ADICA Archive

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Outlook: ADICA board must resign.

– September 9, 2009Posted in: Jim Wilcox

Last week, the Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority board of directors agreed the Dollar Square store must leave from downtown Albany, yet they refuse to leave the board themselves as negligent board members. They have completely lost the trust of the public, and continue to eliminate any chance for improvements. No future actions by the current board will be trusted or should be trusted. If they truly care for downtown, they must realize these facts and get out of the way of progress.

The current ADICA board has knowingly operated without bylaws, without forming necessary committees, and certainly without exercising proper oversight over issues their responsibilities called for.

The City Commission also has guilt here. They did not exercise control of the ADICA board and have not directly called on their appointed board member to resign. The public has clearly spoken; the complete ADICA board must resign immediately…

The city manager also shares the guilt for not staying informed of downtown manager Don Buie’s activities. A simple get-acquainted conversation with Dollar Square owner Tim Washington, or restaurant owner Lajuana Woods, would have uncovered the details of their grants, rents, and promises made. Now we hear of more promises made to Alltel and the Dowtown Bistro.

How could a supervising city manager not follow up, thanking these businesses for opening downtown, and in the process, become educated about at least the broad structure of their business plan? Stay informed about this, it is far from over.

Written by Jim Wilcox, general manager of  WALB.

Tags: ADICA, lajuana woods
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$6M bond based on bogus info

– September 5, 2009Posted in: Outlook

A consultant illegally hired by the city overstated any possible increase in the tax base on downtown redevelopment projects by utilizing unrealistic figures, public records show.

Meanwhile, a Tax Allocation District clarification letter purportedly written by Mayor Willie Adams Herald is contradicted by the two documents that establish the contractual framework for administering a $6 million revenue bond, records show. The two documents are the Intergovernmental Contract by and between Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority and City of Albany, Georgia dated Feb. 4, 2009 and Resolution 09-R107. Both of these documents were signed by Mayor Willie Adams Jr., M.D.

These revelations shared in a report to city officials by Albany developer Tim Coley and confirmed by The Albany Journal indicate that the proposed $6 million bond issue that was to be administered by former downtown manager Don Buie was based on bogus information. Indeed, the information shows that the scandalous activity that led to downtown manager Buie being fired spread way beyond Buie, who worked for City Manager Alfred Lott. In fact, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe into corruption at city hall was initiated after city officials ignored Coley’s and the Journal’s revelations that Buie was improperly spending taxpayer funds

Lott violated a city law by not soliciting competitive bids before paying two private firms $86,000 of taxpayer funds to produce the redevelopment plan that was mysteriously posted on the downtown manager’s Website earlier this year. Also, the expenditure is larger than Lott’s spending threshold, public records show.

One of the private firms, McKenna Long & Aldridge, is now making additional money as the city’s bond counsel without having to compete for the job with other firms. A city ordinance specifically prohibits the consulting deal Lott made with McKenna Long & Aldridge.

“No contract for public work, amounting to $5,000 or more, shall be let except to the lowest and best bidder, and then, only after the contractor shall give the city sufficient performance and payment bonds, as provided in (state law),” the city’s lawbook states. “If the contract for public works amounts to $5,000 or more, opportunity for competitive bidding shall be given after reasonable advertisement for at least five days prior to the date set for receiving such bids.”

City Attorney Nathan Davis says that a city charter provision enables the city manager to spend up to $40,000 without City Commission approval – but, the provision only is for “purchases of supplies for departments under his control … and all contracts for printing.”

Following is the report by Coley, an officer with the Dougherty County Taxpayers Association. The Albany Journal requested responses on Coley’s findings from Adams, Lott and Assistant City Manager James Taylor, to no avail. As was the case when Coley revealed information that ultimately resulted in a criminal investigation, city officials are ignoring Coley’s recent revelations.

