On August 17th, Joanne MacDonnell, Acting Ombudsman-Citizens' Aide for the State of AZ wrote:
Re: Case #1101388
Dear Mayor Foster,
We have concluded our investigation relating to your complaint against the Town of Quartzsite. You alleged the Town wrongfully denied your public records request for:
Copies of checks and redacted vouchers issued by the
town for pay periods ending in three seperate months.
We substantiated the allegation and found that the Town wrongfully denied your public records request. We recommended that the Town release the appropriately redacted records, but they did not agree...
OK, so we all along that knew Foster was right, but the real question is - whose names are on the checks? Read the whole report at:
http://qtown.us/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/1101388-Final-Final-Report.pdf
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What if Dan Field is still getting a check? Everyone knows he's still running this joint!
ReplyDeleteThe fat lady hasn’t sang yet so the fight isn’t over for the truth behind who is getting paid thousands of dollars in secret? One has to ask just what kind of fool lives in Quartzsite that would blindly back the actions of Town Manager Alex Taft to keep this information secret and spend large sums of money in attorney fees to keep Mayor Elect Ed Foster from getting the facts behind the checks.
ReplyDeleteSomeone was sending out an E-mail that was nothing more than a “fake” press release from Chief Jeff Gilbert. Almost all of us had a good laugh over it’s content. However, it did state (remember this was NOT from Chief Gilbert) his wife was being paid to do terrorist (look who is calling the kettle black) and other investigations by the Town of Quartzsite. We know that this is unlawful, but with NO names on the checks or why they are being paid out, one can only wonder. Wouldn’t you like to have the truth and not rely on rumors or miss information?
One only has to look at the actions of Chief Jeff Gilbert, Town Manager Alex Taft, Asst-Manager Al Johnson, and the Council Members that have backed the above town employee’s actions to know that they do NOT respect the law or any court order. Would it not be cost effective over the active, pending, and civil actions yet to (I never thought that I would ever say this) come to just un-incorporate the Town of Quartzsite Arizona?
Maybe now my good friends understands why I didn’t buy property in Quartzsite and with the new Excise Taxes the town plans on to stick it to business, residents, vendors, and snowbirds. You have to ask yourself “What is their motive behind trying to destroy Quartzsite?”
When I sit quietly trying to make sense of the turmoil in Quartzsite, it appears obvious to me that one faction is ultimately going to prevail, if not by public acclamation, then by legal validation in the courts. Even though there is more than ample room for improvement, it’s fairly obvious that “right is on their side”. Some of these folks have styled themselves as “Political Activists”. Personally I have never encountered a “Political Activist” who wasn’t massaging their own ego with every public appearance or utterance, but if they want to be “Political Activists” fine, this is America, let them be.
ReplyDeleteChat with any self-anointed Political Activist and somewhere in their banter you’ll hear they are “standing up for their rights and the rights of citizens without a voice in the system”, or words to that effect. Can’t argue with that, there’s nobility there for sure. They link themselves rhetorically to a political “gold standard” that runs straight back to the founding fathers. Wrapped, as they are, in a self-constructed cloak of legal and political rectitude, they are unassailable in their invulnerability.
Political Activists are just so much smarter than the rest of us. Certainly both sites of the Quartzsite feud have enthusiastically wrapped their arms around that particular proposition. The people who have power believe they are the sole arbiters of how to use it, or who to use it on, and the people who want power expend their energies trying to convince a confused constituency only they possess the intelligence, fortitude and honorable intent to get government working again for the good of the people. All in all, the entire situation reminds me of a funny little song from an old Marx Brothers movie called “Duck Soup” in which Rufus T. Firefly says,
“The last man nearly ruined this place. He didn’t know what to do with it.
If you think this country’s bad off now just wait till I get through with it.”
The “Political Activists” are going to win this one because they should; justice is on their side. When you calculate “right” and “wrong”, the abuse of political power and police power trumps petty whining into a camera about the trivialities of simple trespassing by a Chief of Police who doubtlessly has something much bigger to hide.
The only winners in this deal are the courageous first line police officers who stood up to corruption and so far have had to “take it on the chin”. They’re not self-employed, they’re not past retirement age collecting a pension, they are the only true heroes in this mess. They like our founding fathers put what is left of their careers on the line. They stood up to corruption and were not fount wanting.
As for the “Activists” and the existing town power structure, no one is pristine in this fight and as I sit here wondering “Why?” I’m reminded again of a line from another movie. “What did you expect? "Welcome, sonny"? "Make yourself at home"? "Marry my daughter"? You've got to remember that these are just simple people of the land ... the common clay of the New West. You know – morons.”
Un-Incorporating IS the answer. But Ed, Jade and Richard Oldham are against it. As is Alex, Jeff Gilbert and ALL of the town employees and their families. I'm not! Toss this used up old piece of crap town government in the trash heap and bury it deep!!!
ReplyDeleteSomeone draw up the papers and I'll personally get enough signatures to get this in front of the people for a vote
Thank you, Paul. Again, your comments are very enlightening to say the least! It is always a pleasure to reflect on your wisdom in words.
ReplyDeleteAs the light of day continues to shine on these thugs and their actions, the more vile and decedent these people appear. What are some of the questions which need an answer?:
- Who has the money to finance all these legal fees?
- What outside interests are “controlling the strings” of these puppets?
- For what purpose is someone spending a lot of money to keep things “status quo”?
- When do these thugs in charge become a liability to the external interests and their future usefulness for their purpose becomes a detriment?
- Why is the town lawyer such a key player in this drama, from whom does he take orders / money?
