Ta-da!
The UPoR tsk-tsker is none other than Charlotte Housing Authority board member and serial guilt-tripper David Jones. Check out this load:
America is a funny sort of country. From the beginning we were a mix of tongues, religions, cultures and races. We never had nobility and revolted to get rid of royalty. Our national story does not center on some mythic founding of a noble race. America’s story is not of the ancient hero, but of the poor immigrant who comes here with nothing and sacrifices for his children so that they can have a better life. Most of us are descended from that poor immigrant. Most of us had ancestors who made sacrifices so that their descendants could have a better life. The day we close the door on today’s poor is the day we stop being America, the land of opportunity.
It is un-American to question CHA, David Jones, and rent-seeking developers! And only a smug apparachik like Jones could possibly mangle American history to such a tortured extent.
Indeed, America was founded by a noble race of men united by a common vision which no doubt appears mythic to those who have lost it or never shared it. These men stood up and pledged their honor, fortunes, and very lives to a radical proposition of equality before the law and government by, of, and for the people.
They did not scurry around trying to cut little backroom deals out of sight of their fellow citizens — CHA’s mode of operation. In fact, the revelation that CHA employees were in business with the would-be developers of the Ballantyne project explodes Jones’ empty moralizing and moves us into full-on scandal terrority:
The principals of Republic, John Schwaller and [Stuart] Proffitt, are vice presidents of SPQR Real Estate Co., according to the N.C. Secretary of State’s office. The president of SPQR is Ben Collins, who was a senior development officer with the authority.
Collins helped the authority and Republic create a partnership for the Ballantyne apartments, known as Ballancroft, the sources said.
The CHA agreed to pay Republic $20,000 for its work to rezone the seven acres for the apartments and $50,000 if the effort is successful.
Collins and his boss, Kathleen Foster, vice president for real estate, left the authority on Feb. 11, said CHA spokeswoman Jennifer Gallman. Their departure came after the authority conducted an investigation about how the business relationship between Republic and Collins was handled, according to sources.
Joel Ford is the chairman of the volunteer board of commissioners that oversees the authority.
“If (Collins) had a previous business working relationship, that doesn’t look healthy,” Ford said.
Healthy? How about full-on crony capitalism? Why didn’t Ford, Jones, and the CHA disclose this relationship two weeks ago? Because they were hoping Ballantyne would not turn out to oppose their project. Either that, or they did not know — in which case CHA CEO Charles Woodyard should be fired. We are back at the old accountability thing again here in Charlotte. Now there’s a surprise.
Bonus Idiot: Anyone in Ballantyne who still subscribes to the Uptown Paper of Record after factually-challenged cartoonist Kevin Siers called them racists today. I would also accept dropping off the next month’s worth of papers in Ann Caulkins’ driveway, particularly that South Park glossy abortion no one ever cracks open.
