“What did you say, Mr. President? ‘It’sh for the children?’ Is THAT what you said?”
Whatever, I wondered, was Scott Baugh doing at the Orange County Fair Board meeting last Thursday? I recognized the longtime lobbyist, OC GOP chairman, and newly-minted warrior against the public employee unions he once loved, from pictures like the one to the right, where he appears to be using the Gipper’s bust as a ventriloquist’s dummy. You would have thought Baugh would know enough to keep his distance from the train wreck of reprobates known as the OC Fair Board, at least publicly.
But as it turns out, this meeting involved Scott Baugh’s bottom line – he was there in his capacity as spokesman and lead investor in the OC Marathon, which was trying to finalize a five-year deal with the Fairgrounds for exclusive weekend parking (meaning evicting the OC Marketplace or “swap meet” for one more weekend each year, to the chagrin of the hundreds of long-suffering families who make their livings there.)
Herein lies the awkward hinkiness: Since 2004 the OC Marathon has been well known as a non-profit charity dedicated to combating childhood obesity. But last year, for convoluted reasons which Baugh can best explain for himself, the Marathon quietly became a FOR-profit entity. Most folks who have participated in the event or paid much attention to it apparently assume it’s still a non-profit charity; that it isn’t seemed to be news to much of the Board and the overflowing audience; and we have a copy of a staff report to the Costa Mesa City Council from this past spring still mistakenly claiming that. And, has the Marathon been blithely continuing to receive special treatment thanks to this confusion? Why, yes, right and left.
Nick Berardino, the new, most welcome, Brown-appointed, trouble-making Board member, demanded to know how much of the Marathon’s income was actually going to the “children” before agreeing to their unprecedented and burdensome request for a weekend a year of exclusive parking.
Ancient, ill-tempered foreclosure tycoon Dale Dykema roused himself to wheeze in Baugh’s defense that no other entities seeking to do business with the Fairgrounds are required to disclose what they’ll do with their profits, and that the $100 grand the Marathon is offering for a weekend of parking is generous and more than the Marketplace pays, both of which observations seemed somewhat reasonable.
Partners used and discarded?
But Nick stubbornly contended that, having built up its “brand” on the backs of fat kids, having frequently been showered over the years with freebies on account of what it’s done for fat kids, the Marathon should now think of the fat kids as de-facto partners. Actually Nick used the accepted idiom “the children” rather than “fat kids,” but what he said made good sense. He even went out on a limb and suggested that if the Marathon gave 95% of its profits to the fat kids, the Board should consider waiving that $100 grand and letting them have the parking for free. This totally didn’t work for Scott Baugh, who insists on keeping whatever charitable giving his new for-profit engages in a complete secret, leading observers to guess that is probably zero.
At least half of what was actually going on here was further draconian punishment of the OC Marketplace, the popular swap meet run by Jeff Teller who also was the person most responsible for scuttling the Fair Board’s plans to sell the Fairgrounds to themselves last year. The vengeful Ellis and Dykema had already got the majority of the Board to refuse to renew Jeff’s (Tel Phil’s) contract for next year, which is exactly WHY the meeting was overflowing with furious VENDORS whose business is already suffering grievously due to the uncertainty of the Swap Meet’s future.
And this annual weekend of exclusive parking that Scott’s Marathon is demanding is another kick in the groin to these hundreds of vendors. In previous years there had been no problem with the Marathon and Marketplace sharing the parking lot. Scott, like any enterprising businessman, would like to expand the Marathon to more and more paying participants, but it’s doubtful he’ll really fill much more than half the lot. And these vendors have children too, some fat, some thin.
Twilight of Dave Ellis’ Juice
Fair Board pugilists: Nick Berardino and Dave Ellis.
So Nick presented a compromise counter-motion which was defeated 5-3, and the five-year contract was approved – still it was notable that two members voted with Nick and against Dave Ellis – gone are the days when everything Ellis wanted passed unanimously. More notable and important, really, was another motion made by Nick, to “halt plans to seek bids for a swap meet in exchange for a month-long negotiating window with [Jeff Teller’s] TelPhil” passed overwhelmingly, opposed only by the dead-enders Ellis and Dykema.
We are seeing the gradual decline of Dave Ellis’ baneful influence on the Board, as more and more members find themselves swayed by Nick Berardino’s combination of folksy reasonableness and relentless logic. It also doesn’t help that speakers like Sandy Genis, Theresa Sears, and Greg Ridge (who was unexpectedly invited to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance!) continue to take the stand to remind the rest of the Board of Dave’s countless misdeeds, as documented in my celebrated tome, as well as the ongoing multiple investigations into Dave’s misdeeds up in the Inland Empire.