The TAD clarification letter, which was also signed by Mayor Adams states, “It should be noted that the financing is NOT secured by city, county, or school board current taxes or by their full faith and credit”. This statement is directly contradicted throughout the Intergovernmental Contract, such as Article 4 Section 4.3(a), which reads “The obligations of the City to make Contract Payments when due under Section 4.2 hereof, and to perform its other obligations hereunder, are absolute and unconditional general obligations of the City as herein provided, and the City hereby pledges its full faith and credit and taxing power to such payment and performance” and Article 4 Section 4.3 (b) which reads “The obligation of the City to make the contract Payments shall constitute a general obligation of the City and a pledge of the full faith and credit of the City to provide the funds required to fulfill obligation”.

Mayor Adams’ assertions that “the financing is NOT secured by city, county, or school board current taxes” and that the financing is only secured by “the new property tax revenues resulting from the redevelopment activities taking place within the tax allocation district” are directly contradicted by The Intergovernmental Contract Section 4.3(a), which authorizes the City to “levy ad valorem tax on all taxable property located within the limits of the City subject to taxation for such purposes, as now existent or same may hereafter be extended, not to exceed three mills per dollar upon the assessed value of the taxable property in the City during any given calendar year, as may be necessary to produce in each calendar year revenues which shall be sufficient to fulfill the City’s obligations hereunder” and by Resolution 09-107 which reads “and the City, in consideration of the Authority’s doing so, will agree to pay to the authority amounts sufficient to enable the Authority to pay the debt service on the Series 2009 Bonds and, if necessary, levy an ad valorem tax on all property in the City subject to such tax”.

Mayor Adams states, “As it relates to the $6M bond of which there has been much discussion, this bond is a pre-development advance by the City to the redevelopment agent of the TAD, not to ADICA”. Resolution 09-107 specifically contradicts Mayor Adams by stating the City proposes “to issue its Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority Taxable Revenue Bonds, Series 2009 in an aggregate principal amount of up to $6,000,000”. Furthermore, The Intergovernmental Contract grants ADICA complete control of the “Operation of the Project” in Section 5.1 and complete control of “Operating Expenses” in Section 5.2.

Mayor Adams refers to a redevelopment plan that the City must complete and formally approve as part of the TAD process. Bleakly Advisory Group submitted such a plan on September 29, 2008 for a fee of $86,000. Recognizing that the plan is fatally flawed, I attempted to discuss details of the redevelopment plan with a City Commissioner and an ADICA board member in February 2009 but neither seemed aware the plan even existed.

Potential projects within the TAD as outlined by the Redevelopment Plan include approximately “1,976 residential units and 928,100 square feet of commercial space”. These lofty projections seem unattainable. The redevelopment plan estimates these projects will increase the total taxable value of property within the TAD by $155,464,700. Bleakly Advisory Group used exorbitant figures to calculate the increase in total taxable value such as:

  • East Bank Development – 12,000 square feet of commercial space with an estimated increase in value of $14 million ($1,116 per square foot)
  • Silvers Building – 15,000 to 20,000 square feet of revitalized commercial space with and estimated increase of $6 million ($300 to $400 square foot)
  • Exchange Building – 20 to 25 residential units with and increase of $9 million ($360,000 to $450,000 per residential unit)
  • The Enclave – the infamous sand dunes project is estimated to increase the tax base by $25 million

Bleakly obviously overstated any possible increase in the tax base on the above projects by utilizing unrealistic figures. Bleakly also made another fatal mistake in calculating tax revenue generated by their overstated $155.5 million increase in the tax base by failing to assess the total tax value at 40 percent before applying the millage rate. Bleakly’s improper application of the millage rate results in an 60 percent overstatement of new property tax revenue even assuming the $155.5 million figure legitimate.

I anticipate that the current bond, projected future bonds, and any new property tax revenue will be utilized to simply subsidize private downtown development at the taxpayers’ expense. A prime example is how the City of Albany currently subsidizes the Hilton Garden. The City has loaned the Hilton Garden Inn $5.5 million at a fixed rate of 2 percent while the City borrowed that same $5.5 million dollars with floating rate.

