Alright, let's cut the crap and get to the nitty-gritty about JEDO, Go Topeka, and the mess they've made with Topeka and Shawnee County's cash. Over 25 years, these clowns have blown $125 million trying to juice up population growth and the tax base, and all we've got to show for it is a steaming pile of questionable deals and zero accountability.
Take the hotel purchase—total disaster, a glaring middle finger to taxpayers. It's like they said, "Hey, let's throw money at a dumb idea and hope no one notices!" Then there's the AT&T deal, a sneaky little screw-up where JEDO tried to bury the details of what the Go Topeka Board was up to. No transparency, just a big "screw you" to anyone asking questions.So, what's the payoff for that $125 million? Jack squat, that's what. Critics are pissed, saying that money should've gone to fixing streets or upgrading water systems instead of these half-baked economic stunts that haven't delivered a damn thing. And don't get started on the Cody Foster deal—$9.5 million in sales tax cash handed over to him and his family on Go Topeka's say-so, with JEDO acting like a spineless rubber stamp. No pushback, no balls—just a blank check.Then there's the flops like the Wolfe's Camera building and Bio Realty, where another $1 million got torched. Taxpayers are left holding the bag while these deals crash and burn. And when people try to dig into the Go Topeka Board's votes under the Kansas Open Records Act? Crickets. They'll toss out a vague "68% supported it after debate," but that's bullshit—where's the real data? It's like they're daring us to care.The whole system's a joke—public control's gone, and millions are funneled to chamber of commerce cronies with no oversight. Where the hell did that $125 million go? No one knows, and they don't want us to find out. Fixing this mess means cracking down hard, forcing some damn transparency, and actually giving a shit about the people of Topeka and Shawnee County.Oh, and about that new property value you asked about earlier—it's $3,858,333.33, based on the NOI and 6% cap rate. There you go.
Henry McClure
Time kills deals
785-383-9994
www.henrymcclure.live