WDEL’s Amy Cherry Exposes Corruption in County Farmland Deal
By far the best journalism being committed in Delaware today is being done by WDEL’s Amy Cherry. She has effectively chronicled the stink of corruption permeating the proposed farmland deal between the Gordon Administration and a couple of well-connected farmers. Here are the links. Go ahead and read/listen to them. I’ll wait.
http://wdel.com/story/76458-farmers-cry-foul-over-new-castle-county-farmland-deal
Here’s just some of what I’ve learned from this award-worthy series:
*The Gordon Administration has been in constant contact with at least one of the two farmers who would benefit from this questionable deal:
“WDEL revealed 120 e-mails between farm owner Gary Warren and New Castle County then-Chief of Staff James McDonald in connection with the proposed deal, showing Warren had insider access to a process which, when conducted by the state, is completely independent of farm owners.”
*One of the owners, Gary Warren, successfully submitted the name of his preferred appraiser to conduct the appraisal on his farm. This, to put it mildly, is not the way it’s supposed to work:
“The landowner in the state program has no involvement whatsoever with the appraiser in terms of selecting or designating the appraiser,” said Michael Parkowski, the attorney for the state’s farmland preservation program…
“This is millions of dollars of public funds that are at stake here. We need to have a clear process that treats everyone the same, and it documents an incredible amount of insider access,” said former DNREC official and president of the Delaware Audubon Society Dave Carter after viewing the e-mails obtained by WDEL. “That was an unprecedented amount of correspondences, dozens and dozens of them between a private land owner who stands to profit considerably and the government staff making decisions on them.”
*Although this is being presented as a farmland preservation deal, it is not a farmland preservation deal:
“A proposed deal by New Castle County government that would turn two politically-connected farmers into millionaires is tied to a legal settlement, but critics say it’s being couched as a farmland preservation deal as a way to get taxpayers and county council members on-board.
“This is not the county’s new farmland preservation program (there isn’t a county farmland preservation program). This is looking at what can we do in light of these settlement agreements. How can we benefit the Port Penn corridor and yet relieve ourselves under the obligations of the settlement agreements?” she said. “We aren’t looking to pay fair market value for every acre out there of farm.”
But despite there being 330 farms in New Castle County, that’s exactly what the county is seeking to do for two well-known farmers. They’re seeking to buy development rights to former state Farm Bureau president Gary Warren and former Delaware Public Service Commissioner Jaymes Lester’s farms along Port Penn Road for upwards of $6 million, using taxpayer money.
*State Senators Bruce Ennis and Bethany Hall Long got $300,000 in the State Bond Bill for this sweetheart deal:
This single deal would cost more than $3 million and is part of a larger deal to also conserve former public service commissioner Jaymes Lester’s farm at a similar price. The deal includes $3 million in county money, a federal match, and $300,000 from the state’s bond bill that was secured after the Lester and Warren farms were labeled a “priority” in a meeting dated October 24, 2013. County Executive Gordon, Senator Bruce Ennis, and Senator Bethany Hall-Long were among those present.
*The so-called appraisals are a joke:
“You went to Brandywine Hundred and compared it to an ST (suburban transition) property…very few farms were used in this appraisal that were in the proximity of these farms (Warren and Lester’s farms). They all went way out of the area to look at what is developed already in all of those areas. To go up to Brandywine Hundred, go across the state line, I don’t understand how that’s a comp,” questioned Councilwoman Janet Kilpatrick.
“I found it completely ridiculous…that a farm…on the Route 202 corridor, zoned ST…now, understand the Route 202 corridor is high-growth, it’s got Delaware County and New Castle County butted right here, it’s extremely high amounts of traffic, high demand, it’s just a very different environment than southern New Castle County, so I think that threw the whole thing, the whole property appraisal out of whack,” said Councilman John Cartier.
Kilpatrick also questioned the idea of including comparables that already have sewer and utilities in place–something Lester and Warren’s farms don’t have.
*No other farmer/landowners have ever been offered anything anywhere near as lucrative:
“It’s absolutely criminal,” said Port Penn farm owner Tony Domino.
He nearly fell out of his chair when WDEL informed him that the Valbridge appraisal–obtained and made public by WDEL–compares neighboring Gary Warren’s farm to property on Concord Pike and a commercial property owned by Dogfish Head in Milton.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said. “That’s unbelievable. You’re comparing an apple to a grape.”
Just read the third installment of the series in its entirety to see how out of whack these appraisals are.
To me, this is a quintessential Delaware Way story brilliantly exposed by Amy Cherry. This is a sweetheart deal, using taxpayer money, that would benefit two well-connected farmers and only two well-connected farmers. This is a waste of taxpayer money designed to benefit two undeserving insiders, and it is being orchestrated by County Executive Tom Gordon. It should not be allowed to happen.
Amy Cherry has laid out the entire scheme in this great series. Who will step forward to stop it? And/or to stop Gordon?
Tags: Featured
Well, that explains Gordon talking about BHL when he didn’t fire her husband:
“I’m telling you, if we lose this f—— woman, we’re on a string right now of support with Karen Peterson going against me,” Gordon said. “This is one strong woman who has clout down there in terms of farmland preservation.”
I wonder how he “got” her in the first place, to get state money. Nothing about this reads clean.
I’d forgotten about that. Turns out she was a courier of state money to facilitate a sweetheart deal for a couple of well-connected farmers.
