City Hall needs to vet its private partners

The Wichita City Council wisely deferred a Tuesday vote on the Renaissance Square redevelopment project proposed for the Midtown neighborhood, in response to an Eagle report on the financial and legal problems of the businessman who negotiated the deal, our editorial today argued. Because the deal involves an $11 million investment of public funds, the 11th-hour caution was advised.
But so was due diligence by city staff, which missed the mark in vetting negotiator Grant Gaudreau. So it was up to The Eagle to report Tuesday that Gaudreau has been sued at least 35 times in seven years, mostly for bounced checks and unpaid bills, and has an outstanding warrant in Butler County for $12,000 in unpaid income tax. According to court records, he also previously headed a hotel venture that went bankrupt owing more than $450,000 in back taxes to the city, county and state.
Council members were left looking clueless at Tuesday’s meeting, with little choice but to delay the vote in the hope that the cloud can be cleared by next week.
Meanwhile, citizens were left to wonder where the scrutiny and accountability come into such City Hall dealmaking.

11 Comments

  1. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted December 12, 2008 at 1:17 pm | Permalink

    Hehehheh. Vetting? We dont need no stinkin’ vetting!

    Vetting only slows down the raid on the public tresury. And besides, we only need to attach the magic words “economic development” or “jobs” and it’ll slide right on through like shit through a goose.

    They dont WANT you to look too closely. Look whathappened to Blogojevich when they looked too closely….

  2. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted December 12, 2008 at 1:18 pm | Permalink

    When it comes to “economic development” it’s just so much easier if everyone puts their fingers in their ears and sings “lalalalalalalala” until the theft is complete.

  3. Phantom
    Posted December 12, 2008 at 1:22 pm | Permalink

    Reminds me of the guy that built Wild West World.

  4. ProudMan
    Posted December 12, 2008 at 2:02 pm | Permalink

    Let me get this straight. The newspaper and it’s journalists are wondering who is supposed to be the watch-dog of the government?

    Unbelievable.

  5. Bill_McKean
    Posted December 12, 2008 at 3:05 pm | Permalink

    HEY JEFF LONGWELL & ROBERT LAYTON:

    THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF BOB KNIGHT-BILL BUCHANAN- CHRISS CHERCHES ARE OVER. I THINK THE FBI IS NOW ON BOARD TO INVESTIGATE OTHER CORRUPTION ISSUES IN WICHITA

    YOU SHOULD HAVE ALL THE LEVERAGE YOU NEED TO DEMAND TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY IN CITY HALL BUSINESS PRACTICES.

    KIAKAHAHAHA AT YAHOO 293-6079

  6. bth
    Posted December 12, 2008 at 3:48 pm | Permalink

    On a sort of related topic:

    Yanni to perform at Hartman Arena on June 10

    http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2008/12/08/daily40.html?f=et88&ana=e_du

    Looks like the capitalist arena will open early and well. I wonder how that other one will fare. I’m still guessing the Ford commercial for its opening.

  7. mopar
    Posted December 12, 2008 at 4:11 pm | Permalink

    And I’ll bet you anything there is somebody down there that their only job is to do background checks on people like this. Sounds to me like somebody was trying to sneak this guy through using the ‘good ol boy’ system, and got caught.

  8. brian_nuevo
    Posted December 12, 2008 at 5:31 pm | Permalink

    “mopar
    Posted December 12, 2008 at 4:11 pm | Permalink
    And I’ll bet you anything there is somebody down there that their only job is to do background checks on people like this”

    I’ll take that bet! $50 says their is not someone at city hall whose sole job is doing background checks on vendors.

  9. brian_nuevo
    Posted December 12, 2008 at 5:31 pm | Permalink

    damn it, I used the wrong their/there.
    I’m glad it is Friday, time to go home!

  10. sunflower5
    Posted December 13, 2008 at 9:31 am | Permalink

    Wichita city council will not change until you make changes in the staff.

    Staff presents what it wants and holds back information they don’t want heard.

    The city council does not call them on it. If the council was serious they would get down to the person that witheld the information. But they won’t.

    Change staff and you can start the change in the city council.

  11. Raptor
    Posted December 13, 2008 at 9:34 am | Permalink

    nice accusation there, sunflower. do you have ANY
    proof at all? or are you just going to make unfounded generalizations and attack all 3,000 people that work at the City?