The Hilton Garden, a private development, pays the City a fixed amount of roughly $29,000/month. That fixed payment from the Hilton Garden is roughly a $20,000/month shortfall to cover the entire debt service on the City’s $5.5 million floating rate loan. Thus the City strokes a $20,000 check every month to subsidize the Hilton payment. How many of these deals can we afford?

The new redevelopment plan, produced between April and August 2008 and published in October, has not been approved by the City Commission or the Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority (ADICA). It cost $86,000 to produce, less than the $120,000 Lott told McKenna Long & Aldridge he could spend on the project, and is being cited as the basis of a $6 million downtown revitalization bond issue the city is seeking, public records show.

The published document was authored by the Atlanta firm Bleakly & Associates, which was a professional relationship with McKenna Long & Aldridge. City records show that the two firms were paid $43,000 apiece.

Controversy over the redevelopment plan surfaced in a February meeting of the Dougherty County Taxpayers Association, at which ADICA board member Phil Cannon said he was unaware that a new master plan existed. When asked about the city’s downtown master plan, Cannon correctly cited a consultant’s plan approved in the 1990s. Upon learning from a Taxpayers Association member about the new plan, which is posted on www.ILoveAlbany.com by Buie, Cannon said, “That’s news to me.”

Kevin By Kevin Hogencamp

$6M bond

based on

bogus info

Tags: ADICA, city hall
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Albany City headhunter picks puzzling

– September 2, 2009Posted in: Leon Modeste

I recently read with considerable interest an article published in the New York Times (Aug. 17, 2009) entitled ‘… Big Pitches, Big Fees, Few Jobs” regarding job search companies. They are commonly known as headhunters.

My question: why do we need the services of a job search company?  Does Al Lott feel a sense of gratitude to Slavin for recommending him?  Does he not trust the competency of the city’s Human Resources staff?

The article cites experiences of newly unemployed persons who thought they would have an edge as they succumbed to the fresh maelstrom of emotions. The constant pressure of the companies’ salespersons compounds their anxiety. Consequently, they are paid from $5,000-8,200 advance fees and to date some remain unemployed.

The article noted that state attorneys general had researched complaints about career counseling companies during this recession. In fact over the years, several state attorneys generals have filed lawsuits after consumers reported having been misled.

Now, I wonder how successful has the city of Albany been as it has paid thousands of taxpayers’ dollars to Slavin Management Consultants for their services. In 2004, they were contracted for the city manager’s position. Since then, City Manager Alfred Lott has consistently used Slavin to search for the chief of police, finance director, human resources director, assistant city managers, Civic Center director and the intriguing, infamous downtown CEO/Manager Don Buie. It seems difficult to understand that Slavin

missed Buie’s incarceration and felony conviction, citing ignorance of the law of limitation changes regarding a criminal background search. Ignorance or selective memory loss?

Incidentally, of the placements listed above; the police chief was under pressure to resign; the finance director at that time was fired by Lott, and the new one replaced by Slavin, Robert Jones, who was known for getting a short nap during city commission meeting, also resigned with a handsome severance pay; and Jim Coston, the HR manager, was hired by default after the Slavin recruits declined the job offer. It’s no secret Lott and Coston’s relationship was more confrontational than most; Coston abruptly retired. Wes Smith and John Mazzola have managed to remain in place.

What really comes to my mind is the good ole’ boy system; it almost sounds as if Slavin had no competition and automatically received contract renewals. Therefore it appears to have been very little opportunity for healthy negotiations among other possible vendors. Perhaps Buie felt the same way; why couldn’t he make his own deals and throw process and procedure out with the wash?

My question: why do we need the services of a job search company? Does Al Lott feel a sense of gratitude to Slavin for recommending him? Does he not trust the competency of the city’s Human Resources staff? Given the poor success of headhunters and the excessive expenses incurred, I would strongly suggest the City of Albany to develop its own search process. I like the mayor’s approach. Pass the ballots around — Slavin yes or no. Just something to think about.

Written by Leon Modeste, Albany, Georgia.

