The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 13: United Consulting Engineers rocks Deaf Gahan like a hurricane.

Previously: The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 12: Madam I'm Adam, or the way HMB's Dickey brokers power and channels his party's beak wetting.

Some people go to the zoo, but during the coming weeks we'll be plucking highlights from eight years of the Committee to Elect Gahan's CFA-4 campaign finance reports. Strap in, folks -- and don't forget those air(head) sickness bags.

This article from The Times of Northwest Indiana can be regarded as a primer on how no-bid consultation contracts work, whether at the county, city or streetside pup tent level. Interestingly, the writer Dolan is a New Albany native.

Lake County Spending | A Times Investigation: Lake County spends at least $16.9 million on consultants over 10 years, by Bill Dolan and Marc Chase (September 28, 2010)

To some, advice from a parent or other trusted elder can be golden. In Lake County government, advice is literally gold -- millions of dollars' worth.

Officials bought at least $16.9 million in expertise from consultants, engineers, lawyers and other specialists during the past decade, a Times computer-assisted review of Lake County government spending records shows.

Critics of county government spending often look to the money paid to consultants as an area where spending cuts could be made. But officials throughout the county say they often could not make informed decisions or take action without the guidance of paid experts.

Taxpayer dollars migrate to consultants, and some of these dollars pass back to politicians who've served as enablers. Just imagine what the News and Tribune might be doing if Bill and Susan gave a damn about their journalistic mandate.

Of the three oft-paid consultants leading off the Times article, two of them (American Structurepoint and United Consulting Engineers) are of relevance to Jeff Gahan's Money Machine. The third, MS Consultants, is not -- but there's always time to hop aboard the gravy train, right?

Locally American Structurepoint provided design services on the $8 million "state of the art" River Run Water Park. I inadvertently omitted American Structurepoint from the previous installment about the Waterpark and will correct the mistake shortly.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 4: The Estopinol Group and Cripe Architects are just two facets of River Run Waterpark's fertilizing effect.

(18 March update) But wait: It seems that American Structurepoint shares an Indianapolis address with a PAC called DPBG PAC ($3,750 in three installments).

REVISED

American Structurepoint   250
Gregory L Henneke              1,900 (2 donor years)
Kenton M Moore                  500
DPBG Political Action Committee 3,750
Total: $6,400

United Consulting points to the company's most glowing New Albany project: New Albany Raw Wastewater Lift Station and Truck Dump Station, a $1.6 million project.

United Consulting Engineers 1,500

William E. Hall 8,750 (4 donor years)

Brian Keith Bryant 3,750 (3 donor years)

Jennifer Grawcock 150

Christopher Pope 1,500

Total: $15,650

This sum might be good for a place in the All-Time Jeff Gahan Money Machine Career Donor List. Obviously United Consulting is very good at what it does, although I'm in no position to judge how effectively the company executes its projects.

#FireGahan2019

Rebuttals are welcome and will be published unaltered -- so don't forget spellcheck. If you have supplementary information to offer about any of this, please let us know and we'll update the page. The preceding was gleaned entirely from public records, with the addresses of "individuals" removed.

Next: The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 14: Kentucky-based GRW Engineers and the subtle art of the $200 out-of-state handshake.