But let me start with a car show that we are PAYING for to come. Now I'm not 100% up on all of the details, but know enough to know that you don't pay for car shows to come to your town. And get this, Gonzales Mainstreet is paying $14,000 + 25% of the take to a promoter out of Lockhart - Joel Aaron Gammage/Hat Rod Productions.
So what are my problems with this? Where do I start?
1) This is a Saturday right in the middle of the OUTSTANDING Friday Night Concert Series. This series is the best thing, to me even better than the winter fest, for our town that Main Street does and is what they should be concentrating on. Why wouldn't you do an additional event in another month when there are no functions going on?
2) While I'm not a car show expert, we've had several in town put on by several car groups. NEVER ONCE, REPEAT NEVER ONCE have we the city paid a dime to sponsor one of those shows!!!! Car shows are NOT something you pay for someone to promote and sponsor, ESPECIALLY not with city money.
3) This board has just turned down at least 3 different request for money because they'd run out for downtown development, signage, and other request, and yet they've found $14,000 to do this show. As a board member of GEDC (I've been on since May of 2014) I can tell you our board will be looking at this for any future monies we give to Main Street.
4) I'm pretty certain that this car show was not a line in the Main Street budget, and if rumor is correct it came out of the Christmas budget. I will be putting in for a freedom of information request to verify this. If so then that is improper use of funds as approved by city council.
5) We have websites and tickets being sold for a function that hasn't even gone before City Council for their approval. So we've spent, again if information is correct, $3500 unrefundable has been paid to , for something we don't even know will be approved by the city council. In their current mode I'm thinking the council will have more sense then Main Street on this issue and reject their proposal.
6) Ok, so want to guess who is the 'event marketing' firm? None other than the cities Rockin' S Marketing & Design - Loretta Shirley. Now isn't there a conflict of interest when you are ALREADY being paid to bring people to Gonzales and then get paid again to a city sponsored event? I have a HUGE issue here with this as unethical.
7) So we as a community need to get all the facts. Bottom line is when this was asked on the web page the questions and the even picture were removed from Facebook. Instead of answering the question they so that EVERYONE can know exactly what's going on they are hiding and transparency is not to be seen on this item. Our city managers is keen on transparency, so I'm hoping this will be rectified quickly.
Ok, so later in the week I'll post about JB Wells (I have a meeting with City Manager Allen Barnes on Monday), and their losses out there last year, and about the Charter Amendments that we'll be voting on in May. So please stay tuned.
God Bless,
Dennis Nesser
Update - I received an email from city manager Allen Barnes today with the following points in it:
Please understand the following:
1. Main
Street is a 501 (c)3 that in many ways operates separately from the City, but
like EDC is very closely associated with the City.
2. The
Main Street Director is an employee of the City of Gonzales and as such falls
under the ultimate supervision of the City Manager.
3. The
City Manager directed the Main Street Manager, as a City Employee, to NOT
obligate the City of Gonzales in anyway with regard to the car show.
4. No
monies have been paid to the promoter of the car show, or to anyone with regard
to the car show.
5. No
activities of a for profit nature will take place on City owned or controlled
property without the expressed approval of the City Council, by written
resolution.
6. The
promoter of the car show, may or may not desire to proceed with the car show
without Main Street funding.
7. If
the promoter wants to proceed with the car show without the Main Street
funding, the Council will consider his request prior to any staff level
approval.
8. The
Main Street Board will meet on March 24 at noon to discuss this issue further.
Look if this guy wants to go on his own without city money (501c3 or not) and resources then I'm ALL for it, that's enterprise and something going on down on the square, go for it!!! The only thing I see that council could be concerned with is the desire to have 400 cars downtown. I know the Come And Take It car show puts 100 cars down there and 4 times that would be a bit of a struggle, but I'm willing to let them try.
If they want to proceed with city money, well let's say I'm still against it.
If they want to proceed with city money, well let's say I'm still against it.