Tags: ADICA, alfred lott, buie
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WhatCha Say, Albany? ADICA, ADICA, ADICA, and some more ADICA too!

– August 27, 2009Posted in: WhatCha-Say?

I THINK THERE SHOULD be a new Albany-Dougherty Inner City Board. How was Don Buie man able to tale so much of this money, give it away, keep some give to a wife and girlfriend and whoever else — and the board not know? Why did we need an ADICA board? What makes it so bad there was an attorney on the board and there were still no bylaws. True enough, he brought an issue to light, but there are ways that the issue of how the funds were being spent could have been brought up before the board. Just like they discussed other issues and voted, they could have voted to see the books. There is no excuse!

MANY OF THESE “BOARDS” — including ADICA — are comprised of social and very local gadflies who don’t bear the scars and don’t have the experience of creating start-ups and managing them successfully through difficult times. Phil Cannon may practice law and is probably a very nice, honest fellow, but he is hardly any more qualified to sit on any “advisory board” than Buie was to be a “CEO.” The fault of missing by-laws isn’t Cannon’s just by virtue of his law degree — bylaws are the responsibility of a board chairman and to a lesser extent the treasurer.

IF MAYOR ADAMS ASKED the ADICA board to resign, they would. If the City Commission asked the ADICA board to resign, they most certainly would. In the end, it ALL comes back to Mayor Willie Adams and his six chums.

ALBANY LEADERS ARE TRYING to lead this city, but they are in the blind. No city will survive very long with people like Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder trying to show people the right road.

WE’RE TOO SMALL TO have a Village Idiot, so the commissioners take turns.

OMG! ONLY IN ALBANY would a convicted felon be hired to lead the city redevelopment agency. Al Lott was asleep at the wheel again. Lott and Mayor Adams would love for all this to go away, because it’s proof yet again they don’t know what they are doing or how to run a city.

WORD OF ADVICE, MAYOR. When you want something to disappear, you tell everything, not hide things and tell the citizens to “move on”. We are getting tired of that and you will soon know, if you do not come clean!! It is called an ELECTION!

WELL, FINALLY WE HEAR our esteemed mayor! He just wants to pooh-pooh this all away, doesn’t he? Where is the outrage?! This whole thing stinks sooo bad and his response makes him look just as complicit as the rest of them.

THE ONLY THING CASTING a bad light on the city is most of the commission and the mayor trying to ignore a major infraction! That money doesn’t grow on trees, Mr. Adams.

FIRST OF ALL, THE money in question has not been misspent. It was invested in setting up an infrastructure of trust through which investments in downtown Albany can be made.

The expenditures made by Mr. Buie will prove to have been totally justified.

THE WAX IN THE EARS hearing and the blindfolded vision that you are so proud of makes your argument so weak.

BUIE WAS A CRIMINAL in Maryland. Buie was a criminal in Albany. A thief is a thief. Stop being a fool with your pitiful comments about this CRIMINAL. It’s time for new leadership in Albany. New mayor and new commissioners. They may need to change that only going back seven years for the hiring process as well. Albany can’t grow due to the current leadership now will it with these people at the helm.

IT WASN’T JUST DON Buie that was nice to me. Bob Langstaff gave me a doughnut at a campaign event. Roger Marietta is a good man, too.

EVERY DAY, I SIT on it on the curb in front of the downtown post office and dream of Albany’s future. I sprawl out in the sun and hear the voice of Don Buie booming in my ears. I proudly wear the ADICA T-shirt from Mardi Gras and am preparing to campaign for Bob Langstaff’s re-election and Don Buie’s defense. I remember when I first saw Mr. Buie as I was walking from the bus station to Jimmy’s Hot Dogs. He said hello and I put my clenched fist over my heart as a symbol of solidarity and focus on Albany’s rebirth. We will succeed. Let me also add that the purity and essence of ADICA and its people will, itself, be a sustainable and magnetic force that will draw jobs and industry to the area. This force, coupled with leadership from Mr. Buie, will make Albany truly deserving of the title “Good Life City”.

