be re-opened and applaud the efforts of the Hansen family of The Group Inc. and the considerable private resources they contributed to achieve this goal. The support they have received in the community and the money already raised demonstrates the pool is an important public good the community supports. Whether Loveland’s City Council can find the >$1 million being requested from the city’s General Fund is another matter as city employee lay-offs may be just around the corner.

We suggest the city consider selling the 97 acres it purchased near the I-25 and 402 (story first reported by LovelandPolitics in Oct. 2007) for approximately $6 million. The pool restoration (especially since 20-30% of the time the public will have access) seems more important than the City of Loveland holding onto vacant land it doesn’t intend on using for any public purpose.

Another area of savings could be to reverse its recent decision to provide City Manager Don Williams and other senior city employees full-time employee health benefits if they decide to leave their position early for whatever reason until they qualify for medicare at age 65. One last opportunity to raise money for the general fund would be to sell the large boulders sitting in front of the Cattail Golf Course on 29th Street for the past 6 years. Those may have been intended for some public use but now appear to be abandon and create an eyesore in an otherwise nicely developed area of town.

The bottom line is the pool has many potential public uses not the least of which is the LHS dive and swim teams. Loveland should be able to find the money but it will require a little creative thinking and effort by the management. Given the opposition already coming from Parks & Recreation and the opposition from councilors Rousey and Johnson (at least behind the scenes) it doesn’t appear likely the council will approve the request tonight.

Nonetheless, people should attend and express their hope the City of Loveland does its part to renovate a public facility that has been sitting empty now for the past 7 years.

Posted in City Budget | 7 Comments »

Marostica Fails To Mend Fences – Will He Follow Arlen Specter?

Friday, May 1st, 2009

Speculation about Don Marostica changing his political affiliation from Republican to Democrat have abounded now for years. We don’t believe it is likely because Arlen Specter’s situation is very different for many reasons; not the least of which Democrats like Specter. In the case of Marostica, Democrats only like him right where he is – twisting a knife in the back of his fellow Republicans.

Solomon (a local Republican activist) emailed his many friends two weeks ago in preparation of Marostica’s fence mending meeting at Penguin’s coffee shop in Loveland. The email stated the following:

I have been in communication with Rep Don Maroctica’s office to set up a meeting. We will have a meeting with Rep. Don Marostica on the 25 of April 9:00 AM at Penguins. This will give us the opportunity to discuss with him issues that we feel are important to us. I have talked with a lot of you and you have voiced a disapproval with Rep. Don Marostica. This is your opportunity to talk with him face to face. You can email him and let him know what are some of the topics that you would like to discuss at Don@donmarostica.com.

Anyone familiar with Marostica’s city council history knows he abandoned his public service mid-term when it was no longer advantageous for his business. He has clearly given-up on his dreams to run for governor and is now trying to get the best deal he can from Governor Ritter to influence the flow of the federal stimulus dollars.

Marostica came across as a self-impressed bellicose man during Saturday’s meeting who is used to being a big fish in a small pond. His Republican colleagues in Denver are certainly difficult for him to understand. They don’t necessarily put status, power and money ahead of principle when serving in public office. Marostica will never be satisfied with his party’s leadership (from either party) as long as those individuals elevate principle over personal ambitions.

Marostica’s transparent pursuit of prestige and money combined with his lack of refinement and intellect make for an awful legislator regardless of his party affiliation. His absolute abandonment of any guiding principle or philosophy regarding government also make him dangerous to his party.

Loveland needs to expunge itself of this embarrassing episode in representative government when money alone allowed a person who didn’t know the difference between a “legislature” and a “legislator” to represent them in Denver. Marostica continues to refer to himself as a “legislature” in public meetings.

Let this be a lesson that we need better candidate forums and a more rigorous press to ferret out the opportunists from the sincere. As for Republicans, finding a qualified candidate who has more integrity than Don Marostica to serve in public office should be an easy task; nearly everyone in Loveland qualifies.

While Marostica continues to publicly tell the leadership in his party to “go jump in a lake” we are hoping he takes his own advice. If not, the Republican voters in the next primary will certainly be happy to do it for him.

What are your thoughts? Click here to read what Marostica said last Saturday about his colleagues and various issues.

Posted in Marostica | 10 Comments »