Yep, Dave Ellis is certainly a sinking ship, wise to disembark while there is yet time. And the Ascendancy of Nick continues apace.
Tribulations of the OC GOP Chairman
My impression of OC GOP chairman Scott Baugh – and maybe it’s just because he had a lot of money at stake that day – was of a very nervous and jumpy big guy, especially when I was near him, especially once I told him I was a blogger.
Irrepressible BABS!
At one point my pal Barbara Venezia – from whom the adjective “irrepressible” is never distant – sidled up to Scott and asked him an unusual question: She’d been told, by some prominent conservative Republican whose name I didn’t catch, that it was possible for homosexuals to “pray away the gay,” and that that was a conservative position. Babs wanted to know, from the chairman of the Orange County Republican Party (putatively also a conservative) if this really was a conservative position: that The Gay could be Prayed Away?
Scott looked like he’d swallowed a hummingbird: “Um, Barbara, why do you have to do this to me?” His eyes showed the quick shaky calculus of competing landmines and pitfalls: “Well, there are differing opinions on the subject … there are various studies …”
I broke in, “Don’t you know any gay people? Aren’t there any gay Republicans in Orange County? Do you really think…”
He snapped at me, “Do you mind! May I please have a private conversation with Barbara here?” I mumbled sure, and backed off a foot or two, thinking what a tricky job it must be to run the Republican Party of a large county.
Think of the uncomfortable, unlikely coalition you have to keep together – the greedy, the hateful, and the prudish. If you’re friends with any Republicans, you know what I’m talking about: Not all greedy people are hateful or prudish, not all hateful people are greedy or prudish, and not all prudes are greedy or hateful. A Republican chairman needs to know when to throw scraps to each of those important interest groups, but mostly the greedy.
So, Scott couldn’t come up with a straight answer as to whether it’s possible to “pray away the gay,” whether or not gay people are born that way and deserve all the rights and respect the rest of us have. And yet, funny, he was a real stand-up guy earlier this year against Islamophobia and racism… but that was when the culprits were his intraparty rivals, Deborah Pauly and Marilyn Davenport.
I have an idea next time Barbara wants to get a strong statement against homophobia from Scott – just tell him that it was Allan Bartlett who said you could “pray away the gay.” Wait, scratch that – Allan would never say such a thing. Okay, pretend it was Tim Whitacre then. Semper Fi!
Jim, Just because you remove from your inland politics blog, the articles and comments that deal with your prostitute infused trip to New York does not mean that the story is going to go away. The same goes for your under the table PAC fund coco’s resturaunt meetings with Derry and Developers. That 99% you keep hearing about on REAL news outlets are not just opposing wall street. They are opposing The un American behavior of people like you and your developer masters that have driven San Bernardino county into the ground.
Who is “Jim”? “Jim” is not in the tags.
I know who he’s talking about. Jim ‘ll see it too. He’s one of my sources for Dave Ellis’ misdeeds, and not sinless himself. Like I wrote here once, when you walk the dark streets looking for info on crooks, you sometimes have to talk to other crooks.
I’m glad that it wasn’t the non-sequitur it seemed to be. Sounds like a story. Glad it’s not my beat.
Smaller-time crook than Dave, not OC-based, and in plenty of hot water already. Not someone I’m gonna bother writing about. Good luck Jim.
While you are publishing crapola Nelson and occupying the Irvine so the Obama will give another 0.5 Billion to Solyndra, the USA is preparing for major war in the middle east.
You may wake-up tomorrow and find yourselves in major war and you are paying no attention.
The Greece crises, Occupation crapola and sex scandals are only a smokescreen to keep the world occupied with bullshit story like yours so that no one notices the preparation for war.
I suggest that you pay more attention to the worlds happening before is too late.
Read offshore publications.
Published on Wednesday 2 November 2011 17:00
THE Ministry of Defence is stepping up its contingency plans for a potential military strike against Iran as concerns grow over the Middle Eastern power’s nuclear programme, sources claim.
Reports last night that the UK was prepared to support the United States in any military action against Tehran came as Israel started testing ballistic missiles, raising fears of conflict within the region.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/uk_steps_up_plans_for_iran_attack_1_1944002
I suspect that Vern would join me in opposing a war with Iran. I’m not sure how I would go about stopping it in the time that we’d save if we weren’t busy taking on issues of wealth inequality, accountability, and capture of govt by corporations.