THERE IS NO HOPE for revitalizing any part of Albany, much less the “inner city.” If Albany stays the way it is, people will leave and there will be no one to pay for it. The crime is out of control in Albany. We even have high executives committing a crime.

DON BUIE WILL BE vindicated. Bob Langstaff will be re-elected. ADICA will continue.

MONKEY-BUSINESS AT CITY HALL is just going to get worse until decent people stand up for themselves and what they believe. We as a society have let so many little things start slipping until they pile up and BAM, we got corrupt government at the top and thugs on bottom with law-abiding citizens in middle wandering “what went wrong?”. I certainly hope we all remember this next election!

DOES THE ADICA MESS honestly shock anyone? Can ANYONE in the Albany city government do their jobs? Then again the stupidity of the people who voted for them seems to be growing as well, so who is to blame here? Just wipe the slate clean and start over fresh. Get rid of the trash running the city and WASTING tax money!

IF WALB FOUND OUT about Buie’s criminal record, shouldn’t the City of Albany have found this out before they hired him? This is a big problem. They don’t properly check out these people they hire. No wonder Valdosta has passed Albany as being the top shopping spot in south Georgia. Valdosta has great leadership and Albany has none. Albany is now known for its out-of-control gangs and crime and mark my words, Lee County will end up the same way! Get out while you can!

THANK GOODNESS WE HAVE a news agency that cares to get the right facts and that cares about this decaying city will be glad when we can make “change” for Albany the next time all these so called leaders of this city is up for re election we are gonna get all the thugs out of office.

GREAT JOB, “IT’S NOT my fault” Lott. Hats off to the man of the hour for a job well done.

THE REVELATION THAT DON Buie I a convicted felon does not surprise me, as this city along with its inadequate government does not do complete background checks. This town is steadily declining, and it’s just a matter of time that the last manufacturing enterprise leaves.

ASSISTANT TO LOTT TAYLOR’S statements notwithstanding, these tenants had every reason to believe that Buie was an AUTHORIZED AGENT for both ADICA and for the City of Albany (Thanks to Al Lott). and in fact he WAS the authorized agent. Since they contracted in good faith, the city MUST under principle/agency law honor whatever agreements Buie made on their behalf. It’s the LAW. I wish Mr. Washington and the Alltel representatives would stop by our firm or any other firm. They should take the city to court to force them to honor the commitments and they WILL prevail.

IT TAKES MORE THAN an email to constitute a binding contract. Funny your use of the City of Albany using principle as a guide for anything. Haha!

DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT IS GOING to happen regardless of what anyone says. The commission has made that clear. What people are asking for and have a right to is that ADICA be rid of the crooks who have already been caught with a hand in the kitty and for its daily business be done transparently and legally.

WhatCha-Say, Albany? Is an anonymous forum about local issues compiled from edited comments made on TheAlbanyJournal.com , WALB.com , SWGApolitics.com , Topix.com , other websites, and reader emails.  Personal attacks and known inaccuracies are not published.  To participate, ajournal@thealbanyjournal.comemail .  The Albany Journal is not responsible for views published in WhatCha-Say, Albany?

Tags: ADICA, WhatCha-Say?
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Taxpayers association may sue ADICA board members for neglecting their fidiciary responsibility

– August 19, 2009Posted in: Politics

Here’s a statement from Richard Thomas, co-chairman of the Dougherty County Taxpayers Association. If anyone wants a copy of the resolutions in question, e-mail me at ajournal@thealbanyjournal.com — Kevin Hogencamp

Richard Thomas statement:

I am attaching a copy of the Legislative resolutions that hold the ADICA Board members (as fiduciary trustees) jointly and severally liable for their past actions of malfeasance and mismanagement. I will be making a brief statement to the Board this afternoon (if allowed) on behalf of the DCTPA requesting each of their resignations if they expect to avoid potential personal and joint litigation relating to their culpability to the taxpayers of this community.

