You see, there are some important questions I've yet to see anyone ask or answer including Mr Holder.
For starters, Allen Johnson writes:
"Actually, according to a city investigation, it was $577,000 over nine years.
Mel’s washed city vehicles and truck-wash bays and lubricated some city equipment."
Now granted, $577,000 dollars is a lot of money but broken down over 9 years that comes to $64,111.17 per year. A little over $64K a year doesn't seem like nearly so much money. Especially when you consider that Mr Dick and his wife, the owners of Mel's Pressure Washing, obviously had some expenses to cover out of pocket. How much I don't know.
Now granted, the way in which the payments were made is iffy at best but is that Melvin Dick's fault or is that the fault of someone higher up on city staff who is supposed to be watching out for such things? Ben Holder wrote:
"Just last December, the company was paid 13 times for a total of $8,433.50. It remains unclear how the finance department initially overlooked more than 900 payments that equaled nearly a half-million dollars. It’s even more confusing how this was allowed in the first place."Ben also wrote:
"All of this without a bid or a contract? Makes me wonder what else are we paying for."
I can't speak for Ben but I think the big problem isn't Mr Dick.
But it's not just that either. What if Mr Dick and Mel's Pressure Washing has been giving the City of Greensboro a great deal all along? Did Ben compare Mr Dick's prices to the prices of other pressure washing services?
Was Mr Dick pressure washing on his own time or on City of Greensboro time? Ben never told us that. Sadly, local media outlets completely dropped the ball and failed to ask the question altogether.
To be fair, Mel's was higher on lubrication but the low bidder for pressure washing in recent bidding. As to how much was charged before neither Mr Holder, The City nor the media has made clear. And to be absolutely fair the same article cites very real work and gift issues.
Did Ben Holder determine if the work was necessary? Did the media?
Did Ben Holder determine if the work was completed satisfactorily? On time?
Ben Holder wrote:
"I think, based on the selected information we have so far, it would not be a jump to conclude that this is horrible. Dick owns a pressure washing company and does five jobs over three years for the city. Dick gets hired by the city as an employee. Pressure washing company gets put in wife’s name. Over the next six years, employees’ wife is given 900-plus jobs and paid almost $450,000."
I agree but was it a good deal? "I think, based on the selected information we have so far, it would not be a jump to conclude that" Ben Holder doesn't know and neither do we. The real question is: will the City of Greensboro ever let us know or will Ben or someone else have to file a hundred public information releases and wait 10 years to find out?
You know what I think happened. And this is purely speculation. Someone who works with Melvin Dick at the City of Greensboro got jealous or pissed off because that someone thought he could horn in on the deal and when he couldn't he sought out Ben Holder with intentions of ruining it for Melvin Dick.
But like I said, that's purely speculation. What we do know is the City of Greensboro is a very loosely run organization with a lot of opportunities for people to get their hands in the till just as Mr Holder has made clear. And the problem begins at the top where $Millions are given to Greensboro's elites while using issues like Mel's Pressure Washing as smoke screens to fog the public's view of what is really going on at the top.
For you see, when those at the top are busy full time trying to cover their own asses and not get caught ripping us off they haven't the time or the energy to keep those at the bottom from doing the same.
Update: After thinking about this for several hours there is one question I can answer, that being the title question, "Is Ben Holder Screwing Greensboro Taxpayers?" No, Ben isn't screwing the taxpayers, inept, unresponsive and corrupt leadership is screwing Greensboro taxpayers. And Ben proved it to be true.
