The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 16: Last week's minutes from the Board of Public Works and Safety reveal big donors daintily lapping their gravy.

Previously: The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 15: Beam, Longest and Neff -- they're why Jeff Gahan is HERE and awash in cash, 16,500 times over.

Some people canoodle, 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.

After a while, it makes your head spin. You see those donor dollars multiplying up there on Jeff Gahan's campaign finance tote board, then you spin the Wheel of Random Meeting Minutes and see the fats cats eagerly queuing for their treats.

To illustrate this, let's look at the minutes from the March 12 meeting of the Board of Public Works and Safety -- but first, this wonderfully revealing moment as the bored prepare to approve the HWC Beautifies IKEA-ly work currently underway on Market Street between State and Pearl.

Somehow awakened against all odds, board gatekeeper Warren Nash actually asks a good question of city engineer Larry Summers.

Mr. Nash asked if the properties on the south side

(of the street) have been notified.

Mr. Summers stated they will still have access.

You'll notice Summers did not answer the question -- but of course Nash didn't follow up. Who's he think he is, a News and Tribune editor?

This Mr. Oakes works for AllTerrain, which won the Market Street project with a bid far below what had been expected ... so far that David Barksdale envisioned trees outside the project area being felled so they wouldn't block the view of the Fork in the Road, but seeing it was easier just to remove the public art installation without bothering to inform the artist who designed it ...

Stephen Triplett (owner) and AllTerrain Paving have shoveled a whopping $10,750 to Gahan since 2015. Meanwhile, with an emergency situation on Old Vincennes Road, normal procedures are circumvented for the sake of speed (for the repairs, not lead-footed drivers).

Jeff Eastridge (CCE) has donated $5,500 to Gahan's coffers, and various arms of Jacobi, Toombs & Lanz have poured some $33,225 of sugar on Dear Leader since 2011, contributing all eight years.

The beak wetting intensifies on Mt. Tabor Road.

United Consulting (including owners and employees) has accounted for $15,650. However we've saved the best for last.

I've yet to devote an episode of this series to the sheer numbing ubiquity of Clark Dietz, which serves as an unofficial department of city government.

Wanna know a secret? Clark Dietz sits atop Jeff Gahan's campaign finance suction magnet with $34,400 in donations since 2011, including his two largest bursts ever, $7,500 in 2017 and 2018. Still, Clark Dietz is only a whisker ahead of Jacobi, Toombs & Lanz ($33,225) and a combined grouping of John Neace companies and allies ($32,250).

That's still a cool $100,000 between only three power brokers. Think about this, and #FireGahan2019

Hold on ... 2-way streets from State to West 5th? Whatever it is, don't expect it in an election year.

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 17: Denton-Floyd feels M(ighty) Fine -- and the resulting Reisz Krispies Treats never tasted better to Mayor Gahan.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 7: Jacobi, Toombs & Lanz, or the anatomy of $33,225 "Big Daddy Dollars" since 2011.

Previously: The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 6: GM Development, yet another economic development consultancy from afar.

Some people browse antique shops for fun, 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.

It's an unexpected state-of-roadway-emergency and your City Hall team needs to spend $400,000 for repairs right away without any type of messy bidding processes.

Who you gonna call? Why, Lanzbusters -- of course.

Meet Jacobi, Toombs & Lanz, the firm that does a little bit of everything. Here's an overview from the year 2012.

2012 Charlestown Road Signal Synchronization (Tom Schellenberg; RC)
2012 East Spring and Midtown spot sidewalk improvements (RC)
2012 Charlestown Road Improvements (several segments) (RC)
2012 Grant Line West Park/Reas Lane Extension (RC)
2012 Daisy Lane Phase Three Erosion Control
2012 Spring Street Hill Road
2012 Proposals for Engineering Services for FY 2012 CDBG Public Facilities Sidewalks

By the way, JTL "has a big role in the Summit Springs development." Never would have guessed that one, eh?

Buffalo Dis-Trace: White folks dress up like their bison-killing ancestors as we glance at Jacobi, Toombs & Lanz's big role in Gahan campaign finance.

