The Billboard Mafia

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Thanks Commissioner Vespo
and we can't forget Clemens and Lowe

The Mafia is Here…the billboard Mafia. They have been in our city for a year and a half now, ever since Larry Karns our former city attorney, (did he ever read a contract?) along with Bob Baldwin, our elusive city manager, were strong armed by Interstate Outdoor Advertising, Inc. They had applied to the City to install billboards along I-95 in our city. Interstate was denied because billboard signs were against our signage Ordinance. So what do they do? They sued us. Why not? Everyone does.

Part of the “settlement” agreement (now understand there was not a suit yet only the threat of one) we agreed never to take any legal action to contend that the Settlement agreement was illegal, unconstitutional or void as against public policy and we promised to carry out the agreement. The Commission gave away our legal remedy. We also agreed to re-zone any property that needed it and to do everything possible to make life easier for this company.

Something happened behind the scenes. Interstate was determined to get their way and Karns and Baldwin convinced the weak City Commission to do business with this “mafia.” It makes you wonder. The only responsible commissioners were Jennings and Golden who voted "no." The money looked good as they had promised to pay us a lump sum of $2,650,000 for 6 billboards (the deal that Baldwin liked) along I-95 on a 20 year lease: 3 billboards on the west side on private property and 3 billboards on the east side. There was a second payment alternative that gave us monthly payments (the deal that Clemens preferred) over 20 years. And then later, we got 3 more signs and the Commission approved this too...a neon sign that I have the pleasure of looking at every day all night long...link above.

The lease is for a term of 19 years and 364 days.

Recently the City Manager and the Commission has asked about these billboards because we have never received the first dime for one of the worst decisions the city has made. Susan Stanton even brought them up again yesterday at the Compass meeting when she was contemplating on how we would pay Compass the $250,000 they wanted, money the Commission had just agreed to pay. We in the Lake Osborne area have been asking about train horns for 4 years now and a remedy that would eliminate noise pollution and would cost the City $12,000. We can’t seem to get the city to act for the thousands of residents that these horns affect on a daily basis. The City does have its priorities.

This was just another BAD contract that the City got into. Instead of requiring that Interstate obtain all the necessary permits, etc. before construction, they allowed them to install these unsightly billboards. I am not sure that the City even reviewed an engineering drawing. All of a sudden one day, they were being erected. We had to accept their Contract as presented. Not one change was ever made. All Staff could see was the $$$$. All the Commission could see was the same. There has been innuendo through the course of this that perhaps the underside of the table saw some too.

Stanton mentioned the possibility of cutting off the electricity to Interstate. Interstate is responsible for the cost of electricity. Have they been paying the bill? Also per section 18 of the Lease agreement, illumination is supposed to be off at midnight.

So, today, 18 months later, we have the billboards--NO MONEY-- but what we do have are stalls from the Billboard company and about the worst blight ever imagined.