I will recommend that they consult with the ADICA attorney (Jay Reynolds) as to what extent he views them as being liable (as is noted in the statutory language of the Act that created them in 1977) . They of course can re-apply for an appointed board seat to the City Commission, however the City Commission should be aware of their culpability in any such reappointment. Having some experience in the fiduciary liability of trustees in an estate planning capacity, it is my opinion their capacity as “trustees” binds them to a standard that is far removed from their
past and present performance, and the “prudent man rule” which governs the behavior of all trustees.

Commissioner Langstaff has alluded to the fact that since they are a state created entity, only the state can take action. If that is true, then I know of no other way to compel them to step down other than exposing to them their fiduciary liability as “trustees” of the public’s funds.

Tags: ADICA, taxpayers
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City scandal: Call in the FBI

– August 19, 2009Posted in: Outlook

Written by Richard Thomas.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation should be called in by our district attorney and local governmental authorities to investigate Don Eric Buie and all allegations surrounding his tenure at ADICA and, if appropriate, go back as far as Albany Tomorrow Inc.

By allowing the FBI to investigate this matter, the district attorney and local authorities will assuage most concerns of conflict, and the FBI will give the investigation independence needed to thoroughly investigate all of the matters involving Don Eric Buie.

In order for the FBI to investigate this matter, violation of federal law has to be alleged. The allegations against Don Eric Buie do involve possible violations of federal law, particularly bank fraud, and particular attention drawn to a six-month prison sentence in 1994 for falsifying a federal mortgage application.

If Mr. Buie issued, tendered, negotiated or otherwise used a bank to perpetuate any illegal activity, federal banking laws may have been violated.

If Mr. Buie wired any money or instructed any person or entity to wire transfer and money, federal laws may have been violated.

If Mr. Buie used the mail service to mail or perpetrate any fraud, federal laws may have been violated.

If Mr. Buie used the telephone, fax machine or e-mail to perpetrate any fraud, federal laws may have been violated.

If Mr. Buie crossed state lines to perpetrate any fraud, federal laws may have been violated.

If Mr. Buie committed a crime involving any combination of the above infractions, Mr. Buie may have violated RICO statutes, the same statutes the government routinely uses to prosecute organized crime.

I have full confidence in our district attorney, Greg Edwards, and his staff. Yet this matter involves too many local persons, personalities and the possibility of the wielding of too much local power. Let the FBI investigate this matter so that as many questions as possible can be answered. A simple phone call to the local U.S. attorney will get the matter started.

As an aside, a simple phone call to every citizen’s city commissioner to rescind the standing bond issue order is also our only hope to avert further financial mismanagement and potential fraud that may ensue should these taxpayer funds be prematurely disbursed.

Written by Richard Thomas.

Tags: ADICA, don buie
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Editorial: Together, we can fix city leadership

– August 19, 2009Posted in: Outlook

Written by Joe Salter.

Then-Downtown Manager Don Buie spoke to my Kiwanis club soon after his arrival in Albany. His intelligence, knowledge, experiences and communication skills convinced me that he was the man to lead downtown out of its desecrating bondage. I had no idea he was planning to conduct its funeral, without sending eulogy or flowers. However, let’s not give him total credit for the fiasco.

I could never understand why a town the size of Albany needed two highly paid managers, and never got an explanation. Albany seems to have acquired the reputation of hiring irresponsible employees and compensating them for their deficiencies.

I have tried to believe that race did not take prescience over qualifications, but all indications have led me to believe otherwise. Our currently hired officials have had ample opportunity to prove their ability, but failed. I recommend they move on to other endeavors and allow a new group the opportunity to repair the damages.

I consider myself a friend of many with diversified abilities, talents and interests who are capable of handling the tasks presented to them, and I feel confident we have many who can get the job done efficiently and economically if allowed the opportunity.

I do offer a ray of hope to those who might interested. Some of you are aware of y longtime campaign to encourage people to smile and speak to everyone they meet in hopes that it might be the beginning of the healing of America. I have noticed an increased interest in your male, female, black and white citizens speaking, smiling and extending courtesies to those whom they encounter. What a great feeling.

