[Updated: Nov. 24, 2009]
Today was my first "Becky Oliver experience." Two days after calling in some TV camera crews from Dallas on the commissioner's court slaughterhouse vote Monday, I took my arsenal of video cameras and met with Diane Day, who is the former girlfriend of Midlothian Mayor Pro-Tem R.J. "Dusty" Fryer (who has not divorced his wife fully yet, btw.)
She visited with me in Ferris at Big Time Computer Outlet, a computer store next to The Ellis County Press office. She alleged Fryer of being a "con artist," of "theft," of "stealing people's money and conning them out of more," of having a "sex addition," of hiding secret cameras at her house and filming her and then putting videos and photos on porn Web sites, etc., etc.
I followed Diane to Ovilla, where I hopped in her Hummer and "laid low" until we got to her property near Joe Wilson Road and Montgomery (almost at the Cedar Hill/Ovilla city limits.)
After getting the motion to come out, I stepped out, video cameras rolling.
I'll let the videos do the rest:
FYI: I talked with Fryer at the "event" today and asked if he'd like to comment on the civil process service by the Precinct 4 constable's office or any of the allegations made by Diane. Fryer said the break-up was a private ordeal and that it happens everyday. "It's life," Fryer told me. I then asked about the allegations (contained above) at which point he said there was no comment, that the civil court would resolve those issues.
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What's ironic about this all is that Midlothian Mayor Boyce Whatley, Fryer, and Councilman Steve Massey initiated an ethics investigation on Councilman Ken Chambers (which later found Chambers committed nothing that was alleged.)
Diane alleges Mayor Whatley of having numerous affairs. "Dusty and the mayor talk every single day," she said. "They're best friends. I ask who that was that called and [Dusty would say], 'the mayor.' Calls all the time."
Whatley flat-out denies he's had an affair, but according to at least four sources to date, that is not the case.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Former Midlothian Mayor Pro-Tem Dusty Fryer moved his property out and off of his ex-girlfriend's home. Diane Day alleges Fryer of stealing property,
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Beware of iPennyBid.com
My friend's PennyAuctionWatch.com site is giving me a whole bunch of ideas...maybe branching my Internet companies (here and here) out into the penny auction business.
Of course, if not for PennyAuctionWatch.com, I wouldn't know about the scamming and shill corporations and the scam-software used to make things appear like they're legit. I of course am referring to iPennyBid.com, among others who are questionably suspect. And yes, I know all about the IPennyBid.com's attempts to sue PennyAuctionWatch.com, which is why I'm ready to help my friend throw iPennyBid.com straight out of business.
Defamation? Haha.When an expose Web site (such as PennyAuctionWatch.com) is accused of being a scam for exposing certain sites or raising questions about companies like iPennyBid.com, you know there's an effectiveness to this...
For more information about penny auctions and questionably suspect "penny" bid sites like iPennybid.com, click here:
http://www.pennyauctionwatch.com/?s=ipennybidThursday, April 30, 2009
The New Midlothian Observer
Readers can now visit the brand new Midlothian Observer by bookmarking these sites:
Conflict of Interest in Midlothian Police Department Deal
http://www.KenChambers.netCoincidence, or Conflict of Interest?
I’ve been asked by Midlothian residents about perceived irregularities in the purchase of the First Baptist Church, now home of the Midlothian Police Department and Justice Center, in February, 2006. At question is whether the city’s representative had a conflict of interest with their broker, and if that could have raised the final sales price to the detriment of the Midlothian taxpayer.
What started as citizens’ concerns regarding recent city discussions, such as the building’s roof and air conditioner units, took on a confusing twist unrelated to the original inquiry. I was told it was very difficult retrieving the correct contract regarding this transaction.
The original open records request produced a contract for $1.5 million, but two pages were missing. The $1.5 million contract was followed up with a $1.7 million contract. The HUD Settlement Statement provided was in the amount of $1.6 million. Because the HUD document purchase price did not correspond to the contract price additional inquiries were made. The city finally provided an amendment to the $1.7 million contract, lowering the purchase price to $1.6 million.
Inquires were made of the Ellis County Assessors Office. The assessor has no record of the value history of improvements for this particular piece of real estate, stating that it is because of the church’s non profit exemption. However, other exempted churches on the Ellis County Assessor’s website detail a value for the improvements (buildings) … why is this one different?
The land value of this property in 2008 is $82,000. This is currently the only information provided on the value of the property, leaving us to believe the city perceived the value of the buildings at over 1.5 million.
It’s unusual to have pages missing from an important legal document, but what made me question the value of the property was how this story kept unfolding like a dime novel.
Former Police Chief Steve Campbell initialed the contract for the city as the city’s representative (buyer), the person responsible for representing the taxpayers … it was his job to acquire the property at the best price for the citizens of Midlothian.
