BY ISHKA BIBBLE
“Truth is stranger than fiction, it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.” —Mark Twain
Arrrrghh! What little hair I have left on my over-educated noggin is on fire, thanks to Romeo Village Trustee Justin Parker’s call for a special meeting of the council on Monday, Oct. 10 to go over the finer details of the Romeo Village Park project. More truths, half-truths and some just plain bald-faced lies were cast upon the stage in this theatrical production of “It’s gonna be great, you’ll see!”, a show worthy of at least a Tony Award nomination.
For the umpteenth time, the issue of “where the H. E. double-hockey sticks is the Ford Fund donation money?” was raised. We all know from the last meeting of the trustees on Sept. 19, Trustee Bob Hart declared, “There’s $146,978 in an account, of which Ford had given about $100,000.” At that meeting, Hart also stated that the remainder of the fund contained $50,000 in deposits by the president of The Mitt.TV, Ruth Heidebreicht and $3,000 was spent on design plans.
Now, just 21 days hence, Hart reports that there is now $200,000 in an account somewhere slated for the park, with Heidebreicht matching the Ford Motor Company dollar-for-dollar in total donations to the 501(c)(3) organization, of which she is president, with $100,000 of her own money.
What? We thought the funds resided in some account somewhere under another 501(c)(3) organization as a temporary fiduciary of the funds, The Friends of the Village of Romeo Parks, Inc., of which Heidebreicht is also president. Nope. That 501(c)(3) has not yet received an IRS determination letter designating it as a charitable organization, so the money was given by the Ford Motor Company to… The Mitt.TV. And it was $150,000 total, right? Nope (again!) Now, it’s $200,000 total. Are ya following any of this?
And, upon Hart’s attempt to award kudos to Heidebreicht for her matching the funding of one of the largest multi-national corporations in the world, she declared that she matched her donations with the Ford Fund at increments of $30,000, then $40,000 and then another $30,000.
So… that means that just 21 days ago, when Hart said Heidebreicht gave a total of $50,000, that should have been at least $70,000.00, right? Oh, no! Heidebreicht claimed that the last $30,000 was received by The Mitt.TV from the Ford Fund a month and a half ago and that’s when she matched it! Then we ask… Why didn’t Heidebreicht clarify that at the Sept. 19 meeting she had matched not $50,000 but $100.000.00? Seems like she would want that to be known, right?
I’m channeling the SNL character Tommy Flanagan here… “Yeah, I gave fifty thou… no… uh, I gave a hundred thousand dollars! Yeah, that’s the ticket! And all the bank statements are there, too!”
Hart clarified, that he, and only he, had seen some bank statements, which, by the way, he would have gladly given copies to any one of the village trustees, but only if they had asked for them. Yeah right. What the heck do you think the trustees have been asking for since June of 2021? Where are the statements now? Dog eat them?
Moving on, Parker asked for assurances that any construction to take place on the village park property was done by contractors who were licensed, insured and most importantly, bonded.
Romeo Village President Christine Malzhan informed the trustees that Heidebreicht, via The Mitt.TV, had bid out the project to three contractors and had awarded the park project to Jason Arnott of Earth Environments, LLC. Who? What? Ok, now we have a non-profit, The Mitt.TV, run by its self-appointed president, Heidebreicht, who, in its organizational statement of purpose, has absolutely nothing to do with land development, bidding out and awarding a construction contract for a village property that they have no ownership of and, if they wish, can walk away from that project at any time they choose. In summation… yikes!
Oh, it gets better. Malzahn further stated that, to quell Parker’s fiduciary concerns about protecting the village and its residents from liability, all that was really necessary was a performance bond for the contractor. That type of bond, along with the village’s regular insurance, would be sufficient to protect the village, in case things go awry. (That never happens, right?).
Parker then asked if a performance bond was active for this project. Malzahn assured him that, before construction begins, she would make sure the contractor will have the bond completed. Comforting, yes? A “trust me, my word is oak!” type of reassurance.
The board voted to approve President Malzahn’s motion to grant the approximately $101,000 “Phase 1” part of the project awarded to contractor Earth Environments, LLC to commence, which, by the way, does not include the new gazebo building, so touted as the focal point of this project. Work commenced on Oct. 13. Was the contractor bonded for this project? Maybe. Maybe not. Unlucky? Luck ain’t got nuttin’ ta do wit it, pal.
What do you get for $100,000? So far, a few trees knocked down, a lot of consternation, some hand-wringing and few assurances that everything is on the level.
What can you get for $100,000? How about $1,000 to 100 local families in need this holiday season. That, friends, is maximizing your charity.
Is this good government run amok? Seems to be and that means… there’s an ulterior motive. Gee… what could that be???
P.S. You are obligated to participate in this grand experiment of self-government by “The People!” Your vote counts! The future is in your hands! Vote Nov. 8!