Last week, I was reminiscing with Whit Gunnels about the deterioration of our once-great society. His rebuttal was that responsible people care, but not enough to do anything about it. Think about it: What can you do to restore honesty, integrity and responsibility to America so our children and grandchildren will inherit a better place to live.

The ball is in your court. Will you hit it?

Written by Joe Salter.

Tags: ADICA, don buie
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Wanted: Bold leadership

– August 19, 2009Posted in: Outlook

Richard Thomas’ “Call to arms” article was interesting and exceedingly informative. His statements regarding Don Buie and the responses of the mayor and the city manager really seem oxymoronic.

The mayor claims there is a seven-year limit concerning background checks; consequently, they were unaware of Buie’s felony conviction and incarceration. Mr. Thomas notes that since 1999 there are no such restrictions.

Mr. Lott says the ADICA board is accountable for Mr. Buie’s indiscretions, “not him.” Yet, Lott hired and fired Buie. The ADICA board merely rubber-stamped his decisions.

Except for Roger Marietta, there is a deafening silence by his fellow commissioners. This is a critical moment in Albany’s history. Bold, decisive leadership is needed; unfortunately, it seems to be woefully lacking. Mr. Thomas call to arms to the citizens of Albany is most timely. I strongly agree. If not now, when?

Tags: ADICA, don buie
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Alfred Lott accountable for 50K given to ADICA’s Brown

– August 11, 2009Posted in: Outlook

In spite of his claims to the contrary, City Manager Alfred Lott was directly responsible for a $50,000 grant awarded to an Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority board member and at least $61,000 in additional unauthorized expenditures that are now part of a Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe, public records show.

Lott spent at least $102,000 of the $500,000 bond-issue advance on “normal operating expenses” including a carelessly administered grant program for ADICA, says city Finance Director Kris Newton, rather than the funds’ purpose: “Capital expenditures (including purchasing options on downtown real estate), all so as to begin its efforts at redevelopment”, records show.

Public records contradict Lott’s public claim that he is not accountable for mismanagement that occurred on his watch by downtown manager Don Buie, Lott’s employee. Rather, Lott says, ADICA board members Jane Willson, Lajuana Woods, Andrew Reid, Phil Cannon, Elvis Muldrow, James Griffin and LaNicia Hart are to blame for Buie’s misuse of taxpayer funds.

Lott fired Buie on July 29, weeks after the GBI began a probe into whether Buie received a kickback from a girlfriend who was on his payroll. The ADICA board last week rejected Cannon’s request to require restaurateur Woods to repay the $50,000 grant she received from Buie despite her being on the board and her business being outside ADICA’s boundaries,

Newton says another $9,000 of funds for which Lott is responsible was spent without proper documentation. Meanwhile, additional funds mismanaged by Buie were approved by Lott through his downtown manager’s account, records show.

Lott, who refused to answer questions on the matter Tuesday, was granted specific oversight of the $500,000 advanced to ADICA from $6 million the city expects to receive in an upcoming bond issue. The “Intergovernmental Agreement Concerning Redevelopment of Downtown Albany Between City of Albany and Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority,” signed by Mayor Willie Adams on Sept. 2, 2008, established the framework for the City to advance ADICA $500,000.

Paragraph 3 of the contract states: “Following the City’s advance of any part or all of the Funds, ADICA will provide on a monthly basis a written description of the use of any funds; as well as an accounting of the Funds, all as the City Manager in his reasonable judgment may determine is necessary or appropriate. The accounting shall provide such reasonable detail as necessary to show how amounts received by ADICA have been spent”.

Newton says Buie spent $102,846.81 of the $500,000 advance. Of that, Buie paid ADICA board member Lajuana Woods $50,000 on April 23; Dollar Square $11,114 on April 24; and Subway $22,246 on June 8, records show.

Albany businessman Tim Coley asked city officials on Tuesday to provide further explanation of records detailing Buie’s business dealings with ADICA and City Manager’s Office funds.