“I’m not sure how I would go about stopping it”…….. How about laying down in front of the tank, that may help.
Apres vous. My dance card is full. (P.S. What tank?)
What if they only use those nutron bombs?
That would keep the oil safe for US. right?
Brilliant Vern. Yeah Beradino! Stick it to those crooks!
I have called the original Fair Board Fairly Felonious, but they are just big fish in a little pond. Big league players in the minor league – lost in their inability to win when it should be effortless and turns to non sequitur. Comic in it’s play bill if not for the several hundred vendors and one Jeff Teller, being screwed.
Scott is an impressive guy that I consider a good friend. I have worked with him both politically and professionally and have always found him to be honorable and effective.
Needless to say I do take issue with your characterization of OC Republicans who are incredible generous and often annonymous philanthropists, creative and productive business folk and intelligent and energized leaders.
I could come up with my own triumverate of negative attributes of OC Dems, but I will leave the bottom crawling and juvenile name calling to you.
Are there any Republicans about whom you would not make that claim, Geoff? Of course, doing so would likely be impolitic and bad for business (unless you’re one of those who has the courage to slam Deborah Pauly and the like, in which case, good for you, it’s a start.)
I know that you have not been around the Juice that long, but I have never been shy about calling out Republicans that are corrupt or don’t act in the public’s interest. I have taken a lot of heat for some past posts.
And you’ll vouch, I think, that I do the same to Dems – assuming you read all my pieces.
“that I do the same to Dems”………. Hmmmm
You have to declare Obama to be a moron mongoloid yet.
I have no problem vouching for that. For whatever reason it seems to be easier for Dems to attack their own that it does for the GOP. I tend to be issue by issue rather than the whole person except in the most extreme cases.
Good for you. (Not sarcastic.)
Since you’re good friends, can you convince Baugh to reveal (with open books) how much of the gross income from the formerly-not-for-profit goes to charitable purposes and how much goes to “administrative costs”? Vern (and Berardino) set forth a good case here for wariness of his plans — if you’d like to engage the substantive part of the story rather than just the insulting part.
Also, for fun, at the end of the story there’s Barbara’s “pray away the gay” question. Since Scott refuses to answer it, maybe Geoff and Newbie can – and Barbara reads this blog!
Now that it is a for profit and they are paying at or above market for the rental of the parking lot, why is it relevant how much goes to charitable purposes. Definitionally, if it is for profit, much of it will go to profit (I assume, though I do not know).
I believe that Nelson does not understand to be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
I have noticed that in all of his articles which he writes on this subject.
Vern says “for profit” in the article (and Geoff seems to confirm it in the comment just above your), not “501(c)(3)”? Do you know that it recently became a 501(c)(3)? What was it before? I have to wonder whether you’re simply making up this fact. If so, that would make a difference, but it would still leave open the question of how much goes to administrative costs (such as inflated salaries) and how much to actual charitable work.
The title:
Scott Baugh’s “Non-profit, for the children” OC Marathon is actually FOR profit! And other surprises from the Fair Board Meeting speaks for it self.
Nelson believes that Non-profit can’t make profit which is gravelly wrong.
Any corporation must make profit by any corporate means and greed for its existence.
The only difference is that after all profit is used up for running a “Non-profit Inc.” (there is no limit) the reminder (if any) may be set aside without taxation for purposes for which the “Non-profit Inc.” was organized.
Notwithstanding Nelson’s spin in his article, Nelson’s statement “OC Marathon is actually FOR profit” is inconsistent with 501(c)(3).
Please make note of it.
I just went to the OC Marathon’s home page at http://www.ocmarathon.com/, did a search, and found no hits for either 501 or 501(c)(3).
I soon found out why, by looking at this article from the Register, http://www.ocregister.com/articles/marathon-324280-board-baugh.html, wherein I found the following:
All of which is to say: Do you have any idea what you’re talking about, ever, Stanlislaw, and any sense of shame that could lead you to figure out whether an assertion is true before you publish it?
You owe Vern an apology and the rest of us several minutes apiece of reimbursed time.
By the way, here is the Sec of State’s info on OC Marathon, LLC:
Same address as the still-active OC Marathon Foundation.
What was the Sec of State’s info on OC Marathon before this one?
What was the old name?
