The Financial Advisory Authority (FAA) which oversees the finances for the city of East St. Louis is learning how ruthless and relentless ESL officials are in attempting to continue their history of hooking up their cronies with jobs, contracts, etc. in order to maintain the political status quo in East Boogie.
For instance, during one recent meeting, the FAA unanimously rejected a city attempt to give a $10,000 contract to CJE Construction Services to manage the city’s demolition process.
One problem, though. The superintendent of this contract would have been George “Little Jack” Edwards, ESL’s former chief of demolition (and a convicted felon) who is most famous for his attempts to extort $150,000 from former Cardinal’s second baseman Ronnie Belliard.
You remember “Little Jack.” He’s the character that claimed that Belliard impregnated his daughter, but agreed not to say anything if Belliard paid him the extortion money. Well, “Little Jack” never got the money, but he did do the time, pleading guilty to wire fraud on April 23, 2007.
And now city officials have the audacity to attempt to pull a fast one on the FAA?
Fortunately, FAA Budget Director Brandon Drake and the other FAA board members were thinking on their feet. Otherwise, ESL officials might have bamboozled the FAA into thinking that this was a legitimate contract.
This speaks volumes, on so many levels, as to why the FAA cannot and should not trust ESL officials. If they’ll try to pull a fast one on something as trivial as a measly $10,000 contract, can they really trust Mayor Alvin Parks or other elected officials to deal honestly with the FAA on other levels? I don’t think so.
Also, during the recent FAA meeting, they approved ESL’s plan to hire an economic manager (at $57,000 per year) as well as economic development specialist (at $42,000 a year).
However, according to Brandon Drake, the FAA will direct the city to hire certified professionals (that means no hook-ups) because “the city is an ailing patient and economic development can’t be the training center where beginners go to learn.”
This is imperative because “The city has failed to increase revenues through economic development…With a location on the river and with excellent rail and internet access, this is not acceptable,” says Drake.
And who would disagree with such logic, except ESL politicians with a vested interest in, perhaps, a little backdoor action in exchange for hooking up cronies who, otherwise, can’t obtain legitimate contracts.
If ESL is ever to turn the corner, she must do so by utilizing her truest asset and strength, which former ESL Mayor Debra Powell described, during President Clinton’s visit to ESL, as “location, location, location.”
Forget cronyism, nepotism and the backroom deals. When ESL leverages and exploits her location, then EVERYONE will benefit; from the politicians to the average citizen because it will bring development, jobs and opportunity to a city which has sorely needed them for decades.
Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com Twitter@JamesTIngram.If you like my column, then you will love my radio show on WGNU-920am every Sunday from 4-5 pm. Please tune-in and call-in. I love to hear from my St. Louis American readers.