Disincorporation of Quartzsite seems like a heavy handed thing to do and needs to be considered carefully by the voters. It is covered in the Arizona Revised Statues Title 9 Section 102. Here is a link to the statute:
http://law.onecle.com/arizona/cities-and-towns/9-102.html
Do we the people of Quartzsite have the fortitude and backbone to stand up to these thugs and legally remove them from office; it sure does not look like they are going to resign. Can we muster the strength of leaders like Jennifer, the Mayor, Mike and the Quartzsite 10? It means we are going to need to more than just talk about the situation, we must become actively engaged. Our leaders must fear the people, not the other way around.
We have a recall election on Tuesday, August 30 for the Mayor of Quartzsite. This is our town and it is within our power to fix the corruption that has gone on for years. It does not matter which side of the issue you are on, you must take an active part in the solution. We are not a bunch of sheep waiting to be sheered. If we are not up to this simple task, then Disincorporation of Quartzsite may be a viable solution of last resort.
We cannot wait for normal elections to remove these scoundrels from office, recall them all immediately. Many were hoping they would do the honorable thing and resign or go on administrative leave, but they are not honorable people in the least. It is easy to see the impatience of our nation’s ancestors in dealing with issues like this. It was an easy way to end corruption with some hot tar, feathers and pointed end up rail ride out of town; the problem ended and usually scared the remaining officials into their best behavior. Of course, today we are more civilized and allow the law and public pressure to work, although it seems like a painfully slow process.
I was hoping that there might some “good” people, other than the Mayor, in leadership of Quartzsite, and they would come forward and take charge in these dark days. No such luck folks, we have the “Worst of Worst” here. The current leadership is pond scum and some are fit only to be Night Security Guards at a construction site.
I pray for the rightful outcome of the Honorable Quartzsite 10 issues. These fine Police Officers and Administrator have done nothing wrong and deserve our utmost respect and support. On the contrary, they have taken an action demonstrating a great resolve and courage to expose the corruption of the chief and his thugs.
As the kiddies say, “I know something you don’t know” or even two or three…
ReplyDeleteIt isn’t hard to understand the desperate death throws from Chief Jeff Gilbert, Town Manager Alex Taft, along with Asst-Manager Al Johnson. They remind me of the 16 year-old kid that had taken an ax to his mother and father reducing them to kindling and then was upset because the Judge didn’t feel sorry for him because he was an orphan.
At present, Chief Jeff Gilbert has more to worry about then “Soap On A Rope” or even long lonely nights with special personal attention from his cellmate Bubba. The high life that he has been living at taxpayer expense is about to come to a screeching halt!
The Town of Quartzsite is about to be issued Federal Court Orders served by U.S. Marshals that no personal friend on the Department of Public Safety (DPS), Political Party, or even in the Governors Office can impede or obstruct.
How desperate is Chief Jeff Gilbert? In his own words, “I have contacted anyone that would listen to me.” Discredit the witnesses and victims by making false claims against them. Give the public a reason to distrust and fear your accusers and call into question the motives behind their legal complaints. But labeling your victims as “Domestic Terrorist?”
The human factor is the weakest link in Chief Gilbert’s game plan. How so? Simple, if given the chance to come clean and save having to spend personal time with Bubba, how long would it take you to come clean and spill the beans to keep your hemorrhoids in tact?
There was good reason behind the old World War II saying, “Loss lips sinks ships”! We have seen where the Quartzsite 10 have come forward to file criminal complaints against Chief Jeff Gilbert along with exposing his alleged criminal activities. Who is next? Joe Winslow, Alex Taft, maybe even Al Johnson.
My money is on Jose Lizarraga. After all he has the most to loss. One can only wonder how much he as already told investigators in his bid to replace Mayor Elect Ed Foster and escape felony charges too!
CONGRATULATIONS JENNIFER! you're on the www.goldwaterinstitute.org homepage!
ReplyDeleteGREAT JOB GOLDWATER INSTITUTE!!! THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteThe town council video was another sign of pure unadulterated criminality by these creeps. If they had any decency they would resign in disgrace and shame today. There is a very special place in Hell for people like this and their disregard for the people they swore to protect.
ReplyDeleteIt is impossible to believe the total disregard for the rights of the Mayor and the people in these actions. Is there so much fluoride in our water that everyone on the council is acting like a dumbed down idiot? I noticed that alex is drinking bottled water, what does she know about the water in town?
Alex was so nervous, it looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown, maybe she just needed a drink. And Joe, he was the only smart one staying away from this atrocity. He may be crazy, but he is not stupid, probably prior military experience kept him out of a known bad situation. It is easy to feel the anger and contempt of the town’s people just watching the video.
Ask yourself these questions:
Who or what organization is pulling the strings on these people?
What is the town lawyer doing, once again setting town ordinances and virtually controlling these meetings?
The council members had no questions on such a complex ordinance change, really? Again we have a unanimous vote without any dialogue! This issue was not open to discussion of by the people of the town on such a large issue. They have been and without change will continue to work for outside interests, certainly not the town’s best interest.
The Mayor was very smart to recuse himself from any action in this meeting. You are a very cool person under fire, Sir. These are perfect qualifications to be Mayor of Quartzsite, where the rest of the leadership is a bunch of braying Jackasses.
The lawyer can walk away from any legal responsibility and prison because he just recommended action and had no authority in its passing. The rest are headed to some healthy lawsuits and prison time because they do have the authority. Fools!
Should be an interesting weekend in Quartzsite, see you all there. Active and former military, police and federal agents will be there by the hundreds, maybe thousands. I suddenly feel a lot safer in Quartzsite.
Payroll is the total sum of money to be paid to employees at a given time. It also includes the list of employee's names and the amount of their salaries or wages.
ReplyDeletePayroll