Siemens Scandal FINALLY Erupts! (Jackson, Enterprise: broker, attorneys, home)

[GrandviewGloria]

There's a new junta running Jacktown, and apparently, previous juntas' cronies are no longer - shall we say - "enfranchised".

Siemens, a company generally held in high regard, was pressured to include minority subcontractors, when it implemented a do-over for the city's metering system. These subs are now said to have set up "Pass Through" arrangements, whereby they farmed-out the work to others. .....or something like that. The resulting mess is costing the struggling city gobs of millions of Dollars, and promises to cost the Capital of Kush many more millions, before it's all over (assuming it's EVER over).

NOW, a couple of regimes later, Mayor BabyChok is accusing all sorts of folks of all sorts of stuff, and taking all sorts of actions: https://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/20...rity-sham.html

According to this blogspot post (https://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/20...33246709187057) Socrates Garrett, one of the persons named in BabyChoks' accusations, and a public figure who's been in the news for many years, lives in a McMansion veiled in mystery. If that poster is right, and if GoogleMap is right (https://www.google.com/maps/place/31...!4d-90.1779606), this is it: https://www.google.com/maps/@32.3750...7i13312!8i6656 From what I could discern, there seems to be a substantial electrified fence forming the inner perimeter, as well as a system of pavement which could serve as an excellent ring road, for guards on ATVs. (I have the same thing - except my ring road is between inner and outer fences, to facilitate use of guard dogs, should events ever make that necessary - dogs hate me, as much as I fear them). That's a LOT OF PAVEMENT. Not that I'm accusing anyone of accepting free pavement, ever, in exchange for political access to anybody. And I'm sure a forensic audit would bear that out. But who knows?

How does one keep his home off the land rolls, but not safe from GoogleMap? The latter is pretty easy. Maybe 'Cynical Sam' has the wrong address? Anyway, the driveway goes to another street, entirely, from what's listed as the address - via a LOOOOOONG, expensive driveway. CUNNING! Socrates seems to have been an intimate of previous Juntas, but not a friend of the current one. I take it he was involved in the Siemens deal, in some fashion. (Here, I quote from Kingfish's excellent article: "Last but not least is Garrett Enterprises, the well-known company owned by local power broker Socrates Garrett. He has played the DBE game like a fiddle for years. Jackson charges he received $4.6 million for "construction management and quality control services." Jackson called him a "sham" contractor and said it could not determine what services or benefit it received from his company." )

[viverlibre]

It will be interesting to see how this effects Babychok's reelection chances, he's going after some of the power players in Jackson.

To think Jackson can take on the attorneys that a company like Seimans can hire, it's a big risk. Jackson may win the first round (in local court), but Siemens will eventually get the venue changed or appeal to a higher court. I'd guess that Seimans has a lot more money to spend on legal proceedings than Jackson.