“I am prepared to present this in the form of an open records requests if required,” Coley wrote to Newton, who hadn’t responded Tuesday night. “However, I prefer that the City simply help us understand. We have a meeting planned for Thursday night and hopefully your response will help me provide the citizens with a better understanding of how ADICA is funded.”

In response to an earlier inquiry about the $500,000 advance, Newton said: ADICA used these funds to pay a combination of normal operating expenses (that would be reimbursed by the City of Albany or some other entity) and façade grant activity. Façade grant activity makes up the larger expenses.”

Written by Kevin Hogencamp.

Tags: ADICA, alfred lott, don buie, lajuana woods
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ADICA Scandal: A call to arms for citizens of Albany Georgia

– August 11, 2009Posted in: Outlook

If the recent confirmation of fraud, malfeasance and corruption in downtown government does not provoke every taxpaying citizen to some level of action or even revolt, our community has lost its hope and opportunity for a better future.

For the past six months the Dougherty County Taxpayers Association has contended that ADICA (the Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority), empowered by the Albany City Commission, has been guilty of misappropriation and mismanagement of taxpayer funds and made every legal attempt to repulse an effort to hand over a $6 million blank check to Al Lott, Don Buie and ADICA to continue this act of fraud, collusion and waste of taxpayer funds.

A known and convicted felon, Don Buie did not act alone. He has been enabled to perpetuate his crime by a city manager, a mayor and every city commissioner who stood idly by, and if not obstructed our investigation under the Open Records Act, “looked the other way” while protecting Buie and their fraternity of career bureaucrats.

When confronted with a preponderance of criminal evidence (even implicating others), they continue their game of “dupe the public” by contending that there was no way they could have known about Buie because of the “seven-year limit on convictions under the Consumer Reporting Clarification Act.” Wrong again, Boss Hogg. CRCA was amended in 1998, removing any time restrictions (Section 605) regarding criminal convictions. Buie’s criminal record was “out there” for anyone to see.

How much longer will the citizens of Albany stand by while our city turns into a “little Chicago,” allowing these “bosses” to operate unchallenged by our own elected officials? They remain conspicuously silent.

Every city commissioner, the mayor, city manager and their accomplices all have dirty hands in this matter, and if they have any dignity, should resign. As a career military officer, Al Lott should know about the “code of conduct” and “chain of command,” which he clearly ignored by his handling of former Police Chief Younger’s unauthorized $40,000 severance, the re-instatement of Assistant Fire Chief Jollievette (after being fired for theft of services) and leaving Buie on the job for four weeks (after a GBI investigation was announced) to destroy evidence (of his misdeeds) and do damage control. If still in the military and his lieutenant had committed such a crime (particularly after his appointment by Lott), his lieutenant would have been court-martialed and his commanding officer (Lott) busted.

Our city commission is his boss, take note.

And now we learn of even more graft involving ADICA board member L’Juana Woods (sponsored by our own Willie Adams), who not only received an illegal $50,000 grant but defaulted on a $100,000 Capital City Bank loan and two months later received a $100,000 loan by Community and Economic Development. This is only what we know today, as the downtown sewage continues to “spill.”

Whether our city commissioners are left “on the hook” for a $1.4 million MacGregor Golf default (unsecured and now a loss to taxpayers), or overpaying for a piece of riverfront property without doing a $1,500 Phase 1 environmental assessment prior to closing, and later faced with an EPA $1.2 million cleanup assessment, they are at the center of a “broken,” unresponsive and irresponsible government.

As responsible citizens, our only choices are to leave Albany (which many are doing) and let these “characters” drown in their own “financial abyss” when the tax base disappears, or to unite into one body of concerned citizens, vote them out of office and take our city back. The DCTPA is the only tool we as citizens have to fight this failed government, and I invite every citizen to join us, become involved and take our city back. This is a “call to arms.” If not now, when?

Thomas chairs the Dougherty County Taxpayers Association (nomoretax.net). Contact him at richard@ceafirm.com.

Tags: ADICA, don buie
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