Representing our city, Campbell used William Foshea as the broker (realtor). Foshea received $36,000 in commission, according to the HUD Settlement.
Coincidence? The Texas Real Estate Commission verified that William Stephen Campbell had a real estate salesperson license and was being sponsored by licensed real estate broker William Foshea (the person who received the commission) during the course of the real estate transaction. The TREC website currently shows the same address for both Foshea and Campbell. The city has verified the buyer’s initials on the bottom of the contract are those of William S. Campbell.
Here’s where I question the arrangement: Campbell represented the city in the transaction, and his job was to get the lowest price possible. However, his broker was also his sponsor (boss). The higher the price, the more the broker would make. All the broker would have to do is talk the buyer (Campbell) into paying more, and the broker would make more commission! While the two parties would normally “haggle” over how much to offer the church, they had a business arrangement where the buyer worked for the broker. The potential for a conflict of interest is clear, and, if that arrangement affected the price, it would be the taxpayers who would lose.
We don’t know the answer, but we have to ask: As an employee of Mr. Foshea, did Campbell convince the city to pay more for the building than it might have otherwise? Did Campbell receive a “back door” commission on a sale where he was the buyer – a commission that would be greater the more he agreed to pay?
I’ve phoned Mr. Foshea several times, requesting a meeting regarding this transaction. My calls have not been returned.
All I have are “unusual” circumstances. I cannot prove any impropriety. But, if there was nothing wrong with this transaction, why won’t Mr. Foshea return my calls?
And, even if everything was perfectly legitimate, wouldn’t it behoove Mayor Whatley to avoid the appearance of potential conflicts of interest like this?
Friday, March 27, 2009
Duff Hale's Letter Wars
Duff Hale, recently annexed with 1,299 other Midlothian-area taxpayers and a columnist for The Ellis County Press, has been taking up fuzzy math in the editorial sections of both the Waxahachie Daily Light and sister cover-up rag the Midlothian Mirror. The question borders on if money was spent from the parks fund(s) on eminent-domained property.
Hale's latest letter:
This letter is in response to a Midlothian damage-control specialist who plays as if Hale was misleading in his original letter. This letter-to-letter back and forth is going to bring out a lot of issues.
When Place 3 Councilman Ken Chambers wrote a letter to the editor that completely exposed a massively corrupt way of purchasing the old First Baptist Church-Midlothian for the city's new justice/courts/police headquarters, no one anywhere responded. NO ONE.
NO ONE has come forward to accept responsibility or accountability for what Chambers wrote.
And sadly, the damage control division of Midlothian City Hall seems to have bypassed any resemblance of truth, judging by this response to Hale's first letter:
See Online: MidlothianObserver.com
Hale's latest letter:
Letter: ‘Responding to letter’
Published: Thursday, March 26, 2009 2:21 PM CDT
To the Editor,
A letter appeared in this week’s edition of the Midlothian Mirror that asserted my letter regarding acquisition of certain property by eminent domain and paid for with parks’ money was “false and misleading.” With all due respect to the letter writer, I do not believe my letter was in any way false or misleading.
In fact, in that letter I asked the question that should not the acquisition have been taken care of with funds from both parks and utilities. If it was indeed handled that way, then well and good. However, the information from the actual text of agenda item 2009-078 would lead one to draw an entirely different conclusion. In the section “ITEM SUMMARY/BACKGROUND” it clearly states this “is necessary for the installation of a new transmission main to the Water Treatment Plant No. 2 site.” No mention of any other use. Under the section “FINANCIAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE” it clearly states, “Funding is available in Fund 226, Project No. 134, WTP No. 2 and Fund 120, Parks Projects. Debt has been issued for Project No. 122 Community Park. Expenses will be charged to the Park Land Acquisition and Land Project No. 123.” I don’t believe there is another conclusion that can be drawn from this language but that funding for the pipeline right-of-way is coming from parks money.
That is what I stated in my letter. As I said in my previous letter and stated above, if in fact funding did come from different sources, then well and good. It does not appear to me it did.
Duff Hale,
Midlothian
This letter is in response to a Midlothian damage-control specialist who plays as if Hale was misleading in his original letter. This letter-to-letter back and forth is going to bring out a lot of issues.
When Place 3 Councilman Ken Chambers wrote a letter to the editor that completely exposed a massively corrupt way of purchasing the old First Baptist Church-Midlothian for the city's new justice/courts/police headquarters, no one anywhere responded. NO ONE.
NO ONE has come forward to accept responsibility or accountability for what Chambers wrote.
And sadly, the damage control division of Midlothian City Hall seems to have bypassed any resemblance of truth, judging by this response to Hale's first letter:
The facts on parks money
Published: Thursday, March 19, 2009 3:51 PM CDT
Dear Editor,
In 2006 the voters of Midlothian passed a municipal bond package. This package included money ear-marked for park expansion and a start to a trail system for our city.
