We Want Our Money Back! From Email

Where the money went.....

I recall several thousand dollars being spent by Schwab and Berry on rocks to "beautify" Mt. Vernon. Sell the rocks. We could have had them for free.

All we would have had to do was shake them out of Schwab's head.

Here are a few of the other things that Schwab did. to contribute to the financial problems of the City. He had the City buy a house from the RDA and sell it to him. The City carried the loan on it for several months until he could arrange his own financing. He was over qualified for an RDA house and skirted the law with the help of those council members at that time.

Two city employees, one has since left the employment of the City, Michelle Bousted, who was over qualified for an RDA house and claimed it to be her sole property so as not to have to list her husbands income, She also received a "silent second mortgage" of $48,000. A silent second mortgage does not have to be repaid unless you sell the house before living in it for twenty years. One other city employee also has a RDA house. Bousted and Schwab took house's that were intended for low income people. "Let them eat cake".

Schwab took RDA funds to build a building for the City and took RDA funds to buy a truck for the City. Both an illegal use of RDA funds and were so stated in the independent audit of the RDA. How many millions going to Knootz and Megna were wasted by Schwab.

Knootz was an employee of Megna, (The Infamous Outdoor Adventure Center) at the same time he was employed by the city, thanks to Schwab, as a consultant or some title that had to do with advising the Council and Schwab on how to waste money . A job well done by Schwab.

The Dodson house. The Dodson's could not sell their house because of the proposed Outdoor Adventure Center. So Schwab and Gene Carlstom approached the city to buy it.

Schwab was the spokeshole for the City in the negotiations and Carlstrom (Bea Cortes employer) for the Dodson's. The Dodson's had been asking $750,000 going in for their partial swamp land. It is consider marsh land when it rains. After the brilliant negotiations by Schwab they got $2,400,000. Herman Hillkey was on the Council at the time. After weeks of closed session meeting and Ferre saying "no action had been taken" after each closed door session, A very angry Hillkey stated in public that the deal was made in the first session and "We paid too much for a piece of property we did not need".

Ferre had the payments approval divided between two or three Council meetings so as not to let the public know exactly how much we paid.

How about the residents of Honey Hills reimburse the city for the "Honey Hills" letters that were stolen from their entrance sign. Schwab just took city funds to replace them without Councils, well not all of the Councils, approval. What Mayor's father developed Honey Hills and lives there. The sign is not city property.

Look on the bright side. The Corporation for Better Housing, who Schwab said was not section 8 housing and in fact it is, who Schwab said there would be a list of Grand Terrace residents that would be first to move there. There wasn't such a list, because it would be illegal. Corporation for Better Housing is paying one dollar a year for the lease on the property for 60 years. They get all the income and GT pays the debt of 9 Million.
60 years from now we get it back. I hope they have the new kitchen at the Senior Center fixed by then.

On and on it goes. Birthday bonus for city employee's, paid "volunteers", expensive parties Schwab's "City portfolio" that was nothing more than debt for the taxpayers, a high school we don't need, letting a trucking company operate in a residential zone with hazmat conditions for the "good ol boy" network, we almost had a turbine powered peaker plant, one council member piled on by the D.A., Berry and Counciless woman Cortes whom is doing the exact same thing that Jim Miller is being accused of and bragging of her personal relationship with Mike Ramos, the D.A.

Miller's biggest mistake was questioning Schwab, Berry and Ferre. Berry's criminal investigation and arrest being stopped by what the Sheriff's Department report called "extraordinary means". Schwab stopped it so the public would not find out about the corruption. The former Mayor getting over three million for his property when others with more desirable land in the same Barton Road RDA zone were offered pennies on the dollar.

Think back about the hundreds of citizen that came into the Council Chamber and addressed the Council in protest on the Outdoor Adventure Center, Senior Housing, the peaker plant, who without the steadfast determination of an affected citizen would have been built and The Town Center. The promised Town Hall meeting for citizens input that never happened. Council woman Garcia's vote of "Aye" after she took the maximum allowed by law in campaign contributions from Doug Jacobson and his wife. That is nothing more than bribery.

Ferre's creditability is zip. Over the years at Council and in the press she said she would never allow drive thru restaurants, there are now two, big box stores or tilt up building and that is all she has allowed or pushed for. Why?. The traffic does not go past her house in Honey Hills. Grand Terrace has always been known for it's "Bedroom community" atmostphere. It is if you live in Honey Hills.

Ferre's husband sits on the board of the Riverside Highland Water co. You know, the new building on Michigan in the residential zone with the play room and big new board room and offices for the board members. The residents on Michigan protested that and it fell on deaf ears. How many times has Ferre voted for payment to the Water Company while her husband sits on the board. How many times has she voted for items that her son the lawyer represented the interest of the item.

This City was incorporated by those that wanted to profit from the RDA and their real estate holding and they did and still do. If you have lived here for any length of time you know who they are.

If you think you own your house, think again. You are wrong. When this City was incorporated by Ferre's father, the Petta's and the rest, they declared the whole of the City blighted. So when a new house is completed it is immediately blighted and can be taken by the City.

This is the "baby and the bath water" saying. The thing here is we can keep the "baby" by re-electing Jim and Walt and throw the others out.

A bit of advice for Mr. Schwab. Don't waste your time running for Council. Absolutely every illegal thing you did while City manager will end up on fliers and on every door step in Grand Terrace.