@JTLengineering tweeted: JTL has a big role in the Summit Springs development in @NewAlbanyIN. We did the infrastructure design and designed the Daisy Lane extension. Our survey manager, Steve Marshall, joined in the fun to help unveil the buffalo stones celebrating the Buffalo Trace. #JTLengineering

Now, we have absolutely no reason to believe JTL performs any but the finest quality of work. In fact, our ongoing effort to calculate Jeff Gahan's eight-year haul of campaign finance money is not to be taken as a judgment on the tasks performed by any of these companies and individuals. That's for someone else at another time. Rather, the point is to see how much they continue donating to Dear Leader as pay-to-play ante for contracts.

Our Core Values

At Jacobi, Toombs & Lanz Civil Engineers and Land Surveyors, our behavior and actions are guided by our vision for our company and values we possess.

Integrity
Community
Trust

And money. Lots and lots of it.

JACOBI, TOOMBS & LANZ
2011 250
2015 1,500
Total: $1,750 (two years)

JORGE LANZ
2018 4,250
2017 2,475
2015 2,500
2014 5,000
2013 1,000
2012 250
2011 1,750
Total: $17,225 (seven years)

MICHAEL HARRIS
2018 3,250
2016 2,500
Total: $5,750 (two years)

MARIA SUZANNE HARRIS (was/is secretary of the JTL incorporation)
2015 $1,000

BHL PROPERTIES
2017 $7,500

In essence, every last one of these dollars comes from outside New Albany city limits. The possible exception is BHL Properties, but that's just semantics, isn't it? The owners of BHL Properties do not live here, do they?

It can be exhausting following Jeff Gahan's money.

BHL Properties: Another way for Jacobi, Toombs & Lanz to send Jeff Gahan even more money.

It's been said that those who donate to campaigns are very different from the average voter.

This just might be the greatest "No Shit, Sherlock" statement ever. In New Albany, they're the literal difference between a slice of bologna and Filet Mignon. It doesn't have to be this way.

#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 8: Our towing and recovery companies offer their tithes to Dear Leader.

Plan Commission to consider phase two of the Summit Springs Kelley Enrichment cluster muck development atrocity.

Ah, yes -- our beloved Mayor Ceausescu's concrete hilltop maze, with an awesome Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, and a Taco Hell, and ...

The City of New Albany assisted on the project by completing about $3 million in infrastructure improvements for sidewalks, utilities and a road extension of West Daisy Lane.

DUH -- of course the city assisted.

Do you really think anyone would bear the brunt of the cost to develop in the wrong place if not eased by public subsidies?

Equally obvious is the connection between those public subsidies, the mayor, and a firm like Jacobi, Toombs & Lanz.

Smart growth?

For the Gahan campaign finance effort, perhaps, but at least now we have suburban ornamental white bison to ease the sting of future mudslides.

The fix may well be in; still, opponents who have relevant information to share are welcome to post it at NA Confidential. After all, the News and Tribune is unlikely to bother. After all, the city advertises with the newspaper, and a judicious discretion is the watchword.

Here's next week's Plan Commission docket.

MEETING NOTICE

To: New Albany City Plan Commission

From: Scott Wood, Director

Subject: Regular Meeting, July 17th, 2018

Date: July 12th, 2018

TENTATIVE AGENDA

The regular meeting of the New Albany City Plan Commission will be held on Tuesday, July 17th, 2018 at 7:00 p.m., in the Assembly Room (Room 331) of the City-County Building, New Albany, Indiana, at which time a Public Hearing will be held to consider the following petitions:

Public Hearing Item(s):

Docket P-02-18: David Ruckman, for Summit Springs IN LLC requests a Preliminary Planned Unit Development District (PUDD) to permit mixed use, including restaurant/event center, office/medical, nursing home, single family and high rise tower in the R-1, Suburban Residential, R-2, Urban Residential district and OS (ss), Open Space (steep slope), at 2303-2307 State Street, 220 Woodbine Drive and 2301-2320 Fawcett Hill Road.

Docket C-01-18: David Ruckman, for Summit Springs IN LLC requests a Primary Plat approval for a seventeen (17) lot subdivision in a PUDD, Planned Unit Development District, at 2303-2307 State Street, 220 Woodbine Drive and 2301-2320 Fawcett Hill Road.

BHL Properties: Another way for Jacobi, Toombs & Lanz to send Jeff Gahan even more money.

It kept nagging at me that I'd missed something while sorting through Mayor Jeff Gahan's bountiful ledger of 2017 campaign donations.

In fact, I had.

Three guesses as to where Harris is employed -- and the first two don't count.

