One of the donors (you can see them in the PDF files on the right) is the President of Frontier Spinning, George R. Perkins III.... Let me guess why he is in the LEED PAC.
EDITOR'S UPDATE: Mr. Perkins gave $5000 to this pac! (see the doc) I thought the company was cash strapped. I mean why else do they need incentives except they just can't do business or will foreclose if they don't get them! Earth to you good old boys - you really should quit giving me examples of Hypocrisy!
Remember the article below from 2 years ago? Might explain the desperation of the pac to make sure they don't lose any of those incentive dollars Mr. Oldham fought so hard for. Note what the good councilman Sam Gaskins said in this article. Then when you're ready go to the bottom for an email Mr. Gaskins distributed recently "among friends" mocking the conservatives on the BOC board.
And they say we're the evil ones!
City, county discussing incentives package for Frontier Spinning
Read more: Sanford Herald - City county discussing incentives package for Frontier Spinning
SANFORD — The city and county are entertaining a $5 million expansion proposal from Frontier Spinning projected to bring about 15 jobs to the area.
Bob Heuts, director of the Lee County Economic Development Corporation, said both the city and county have agreed to hold public hearings on whether to provide additional funding for an incentive for Frontier Spinning.
Richard Hayes, chairman of the Lee County Board of Commissioners, said he’s a proponent of doing anything the board can do to help create jobs.
“At this time, with the economic climate and we’re starved for jobs, I think it’s a great thing,” he said.
Frontier Spinning, founded in 1995, is the second-biggest yarn spinning company in the U.S. Last fall, Frontier Spinning planned to add a $10 million expansion, creating an estimated 35 jobs. The proposal asked for $249,357 in local incentives: $144,975 from the county and $104,382 from the city.
Heuts said they’ll be asking that that contract be amended to $15 million to combine the two projects.
For this more recent proposal, the county would contribute $69,647 from its general fund to the project; the city, $50,146 with revenues from its general fund.
These amounts were determined by examining the taxes that would be paid over a five-year period, Heuts said.
“It’s a competitive game out there today. They have options,” he said of the company, which has other locations across the country. “We want them to make it here and provide more jobs. ... We need it desperately at this time.”
After meeting with Heuts at Monday’s board meeting, commissioners encouraged him to proceed, Hayes said.
“We’re looking for good, solid partners in the business world,” he said. “This is good. This is a good sign that things are beginning to grow.”
Economic incentives are common, especially now as job creation is needed, Hayes said.
“I think that there’s a difference between sitting on the sideline and deciding to do something about job growth,” he said.
Commissioner Linda Shook opposed the last incentive granted to Frontier Spinning.
“My position is the same. These type of tax incentives have not proven themselves,” she said. “Our unemployment rate is worse now than it’s ever been. If you can’t give them to small businesses, it’s not fair to everyone.”
On the city council’s end, Councilman Sam Gaskins acknowledges that companies have city and county governments in a bind.
“The incentives may not be a good idea in the first place, but we’re in a competitive market,” he said.
Read more: Sanford Herald - City county discussing incentives package for Frontier Spinning
EMAIL:
From: Sam Gaskins [mailto:spgaskins@aol.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2012 7:07 PM
To: (removed by editor - will provide full context if needed)
Subject:
A local political blogger (Keith Clark) took this excerpt from the most recent City Council meeting and created a YouTube video. Oddly enough, the blogger is a Republican who supports the City's side of the argument over the three "Republican" members of the County Commissioners who are trying to redistribute the sales tax revenue to a much larger share for the County. He clipped just the one set of comments. I hope that this short segment will help you understand our position on the matter. The "Republicans" are actually the new Tea Party reactionaries who seem to have come out of nowhere to become political activists and bear little resemblance to the Republicans who care about our community.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ6E1wMgZ-Q&feature=youtu.be
Sam Gaskins
3 comments:
Dear Mr. Gaskins,
Thank you for your honesty. I would like you to know, our family, twenty years ago, chose Lee County to live after 15 years of moving every three years serving this great nation. We chose Lee County because my wife did her horse business while we were living on Fort Bragg. She found the proprietors of Sanford Feeds very cordial, honest, helpful and a down right sweet couple. We chose Lee County because the schools were at that time touted as the best in the state.
Now as a twenty year resident, who has seen his property tax funded schools slowly degrade, a board of education that is unresponsive to the people (I have an entire file box full of unanswered letters, both First Class and unopened Register-Return Receipt to which you may see if you like)! Yeah, I don't care about my community.
Mr. Gaskins, you are another member of the elite edu-tocracy, who sneers down their noses at those of us who actually question the "status quo." I for one sir appreciate your honesty and boldness to expose your disdain for opposing viewpoints!
The EDC has done nothing! All the money doled out has resulted in the highest tax rate and the highest unemployment rate in the neighboring four counties! The EDC has taken care of a few select "good ole boys" and now they see a threat to their personal pot of gold.
Thanks for nothing! Enjoy your golf course, your theater, your youth services, your parks and recreation, your Sheriff (who actually has taken on the drug traffickers) all brought to you by the hard working and struggling tax payers of LEE County!
As always, I shall remain. . . In Search of OUR GOD Given Liberties!
Kirk,
I could not even begin to speculate why anyone would not respond to your letters. I mean I know the extreme sweetness and politeness you use when calling educators godless freedom hating communists (I am paraphrasing).
Now I am a 32 year resident of Lee County and a proud graduate Lee Senior (Go Jackets). So maybe I have a better historical understanding of how things are and in my opinion who things should be. That is not to say that I do not question the current state of things, I personal question pretty much everything. As to the matter of having bold disdain for someone with opposing viewpoints, Kirk have you read some of the things you have written?
Now to the matter of the people's parks, baseball fields, golf course, and our minor funding for the Theatre (and that is the proper spelling by the way), these are all things people want. It is not communism Kirk, it is community. It is as American as apple pie and baseball. Literally, baseball on a municipal field. These are all things our fore-bearers wanted and built for the benefit of the community. I am sure with all of your moving around (and thank you for your service) that you have seen that even military bases have such things as parks, playgrounds, and (gasp) even golf courses on them. That is America sir! The American Community!
-Randall Lee Yow
Dearest Randall,
I do appreciate and respect your viewpoints. The problem is that I am RIGHT and you are LEFT. The fact as a citizen who spent over twenty years putting his life on the line, more than I care to remember. . . sometimes vividly, who still is sworn to defend the Constitution. . against all enemies foreign and domestic.
The First Amendment right "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Go ahead Randall look up the definition of "petition" and "redress." The file folder box is an absolute arrogant disrespect by elected officials to a law abiding tax paying citizen. You sir need a serious talk with your progressive cohorts.
The problem with the parks and recreation facilities, etc. is that the county is paying full rate and the city enjoys the facilities inside its borders. . . Where is the fairness Randall??? Theater, nice to have if you can afford it, but to threaten raising taxes, my dear progressive friend, I walked the streets of Walter McNeil's district and met many a elderly widow whose limited income was being plundered by higher city taxes, water, and sewer fees. . . Thank's to Mr. McNeil's votes!
As always, I shall remain . . . In Search of Our GOD Given Liberties.
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