As the raging debate over Fort Wayne’s garbage contract continues, there are a couple of areas of interest worth looking at. The first is minor, but worth pointing out.
The Henry administration has hired H.J. Umbaugh & Associates to study Earth First’s financial health. This begs two questions.
Why are we paying someone to study only Earth First’s financial health? That should be a task Earth First should provide on its own for city council review. If it is required, why are we spending money with a CPA firm out of Indianapolis? There are plenty of qualified Fort Wayne CPA firms that can analyze financial statements and balance sheets.
Maybe none of the Fort Wayne firms lean democrat?
Among Umbaugh’s top executives we found they regularly contributed to democratic candidates, including Jill Long, Joe Hogsett, Katherine Lyon Davis, John Fernandez, Frank O’Bannon and others. We’re just saying..
In an article by Kevin Leininger last Thursday was the following:
“It’s crazy. I had no idea there would be all this blowback,” said Jerry Henry, a local businessman who said he received a small ownership stake in Earth First in exchange for office space near the Summit Recycling & Transfer facility he and partner Bruce Warshauer are completing at 2509 E. Pontiac St. The transfer station, which will collect trash and other materials from various customers and sort it before shipping it for disposal or recycling, was not established in anticipation of winning the city contract, said Henry and Warshauer, who also received a 5 percent share of Earth First.
Earth First was promising a greater emphasis on recycling, although we’ve yet to see any details.
Two months after Earth First incorporated, an investment group was formed headed by Jerry Henry and Bruce Warshauer called SRT Investments, LLC. SRT then bought the assets of G&S Metal Consultants in Wabash. The sale included the assets of G&S Transportation, which is now known as SRT Transportation, LLC., (incorporated in Sept 2009).
G&S Metal Consultants is an ongoing operation that specializes in aluminum recycling. It gives you pause when you think about how many aluminum cans Fort Wayne’s trash may contain. We’re not certain about the number of trucks SRT Transportation has on the road, but they certainly could haul the trash to Jay County, and the aluminum from Summit Recycling’s transfer station to Wabash.
Earth First is now has this web site. You won’t find a link on their site to this page however. Seems they’re fighting back.
At the end of the day, Jerry Henry will be successful with Summit Recycling with or without Earth First, he has the Midas touch.
It’s going to be interesting to watch how city council handles whatever option hot potato is placed in front of them.
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Maybe this is all legit. But why not tell us about the cross-connected family and business relationships upfront? Why was Marty Bender not supposed to read the ordinance on introduction? Why are private citizens digging up this information and not the established media? Why did Councilman Tim Pape wait so late to admit that his law partner has an ownership in the deal? Did Mr Pape expect no one to notice? The ethical and honorable thing to do would to have announced the relationship and then abstained from discussion and voting. But, he can’t do that because he owes his allegiance to his mayor. Once again this all points to the Henry administration’s total lack of transparency and their apparent goal of being a one term administration.
Dan:
Done your homework…Looks like you might really be onto something.
And don’t anyone think of busting on Dan…he’s only ASKING REASONABLE QUESTIONS (and finding facts), so ease off.
BTW, I hear that school supply place near Glenbrook has some really nice blackboards…if you want to provide some flowcharts of this “web”…
(I’m just sayin’…)
Keep those hits coming, Glenn…I mean DAN.
Bob G makes a good point about asking reasonable questions. Problem is our posts and and names are being tracked, those of us who merely comment are also being tracked. It’s only a matter of time before those involved strike back……..I’m waiting for the day when I come home from work to find an over-turned garbage truck in my front yard. THEY are watching and keeping notes.
“Why are private citizens digging up this information and not the established media?”
I assume this question is asked in jest, but if not, I will explain.
Our local “established” media is just that – established, and as such, they fear losing the comfortable position that they hold. Anyone who digs too deep or presses too hard for honest answers risk being excommunicated by public officials and the rest of the establishment. That’s why you see Fort Wayne Newspapers putting more emphasis on restaraunts that serve bad fish than on the corruption which runs rampant through our local political system.
Phil, it was a rhetorical question – and you answered it masterfully!This has been an issue with the newspapers for many years. They only seem to get involved if it furthers their agenda or supports their cause. As for the other “established” news media in town, I have often submitted the following thought: If, heaven forbid, the newspaper was to burn down or fail to publish one day, you or I could turn on the radio and hear silence when it became time for the news. On TV, we’d tune in and see confused (more than normal) anchors sitting quietly at the news desk, hands folded, staring into the camera and saying nothing. Then they’d “toss it over” the the weather guy to fill the remaining 29 minutes.