We know already that Jorge Lanz/Jacobi, Toombs & Lanz act as consistent and reliable funnels for Gahan campaign cash.

Buffalo Dis-Trace: White folks dress up like their bison-killing ancestors as we glance at Jacobi, Toombs & Lanz's big role in Gahan campaign finance.

This one's from 2017.

These are from 2015 and 2014.

BHL Properties kicked a whopping $7,500 into Gahan's burgeoning re-election account last year.

Dude: $7,500 is enough money to buy exactly four of these advertisements (2015) in the News and Tribune.

I'm sure that's a coincidence ... right?

Buffalo Dis-Trace: White folks dress up like their bison-killing ancestors as we glance at Jacobi, Toombs & Lanz's big role in Gahan campaign finance.

Previously:

GREEN MOUSE SAYS: Hill or valley? mural or statue? Bison or weasel? Evidently Team Gahan needs reinforcements.

‏
City Hall's Twitter feed is giddy.

@JTLengineering tweeted: JTL has a big role in the Summit Springs development in @NewAlbanyIN. We did the infrastructure design and designed the Daisy Lane extension. Our survey manager, Steve Marshall, joined in the fun to help unveil the buffalo stones celebrating the Buffalo Trace. #JTLengineering

As you've no doubt guessed, Jacobi, Toombs & Lanz also has a big role in Dear Leader's re-election campaign.

This one's from 2017.

These are from 2015 and 2014.

That's a lot of money for period costumes, don't you think? But wait -- the mayor wore a suit, just like always.

Let's hope Mrs. Dant Chesser used the occasion of an "art park" opening to remind attendees never to let their babies grow up to be humanities/arts majors.

The art of redistributive campaign finance: 1st class passengers in the Gravy Train kick the juice right back to Jeff Gahan.

Cartoon credit is in the cartoon.

You likely won't see either mainstream party or their candidates address it but a politician receiving significant campaign contributions from companies who are awarded large public contracts is an obvious conflict of interest, ethically stunted if not outright graft -- Bluegill

If you're still wondering why street grid reform is taking so long, or why rental property registrations once again are being swept under the rug -- by folks who fancy themselves as Democrats, no less -- then sharpen Occam's Razor, put civic affairs into proper focus ... and follow the money.

If it cannot be readily monetized into campaign finance, as with a walkable city, then it isn't a priority. Conversely, if campaign finance is monetized from it, as with slumlord empowerment, it must be left as is.

ON THE AVENUES: It's just like when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.

ON THE AVENUES SPECIAL EDITION: Adam's rib tips.

Over a period of years, Mayor Gahan consistently has bypassed the elected city council to spend millions on plaque-ready infrastructure projects approved by appointed boards, primarily the Redevelopment Commission* -- upon which his DemoDisneyDixiecratic Party chairman (and de facto campaign chief) sits.

Many millions of dollars have been spent, and subsequently, many thousands of dollars have found their way from design, engineering and construction beneficiaries, straight into the mayor's re-election fund. After all, when you're planning future political careers, nationally recognized telephone voter contact services don't come cheap**.

The mayoral hologram now is booted up (thanks to Walt Disney Animation Studios, the stress and strain of unscripted public appearances is kept to a bare minimum), and we're told that fat cats, big wheels and special interests needn't be the exclusive domain of tried and true practitioners like Kerry Stemler.

“I think it shows we have some broad support from a lot of local firms as well some firms that have helped us in the various projects that we’ve begun and will soon be completing,” (Gahan) he said.

“Generally speaking, I feel like we’re equipped and we’re prepared to begin our campaign, and go out and talk to people about how promising a future New Albany has.”

But if holograms are good enough for Jeff Gahan, surely George Orwell can be reanimated, too. We need him here to help explain concepts like bellyfeel, duckspeak and minitrue, which are alive and well in New Albany's DemoDisneyDixiecratic hermetic state.

Gahan holds campaign funding lead in New Albany Dem mayoral race, by Daniel Suddeath (News and Tribune)

NEW ALBANY — Incumbent Jeff Gahan held a sizable fundraising advantage at the end of 2014 over challenger David White in the race for the Democratic nod for New Albany mayor.

The Committee to Elect Gahan — who is seeking his second term after being elected in 2011 — had more than $89,000 on-hand at the end of 2014, according to an annual fundraising report filed in January. Gahan entered last year with about $36,000 on-hand, and raised about $58,000 in 2014 for his re-election campaign ...