Since the passage of this bond, the Park Board has used all types of resources to work toward the completion of the Park Master Plan. We have utilized donated property, volunteer labor, neighborhood involvement, dual use property, and donated funds to achieve our goals. I believe that all of these types of resources are vital to the growth of our parks and trail system.
I hope that we will be able to make use of utility easements and rights of way to enhance our trail plans. One need look no further than the Katy Trail in Dallas to find an abandoned right of way that has helped to spark growth, development and rejuvenation. What once was considered an eye-sore is now a valuable asset to the uptown community.
In last week’s opinion section a letter stated that the city council had used money from the park bond to purchase a utility easement, and that the council had been intentionally deceitful in their action. This statement was false and misleading. I know that a pipeline easement is generally no wider than 20- to 30-feet, yet the city purchased 100-feet plus of easement. The additional width will provide for a second use as a pedestrian trail. This is a classic example of a dual use easement. This piece of property will help to form a link from Jaycee Park to our city center by way of a recreational trail. In fact, a 26-acre site is already held by the city immediately south of the purchased easement and right of way (just south and west of the Northridge neighborhood). The money used to purchase this easement came from two different funds: one set aside for parks and the other for utility work. This information is a matter of public record. The city council acted in an appropriate manner and did good work in acquiring one piece of property that can serve two purposes. And by the way, I encourage all interested citizens to review the city’s Trail Master Plan, which you can find at City Hall or on the city’s website at www.midlothian.tx.us (go to Departments/ Parks & Recreation).
Respectfully,
Gary Hensel, Chairman
Midlothian Park Board
Midlothian, Texas
See Online: MidlothianObserver.com
Monday, March 23, 2009
Mid-Way Regional Airport, Loop 9, Local Races
Freedom of the Press | Joey Dauben
Mid-Way Airport, Loop 9 and local races
The taxpayers in Midlothian and Waxahachie are getting screwed the longer we keep throwing more money at the massive construction problems caused by illegal contracts to the Nay Company for airport hangars.
The airport, shared and subsidized by both cities and run by an appointed seven-member board, has been the subject of intense scrutiny from pilots, construction contractors, politicians and lawyers alike. The only media outlet with a flashlight over the Highway 287 airport is this newspaper.
However, the three years' worth of constant coverage, YouTube videos, blogs and other tools have not stopped the hemorrhage of tax dollars being used to repair the Nay Company's damages. There are plane hangars with improperly built drains, leaky roofs and door gates that won't lock into place when shut. Andy Biery, the new airport manager, has no experience managing so much as a Taco Bell, let alone an airport, according to his resume.
The Nay Company has done what was done to the original three-story Ellis County Justice Center, but this issue is different because voters didn't get a chance to elect the airport board members as we did the county commissioners that passed a tax anticipation note to fund the Justice Center (they passed it after voters rejected the building at the polls.)
Both city councils in Midlothian and Waxahachie awarded the Nay Company numerous contracts equaling well over $1 million to repair and build shoddy hangars and other projects. No one seems to care because the power of incestual politics is too strong.
The taxpayers are being shafted at that airport, so much so that one of Mid-Way's board members' hangars had to be repaired 15 times. What's so callous about this is that the damages committed by the Nay Company are also being repaired by the Nay Company.
The definition of insanity has an Ellis County equivalent: hiring the company that you originally brought on board to build things that itself has damaged and expecting different results is ridiculous.
I bought MidWayAirportBoard.com to serve as an online reminder of the tax dollars being poured into that sink hole.
Loop 9 Opposition
Two months ago, Megan Gray and I covered an Oak Leaf City Council meeting where I saw numerous maps on the walls. As someone who once had 12 variations of Ellis County maps on the walls, I can tell you how fascinating the ones featuring the highway Loop 9 project were.
They also disturbed me greatly. The alternate routes for the highway - first hatched in the 50s - go right through neighborhoods and subdivisions in Glenn Heights, Ovilla, Oak Leaf, Cedar Hill and southern Dallas/northern Ellis counties.
I'm not opposed to toll roads, which is what Loop 9 will be, but I am opposed outright to taking people's homes and properties for a project an increasing number of readers have said they had no knowledge of.
I bought StopLoop9.com to prepare for Ellis County's version of the Trans-Texas Corridor.
May 9
On Saturday, May 9 people will elect new councilmen, mayors and school trustees. The issues above will be sure to creep up with elected officials and challengers alike.
We don't need a tea party in Washington, D.C. We need to go after these Ellis County officials allowing this stuff to take place.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Midlothian Election Polls
Another poll:
Don't forget about the contested Midlothian ISD school board race:
Poll Policy: Users can only vote once per 30 days.
Online: Midlothian-ISD.net | Midlothian.TX.US.
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