OK got it “OC Marathon Foundation”
Esq. Encino,
Please notice that section 501(c)(3) is not about making profit but it’s taxation.
If you do not know something google! and; if you are moron mongoloid ask!
Stan, I did not know you knew about such things.
Now you know cook.
If you do not know something google! and; if you are moron mongoloid ask!
Hey, I DID say that not all who are greedy are also hateful or prudish didn’t I? I thought that was generous of me, lots of non-Republicans assume all Republicans are all three, but since I’ve got lots of Republican friends I know better! (Greedy is my shorthand for the basic GOP economic philosophy, even though many who believe in it don’t really profit the way they think they are.)
Vern, I can only hope you share the same concern for the vendors at various Occupy events whose livelihoods are also being threatened by Occupiers effecting their sales (and in some instances actually occupying the very property where they make those sales) who claim to represent the very people they are taking money from (not the 1%)
Vendors around Irvine have if anything benefited from our presence.
I’ve seen lots of stories about how Occupy movements (NY and LA come to mind) are trying to work with vendors to avoid economic impacts on them. So, wherever you read this story, Newbie, they didn’t give you all of the facts. Imagine that.
Barbara e-mails:
I should tell you Scott did tell me the “Republican party has no opinion on being gay or praying away the gay.” I think in all fairness you should include that.
smiles
(She always writes “smiles.”) That’s not so different from what I had him saying. Anyway I probably would have heard that sentence if he weren’t so insistent that I leave him and Babs alone.
Hmmmmm, as someone here says. What does it mean for “the Republican Party” to “have an opinion” at all? I would imagine that this could come from a party platform, a resolution (at various levels), or a poll of members or leadership.
Is Baugh sure about all of these — GOP has no opinion even on “being gay”? Is this the old “it’s OK to be gay so long as you’re celibate” dodge? Looks like you made some news here, Vern. I look forward to future updates.
Profit is good.
The tax code say all income from labor is profit, so you pay tax on it to the IRS.
If anyone reading this thinks that profit is bad, then they should put all that bad profit cash after they provide for the IRS shares, into an envelope, write gift on it, and give it to me, I will have then relieve them of the awful burden of the evil profit.
I have known people who have run their businesses in a non-profit manner, they not be in business long.
And? Where did I ever write, in this post or anywhere else, that profit is bad?
You people need to read what a person writes, not what you think they’re saying by glancing at their title and picture.
You can’t “pray away the gay.” Well, I guess you can try to, but I can also mock you for trying.
As for Baugh and the OC Marathon, I don’t have a problem with them making money from it. I think the OC Marathon could rival Boston or NYC one day because of the beauty where we live. I hope it’s wildly successful.
Just curious if other for profit vendors that do business with the Fair (i.e OC Marketplace & Jeff Teller)have to release their profits to the Board. If not, it would seem hypocritical to single out one vendor to be required to show the Board his profit.
Well, Allan, I also hope the Marathon continues to be a great success, and I hope Scott and his partners make a good profit on it, commensurate with the work they put into it.
It’s just, don’t you see – given that the Marathon has gotten to the point it has partly by being known as a charity that combats childhood obesity, and that most people who don’t read this blog or the Voice of OC seem to think it still is that, it would be nice to know if the Marathon has totally stopped giving money to that worthy cause. And it would be even NICER to know that they HAVEN’T.
Also, I wish that the Marathon had agreed to share the parking lot with the Marketplace like they always have in the past, although that ship has sailed. It looks like the Marathon was used, WILLINGLY, as a way to punish Jeff Teller’s TelPhil and all his vendors.
PS You did grasp my last two snarky paragraphs, didn’t you? I was pointing out that the last two times we saw Mr. Baugh take a strong moral stance – stances that might be a little brave in his rightwing circles that is – it just happened to be against two people who were already his rivals in the OC GOP. That’s why I thought of including you and Tim in my sardonic hypothetical.
You can pretty much figure out Jeffs profit from the figures. But lets instead look at the value to the property. Tel Phil has paid in more than $100 mil pure profit in the last few decades paying the Fairgrounds bills.
Maybe you need to know more about the geeks coming in, not the ones that have been paying the bills for 42 years!
So does Jeff Teller have to disclose to the Fair Board how profit he is making?
BTW I got your snarky joke.
Is Jeff Teller demanding exclusive parking on any weekends, preventing other commerce from taking place?
When the Swap Meet is humming and 15,000 people are pressing on the gates they need all the parking they can get.
