Holy Sweet God.
Midlothian City Councilman Ken Chambers is publicly questioning the purchase and the deals surrounding the Midlothian Police Department’s new station, which is actually the old First Baptist Church of Midlothian building.
Readers, I will be very surprised if there aren’t resignations to follow on this one…
Here’s Chambers’ latest:
http://www.KenChambers.net
Coincidence, 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?
Names bolded for emphasis by the editor
chris caldwell
November 20, 2008
makes you wonder if Whatley got a commission check also?
Ray L. Williams
November 22, 2008
Very interesting question, Chris.
If I were a citizen of Midlothian, I’d be outraged. I can’t imagine that many good people completely ignoring what’s going on in their city council.
Mayor Whatley leads the council puppets (except Chambers) like lemmings into the sea, and the citizens can’t see anything because they’re wearing rose-colored glasses.
And, Bill Foshea — why are you hiding?
gladI'mnotanEllisCountyresident
November 22, 2008
Poor Carl Smith…his mentor at DeSoto PD (Mike Brodnax) and his predecessor at Midlothian PD (Campbell) have both left their “stink” on him
frankthe tank
November 22, 2008
I just traveled back from Chambers old stomping grounds.. checked into his police career -there are alot of dead skeletons in his trunk. I have tried to contact his former superiors on his conduct… no response! what is there to hide..
14 years then suddenly quit?
working for AIG and with his personal convictions? like a catholic working in an abortion clinic. more to follow.
Ken Chambers
November 22, 2008
To: frankthetank,
First – Identify yourself and stop hiding behind a screen
name.
Second – contact me personally so we can share
information.
Third – Will be happy to show you 21 letters of
commendations during my police career.
Fourth – Will share major crime cases successfully solved.
I may provide names of supervisors, depending on your identity. Its easy to slander behind a screen name.
Ken Chambers
chris caldwell
November 23, 2008
Mr Chambers sounds like frank the skank is jealous of you!!!I It sounds like your city council members.They all want to dig up dirt on you ,but they are cover by their own poop.
Ken Chambers
November 23, 2008
Thank you Chris for your response.
It’s sad there are people who are afraid of facing the truth and dealing with the obvious when is comes to city government affairs.
Sherry Freeland
November 23, 2008
William Foshea needs to come forward. If there are records or information the citizens do not know about, then perhaps he can clarify. Silence is not golden.
Frankthe tank, I would suggest that you approach Ken and discuss your concerns with him. It is not right to try and condemn without identifying yourself and first speaking with Mr. Chambers to allow him the opportunity to address your concerns. I am confident Councilman Chambers can clear up your conceptions.
Citizens with personal convictions are hard to come by and we need to suport those who are willing to step out and work for the best interest of Midlothian citizens and taxpayers.
Dan
November 23, 2008
Found online is this definition of Frank the Tank:
1. frank the tank
when a person drinks a large quantity of alcohol and their alter ego emerges- the more drastic difference between the person and the alter ego, the more “frank the tank” they are- inspired by the movie old school’s character frank the tank as portrayed by Will Ferrel
dude- you were so frank the tank last night!
Surely, those of us who are concerned about the future of Midlothian are not going to take this unidentified individual’s comments seriously!
Joey Dauben
November 23, 2008
I’ve heard from two very reputable law enforcement sources that the Ovilla Police Department currently carries Campbell’s commission.
frankly tanked
November 23, 2008
frankthe tank,
That’s a lot of trouble just to try to create problems. Your toes must really be sore from where Chambers has stepped upon them. Tell me, did you use your city car? City gas? How many tax dollars did you spend on that trip?
I always thought skeletons were kept in the closet, not in the trunk. Maybe it’s where you’re from.
Most employers won’t give references, especially without a signed consent form, which I doubt Mr. Chambers gave you. But, you can use that to create suspicion, just as you did with “suddenly quit.” How else does one quit? Slowly? How long does it take to hand in a resignation, or are you accustomed to 3-hour speeches for any communication? Of course, “suddenly” sounds more ominous.
And, if you couldn’t get anyone to talk to you, how did you get into his trunk to find the skeletons?
You forgot to mention how stable and unusual it is for an officer to stay with one department for 14 years. Certainly, that was an oversight on your part, as I’m sure you want your comments to be unbiased.
And, your cheap shot at AIG makes no sense whatsoever. Many people are finding they work for companies with financial problems, if that’s what you mean. It’s hardly the fault of the employee.
Dan
November 23, 2008
Frankly, frankly tanked has put frankthe tank in his tank, so now we can get on with the First Baptist Church concerns.
I must admit we got a huge laugh out of the name frankly tanked. Not to mention frankly tanked made some very valid points, some of which we were asking ourselves.
It appears frankthe tank was using Ken Chambers as an attempted diversion from a concerning issue, the First Bapist Church transaction.
Ray L. Williams
November 23, 2008
From reading the article, and Councilman Chambers may certainly correct me, I think his point was to show another of the many questionable things that have happened under the leadership of Mayor Boyce Whatley, and to demonstrate Mayor Whatley’s inability to manage.
When I confronted the mayor about the police car repair fiasco (http://cfarg.com/whatley_waste.html), he quickly claimed credit for stopping it.
This went on for about 8 months, and Whatley was in charge when it happened. He should be man enough to take the blame, but that’s not within the ability of his ego.
Instead of being “The Cussin’ Mayor,” perhaps he should be “The Blind Mayor,” or “The Oblivious Mayor.”
chris caldwell
November 23, 2008
Campaign 08 was about changes in this country.It is about time for changes in Midlothian.Before we are a broken city!!!!!!
Sherry Freeland
November 24, 2008
As a taxpayer, I would like to think that potential conflict of interest situations are not allowed to initiate to begin with.
These types of transactions have the ability to undermine economic development and the fiscal stability of the city by generating considerable distortions and inefficiency, and in the process, unethically digging deeper into the pockets of the Midlothian taxpayer. Not to mention, this type of situation may thwart any kind of trust that the citizens can bestow upon their local officials.
Transparency and accountability are most important to the legitimacy of Midlothian local officials. This real estate transactions appears to be a prime example of lack of a much needed transparency. This happened over two years ago and we are just now finding out? Where was the mayor and former council while all this was going on?
Perhaps Midlothian should consider establishing an anti-corruption and/or monitoring group or commission to ensure that our mayor and council truly look after the best interest of Midlothian citizens.
Matt Martin
November 24, 2008
The problem is Sherry that no one cares…look at the last election in May. Turnout was pitiful, only 5%. Back when Whatley first ran in 1999, turnout was almost 22%. More people voted in 1999 than 2008 even though the number of registered voters doubled in that time period.
Unaccountability thrives under low voter turnout.
But I suspect that will change this May when 900 new registered voters are added to the city voter rolls. Sibley and Massey will be gone and a new era will begin in local politics.
Should be interesting…