... White’s fundraising campaign differed from Gahan’s in that most of his contributions came from individual donors. Some of Gahan’s biggest contributions came from Political Action Committees, engineering firms and contractors.

Wayne Estopinal, owner of The Estopinal Group, gave Gahan’s committee $4,000 last year. Jorge Lanz, co-owner of Jacobi, Toombs and Lanz pitched-in $5,000 in 2014 to Gahan’s election campaign, and Clark Dietz Inc. donated $2,000.

Each of the three companies have held various contracts with the city in recent years for professional services. Multiple other companies that have received city funds for services also contributed to Gahan’s campaign last year.

Three Indianapolis PACs — Frost Brown PAC, Citizens for Excellence in Government and CD PAC — donated $8,500 to Gahan’s campaign in 2014.

Are you disgusted yet?

---

* From the city's web site:

New Albany Redevelopment Commission

Irving Joshua, President
Adam Dickey, Vice-President
Edward Hancock, Secretary
Dan Coffey
John Gonder

Mr. Dickey, Mr. Hancock and Mr. Joshua were appointed by Mayor Jeff Gahan; Mr. Coffey and Mr. Gonder were appointed by Common Council.

---

** The client list at InFocus Campaigns includes relatively few mayors and council persons, most of whom are from cities like Los Angeles, San Antonio and Houston. One client is from New Albany, Indiana. You get three guesses who ... and the first two don't count.

InFocus Campaigns is dedicated to delivering the highest quality telephone voter contact service for Democratic, progressive and non-partisan clients. Since our founding in 2011, InFocus Campaigns has worked for over one hundred clients in thirty states in the U.S., and for international clients in the U.K. and Canada.

On engineering and the devaluation of 1,000-year weather events.

At Monday's city council meeting, as the discussion turned to how many dollars per inch it will require to restore Spring Street Hill to viability as Councilman Bob Caesar's fastest route home, engineers became weathermen.

New Albany council wants review of Spring Street Hill work; $540,000 project receives initial approval, but second opinion requested, by Daniel Suddeath (News, Tribune and Pop Up Generator)

The city hoped to receive aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, as Jacobi, Toombs and Lanz President Jorge Lanz said almost 9 inches of rain fell on Silver Hills between April 19 and May 2 of 2011.

But FEMA denied the city’s request earlier this month, though administration officials declared Monday they will appeal the decision within 60 days. Lanz said the “historic” problems associated with the road were part of FEMA’s decision to deny the request, though he said much their reasoning for the ruling was still “cloudy” ...

... Lanz said crews had to dig about 30 feet into the ground before the ravine was discovered, and he added that kind of testing is unusual for such a project.

The drainage installed met city standards, but it’s not feasible to design a system capable of dealing with a 1,000 year storm like April’s rain event was, he continued.

“For this kind of structure, I don’t know what else we could have done,” Lanz said.

If umbrellas were necessary, were they to protect us from rain, or exaggerations? A blog reader delved into the archives:

Indiana Precipitation Records

Driest location ranked by lowest annual average precipitation: English, southern Indiana, 49.72"

Wettest location ranked by highest annual average precipitation: Monroeville, northeast Indiana, 33.74"

Snowiest location ranked by highest annual average snowfall: South Bend, northern Indiana, 76.6"

State precipitation maximum for 24 hours - Princeton, southwest Indiana, 8/6/1905, 10.50"

State precipitation maximum for 1 year - Marengo, southern Indiana, 1890, 97.38"

State snow maximum for 24 hours - Seymour, south-central Indiana, 12/22-23/2004, 29.0"

State snow maximum for 1 season - South Bend, northern Indiana, 1977-1978, 172.0"

It's hard to believe that nine inches of rain falling in a 13 day period qualifies as a "1,000 year storm" - especially when you consider 10.5 inches fell in 24 hours in 1905 in Princeton, Indiana.

Indeed, and another friend asks: "Didn't this much rain fall in two days back in 1997?" In the end, it probably doesn't matter. Caesar wants his handy commute fixed -- and that's not a request.

... Caesar, who is sponsoring the measure, agreed that a second opinion is “imperative” but doesn’t believe it will greatly delay the project to obtain a review.

“I think this could happen in a very short amount of time,” he said.