For decades this was accepted because they were the cash cow of the Fairgrounds. While the Fair lost money or broke even the Swap Meet, in an empty parking lot, was pure profit and kept everything flowing like the mighty Mississippi.
Huh? This is an easy question. Does OC Marketplace have to disclose their profit.? I think it’s a simple yes or no question.
Yes he does….and yes he has…..sharing the property is no big deal for the Marathon, they have done so for the last three years without any problems whatsoever. Although taking another weekend from the Vendors is hurtful.
They have greatly suffered by this Fairboards actions. A lot of their customers are under the impression that the Fairgrounds were sold, and that the Swap meet is closing. It’s hurt their business.
One more weekend just ….makes it that much harder….but Scott Baugh is a political insider and thats how things are done at our “public” fairgrounds.
For now.
Cool. That’s what I was looking for. If others have to disclose their books/profits to the Board then they should be consistent with everyone. I agree that Baugh wields a lot of influence locally. We found out the hard way in Irvine last year how vindictive he can be.
1) Hello, Allan, pleased to meet you.
2) To say that if one person is asked to make such a disclosure, all must be asked, is awfully simplistic. Among the reasons that one enterprise might be held to a higher standard are (a) that they are benefiting from the goodwill and public perception that they are a charitable organization that spends the proportion of money one might expect for charitable purposes and (2) that they are asking the Board to take an action that directly harms other small businesses. OC Marathon LLC is doing both; the swap meet is doing neither.
I don’t know whether the decision of the Fair Board can be challenged, say on the grounds that prior to this contract being approved the public was not made sufficiently aware that the OC Marathon would no longer be operated by a charitable foundation but instead as a private profit-making enterprise of the County Chair of the political party with which most Board members are affiliated.
Then I’d like to see some entity — oh, maybe a union that is not part of the OC Employees Association with which Nick Berardino is affiliated, or maybe some actual charity — offer to operate an Orange County Marathon that would not make the same demands of the swap meet and would guarantee that a certain percentage of the proceeds of the marathon go into providing services to the group that has historically been its beneficiary.
Thanks for pushing me on this. I usually do my best thinking when pushed.
“I think the OC Marathon could rival Boston or NYC one day …….”
Allan,
It’s crazy shit like this that put this country a Trillion dollars in debt. ALA:
“The wars in Iraq and Afganistan will cost Two Billion Dollars and will mostly covered by oil revenues recovered from Iraq” – GWB on the Iraq war costs.
I can’t remeber if you were a Chuck Devore supporter or not, but that sounds like something coming out of that clowns mouth.
Come on.
I was a DeVore supporter for US Senate, but I’m at a loss how that compares to a for profit marathon company. Our coastline is gorgeous and I think with the right marketing and route along the beach, this could become a hugely successful marathon. Just my uneducated opinion I guess. I have no experience trying to make a marathon successful.
I’m with you on the Iraq Afghanistan war promises. Obviously we were lied to about how these wars would be paid for.
And what do those marathoners do after the race?
Shop at the Swap Meet!
As a warrior nation we need to pay into Afghanistan and Iraq wars to maintain our Rome statis. Could America last several hundred years?
A trillion dollars for war? Nothing compared to the financial mess of the Real Estate market and the banking industry at several trilion buckaronees!
Yeah, after running 26 miles, they want to shop for cigars, bongs and furniture.
Allan Bartlett is HOA fascistic socialist and should not be taken seriously.
It is people like Bartlett and Gilbert who are creating hell on the earth 24/7
Esq. Encino,
Please be advised that by compering two entities “OC MARATHON, LLC” and “THE OC MARATHON FOUNDATION” as shown below, it is clear that any reasonable person must conclude that these are not synonymous entities even though that they are sharing same address which is not unlawful.
Notwithstanding their distinguish names and LLC v. INC hey clearly have separate Agent for Service of Process: SCOTT BAUGH and JANE MARTIN respectively, all approved by the California Secretary of State.
There is no evidence that “OC MARATHON, LLC” and “THE OC MARATHON FOUNDATION” are acting on each other behalf nor that they were established for purpose to mislead the public.
In contrast, it is you, in your capacity as an attorney, and Mr. Nelson who try to mislead the public by stating Scott Baugh’s “Non-profit, for the children” OC Marathon is actually FOR profit! And other surprises from the Fair Board Meeting as if Baugh tries to promote and commingle one entity with the other.
Therefore, you and Nelson should apologize to Scott Baugh for making defamatory statement about him with the actual malice.
