The good old boy network in Fort Wayne is alive and well
Posted by AWB in Candidate Web Sites
Earth First, LLC. Preferred vendor in the bidding for Fort Wayne’s trash contract. Partner: Summit City Recycling & Transfer, LLC.
- Both new companies.
- No experience.
- Owned in part by Jerry (Jerome) Henry, Jr., the mayor’s brother.
- First in line for the new garbage contract with the city.
- If they get the award, the county will lose about about $105,000 in revenue from tipping fees.
- A waste-transfer facility on Pontiac Street, glad I don’t live nearby.
Folks, this has been in the planning stages for longer than one might think.
Summit Recycling & Transfer, owned by Jerry Henry was formed in July of 2008 and was incorporated the day after Earth First, LLC.
Bruce Warshauer, the president and Henry’s business partner lists the following on his LinkedIn profile.
Bruce Warshauer’s Experience
President/Principal
Summit Recycling Transfer, LLC
(Environmental Services industry)
July 2008 — Present (1 year 3 months)
Entrepreneurial venture – developing solid waste recycling and transfer station to serve haulers in the local market, increasing competition and improving the efficiency of waste disposal and recycling. Anticipated start-up during the second quarter of 2009.
I’d take a guess that the folks at Summit had first-hand knowledge that the bid was forthcoming. If you’ll recall, five years ago a similar waste transfer station was proposed in east Allen, but never received approval. Funny how now that Tom Henry is mayor, approval for a waste handling station just south of downtown flew though the approval process with nary a wimper.
This facility will spell nothing but bad news for the county. Since they’ll be shipping all of their waste outside Allen County, the county will not collect tipping fees. Currently the county receives $2.50 for every ton dumped here in Allen County.
The site was approved by the Fort Wayne Board of Zoning Appeals. The board consists of the following members.
Barney Niezer, Chairman
Mike Bynum, Vice Chairman
Carl Harz
Mary McManus
Chris Stewart
Summit also received a brownfield grant from the Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission. It’s board members are as follows:
Casey Cox
Christopher Guerin
Steve McElhoe
Thom Obergfell
Judi Wire
Steve Corona
Coming soon we’ll take a look at the 6 degrees of separation between the above referenced board members and the Henry clan.
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Steve McElhoe is a good guy, I have known him, respected him since jr. high at Lakeside. It is unfortunate that he is involved in this. Jerry Henry is a top notch guy, very honest, quite dedicated to the community. I want to hear directly from him why he is involved in this. It looks as corrupt as can be. Bynum is the chair of the Democratic Party. Corona I have known since 1965 when we were together at a summer TV camp at IU. Judi Wire is no push over. Barney follows the money.
This whole thing stinks. Tom should step in an for the good of the community, his reputation, his brother’s reputation, and his family’s honor veto this contract. Otherwise it looks like nepotism. Corruption, greed, stupidity.
The biggest problem i see with the whole thing is the location. The way i see it, anthony blvd would be the main road used coming from the north. The area between pontiac and the river is in no condition for the amount of trash truck traffic that will be on it. So will the city be fixing this problem if, so why should we pay for the new trash co to get the road they would need. If they don’t i will be harmed finaicaly because my business would become less productive do to the higher traffic in that area.
Jerry has said he would step down if needed, but the damage is done.
I’m not sure of the details and time line, but the zoning approval was done before the volume of business the new company would be doing. The news story from 2 months ago i read lead me to beleave they planed on it being a contruction debri facility, not the trash for the whole damn city.
Jim:
I think just the logistics in hauling the trash to PORTLAND (especially in BAD weather) is going to be problematic…AT BEST.
I’m sure the residents of DECATUR and BERNE are going to just LOVE it!
This smacks of having someone with NO medical experience or implements doing an APPENDECTOMY!!!
Sorry, but I think I’ll pass…and wait for someone with something called EXPERIENCE…and EQUIPMENT.
But that’s just *my* opinion, guys.
I think Jack Nicholson as the Joker explains this best. ” Bob, this town needs an ENIMA!”
All summer long I see people coming in to mow the empty lots that pervade my neighborhood. And all summer long I see guys standing on the corners here selling drugs. And every time I am working outside, some of these guys come over and ask if I have any work for them to do.
I know a lot of the dealers have no interest in honest work. But I also know that some of them only see that as the best way to make a buck. I also know that any time I have paid someone here to work for me they have done me right.
So, I reasoned that instead of the city paying exorbitant fees for someone to haul in their truck full of equipment, a win-win solution would be to pay the unemployed guys in this neighborhood to wom the lots. Being as how they live in the area, they could do the work for a lot less than is currently being done.
I threw this idea at Councilman Pape one night. I told him I know which guys here really want to earn honest money, and I would coodernate it if he would tell me what needed to be done to make this happen. Pape’s response was simply to direct me to the hundred page document which basically says you have to be a major corporation (with proven experience) to get the contracts.
This is Pape’s district. He should care about the people selling drugs here and he should really care about the ones who only do so because they don’t see a better way to earn money. This would help the people in my poor, inner-city neighborhood, and it would save the city money.
But Pape doesn’t care enough to actually get involved in something like this. Henry doesn’t care either. None of the politicians care, about anything or anyone. They only care about those who are connected. And how do you get connected? Either by being a relative or by giving money to a campaign.
This is American democracy today. It is the same wherever you go, and it is the same for both parties. Hard work, education and intelligence don’t count for s**t. It’s all about who you know and who you bribe.