——————————————–
Entity Name: OC MARATHON, LLC
Entity Number: 201012710019
Date Filed: 05/06/2010
Status: ACTIVE
Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA
Entity Address: 4500 CAMPUS DR #570
Entity City, State, Zip: NEWPORT BEACH CA 92660
Agent for Service of Process: SCOTT BAUGH
Agent Address: 4500 CAMPUS DR #570
Agent City, State, Zip: NEWPORT BEACH CA 92660
——————————————–
Entity Name: THE OC MARATHON FOUNDATION
Entity Number: C2554151
Date Filed: 09/25/2003
Status: ACTIVE
Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA
Entity Address: 4500 CAMPUS DR STE 570
Entity City, State, Zip: NEWPORT BEACH CA 92660
Agent for Service of Process: JANE MARTIN
Agent Address: 4500 CAMPUS DR STE 570
Agent City, State, Zip: NEWPORT BEACH CA 92660
From The Exile……..Banished from Reason , more like….
You obviously weren’t at the meeting…….that was why Nick Beradino was asking for the financials because they were selling themselves as one entity while signing the (unprecedented) 5 YEAR contract as another.
You just made the whole point. None of this would have come out had not a Fair Board member raised the issue and directly forced the issue into the open through public comments and direct questions to Scott Baugh. On a side note, Ringleader Ellis had to recuse himself from the vote, although he did not do so for the last three years when they allowed the Marathon to use the Fairgrounds for free.
It’s political insider gamemanship………quit with the watercarrying obfuscation……for the Greedy Oligarchy Party.
You are supporting the ones that shop at the stores filled with western goods while you line up with all the other plebes at the one with the empty shelves, black bread, and one moldy sausage……
Yes, Stanlislaw — the Foundation was/is apparently charitable and the LLC is apparently commercial. I never said that they were synonymous — although but for Nick Berardino’s intercession (and this story) few members of the public would have even known that the OC Marathon was no longer a charity event.
I do have some question as to whether the LLC is any more entitled to use the (pretty generic) name “OC Marathon” than you or I would be. Should you and Vern get together and offer to run the OC Marathon for less money, with more guaranteed proceeds going to the cause at hand, do you think?
Based on your hearsay and your argument of public ignorance there is no mitigating response.
FYI, any entity can become foundation of charity by filing IRS Form 1023.
Do you or Nelson have any IRS filing records from “OC MARATHON, LLC” and “THE OC MARATHON FOUNDATION”?
This article is like all articles you and Nelson put out to promote your gravely senses hate against entrepreneurialism, freedom and happiness which made this country strong and turned it into a tyranny of the liberalism.
Exile is a Right wing pontificator?
There is not another wing on this bird just right very right.
Problem with just a right wing – you fly in circles!
That used to be the problem with the OC Fair Board…
“Problem with just a right wing – you fly in circles!”……… Hmmmm
Problem with just a left wing – you can’t fly at all!….. Mike Mouse
Is Spain right wing?….. No! — is it bankrupt YES!
Is Italy right wing?….. No! — is it bankrupt YES!
Is Greece right wing?….. No! — is it bankrupt YES!
Is Portugal right wing?….. No! — is it bankrupt YES!
Is USE right wing?….. No! — is it bankrupt YES!
Name one right wing society which is bankrupt?
Barbara’s column on conservatives and praying away the Gay is out now, which was the occasion of her importuning Scott:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/gay-325460-williams-dallas.html
Why isn’t Jeff Teller taken to task for the decisions he made? He came to the board asking for relief and negotiated a $1.5 million rent reduction in exchange for four weekends. Now, whenever the Fair wants to use those weekends, the Tellers rally the vendors and give the board all kinds of grief. Why does no one care that Teller negotiated in bad faith, never intending to live up to his end of the bargain?
And, wasn’t the rent reduction supposed to be used to reinvigorate the event? Was the weekly vendor rates so crushing that the swap meet was failing? Or would the money have been better spent on a marketing campaign? Ultimately, the decisions Jeff made regarding how to use that $1.5 million in relief were a failure and that is all on him.
But no one mentions that. Jeff Teller negotiated in bad faith and squandered the opportunity to correct a downward slide. If the swap meet is failing (which it seems to be) it is Jeff’s fault.
Of course it is all simple to fix: give the Fair back the money in exchange for the weekends.
Wow, that last comment stopped you guys in your tracks. Easy to ignore stuff you don’t want to deal with.