It’s about time someone took a closer look at her dealings, her husband’s dealings, and whether she deserves the public’s confidence as she seeks higher office.
I would also like to know just what Gordon’s skin is in this game.
BHL’s involvement went as far as putting those farms into the state process, along with others. No money flowed from state to Gordon. The two are not tied. The state’s program, unlike the non-existent county one, has guidelines and a process. Also, the state would not pay that absurd amount for just the rights, while allowing them to profit off of the farms.
I also wonder what skin Gordon has in this game. Any reasonable person would have dropped this mess as soon as it got out of control. Warren and Lester must have some serious dirt on him to be pushing this ridiculous deal so far. It makes no sense.
BHL’s involvement ALSO went towards allocating $300,000 of state bond money for this deal. She wasn’t at that meeting by accident. The money may not have ‘flowed directly from the state to Gordon’. But the money was specifically earmarked for this sleazy deal.
She also didn’t merely ‘put…these farms in the state process’. The farms in question skirted the state process and were not subject to the standards of the state process. Which is why Gary Warren was able to choose his own appraiser.
BTW, here is Cassandra’s article on the Gordon/Dana Long affair. There can be no doubt IMHO that Long kept his job ONLY b/c his wife was an ally to Gordon on matters in Dover. Decide for yourself:
http://delawareliberal.net//2016/04/05/tales-of-corruption-from-tom-gordons-ncc-coverups-double-dealing-and-ga-senators/
The program is a federal, state, county match. If the state chips in 300k then the program is funded by a 3m match from county and Feds. It’s a simple kick in to ensure farms can continue their livelihood. The state, gives the least monies. The process involves adding these to the bond bill, then it goes to a vote. The GA votes on it.
There is no need for me to decide, I know for a fact that there is no love lost between BHL and Gordon. Her husband was cleared by HUD, so that has nothing to do with it.
Btw, this by no means makes the exorbitant amount Gordon is proposing right. That appraisal is a joke. Choosing farms in Brandywine Hundred and Maryland is ridiculous.
So, since BHL was at the Port Penn meeting where Lester and Warren farms were labeled a “priority”, are you saying Gordon played a fast one on her? Distracted a state senator who knows her way around farmland preservation while he snuck this through? I’d like to know how that happened.
And since you mentioned it, if her husbands was cleared by HUD, it would be great if someone would release something on paper saying that.
This money is not part of the State AgLands Preservation program. Period. This is an odious deal concocted outside the parameters of that program. (FWIW, I think that program is also a waste of taxpayers’ dollars, but I digress.)
There may or may not be ‘no love lost’ between BHL and Tom Gordon. But, when push came to shove, Gordon rescinded his initial order to fire her husband, and it was precisely b/c he found out who his wife was and b/c of her clout in Dover. And she DID help to secure the $300K.
If ‘there’s no love lost’ between them, but yet she does his bidding, what does that say about her character? Is that how her husband got and/or keeps his job? If so, wouldn’t she be compromised in a higher level position?
No fast one was pulled. Two farmers from her district, along with others, applied for the state farmland program. That has nothing to do with the nuclear dumpster fire that became the county involvement.
HUD will not realease the info, so I understand it has been FOIA’d.
I think you need too refresh your memory on the process. Also, submitting farms from her district to the program does not constitute “doing his bidding.” You can’t argue facts with conjecture. Well, you can, but you shouldn’t.
Here’s what I know. No other farmers got the kind of favorable treatment that these two did. Not even close. She attended a meeting at which it was stressed that these two farmers’ properties was a high priority. She then helped to get $300K of taxpayers’ $$’s to fund it. That’s a far cry from just submitting names.
I’m sorry. I don’t have an axe to grind with her in terms of her run for LG. But, sometimes you can’t just blindly ‘root for the laundry’.
I agree, which is why I made sure I looked at it before I said anything here. Part of the process is having your legislator secure the funds. It’s how they all happen. However, the securing only goes as far as adding it to the bond bill. It’s up to the committee, then the GA to vote on it. That is a far cry from what Gordon is doing.
He’s just making shit up with ridiculous appraisals and the “is it a settlement,or is it preservation” smoke screen.
By the way, it cannot be both a settlement AND preservation. It’s either one, or the other. That has not been made clear.
It is being misrepresented as farmland preservation when, in fact, it is driven by the settlement, meaning it’s a misuse of funds. Amy Cherry and, I think I, made that clear.
As did New Castle County’s own assistant Attorney Mary Jacobson:
“New Castle County doesn’t even have an official farmland preservation program, assistant county attorney Mary Jacobson admitted in a New Castle County Council executive committee meeting in February.”
“This is not the county’s new farmland preservation program. This is looking at what can we do in light of these settlement agreements. How can we benefit the Port Penn corridor and yet relieve ourselves under the obligations of the settlement agreements?” she said. “We aren’t looking to pay fair market value for every acre out there of farm.”
Which, of course, raises the question, why should legislators pony up taxpayer dollars for a phony preservation deal that even the County acknowledges is not a preservation deal?
The GA program and county deal are two separate things. They are entitled to apply and receive preservation. They fit the requirements for the state and federal guidelines. However, that does not explain the, for lack of a better word without cursing, “offer” the Gordon admin made. Carter didn’t argue the efficacy of the two farms to fit in the program. He was spot on in the fact that Gordon decided to make the county portion ten-times that of the Feds and state.
If you want to get really frustrated, listen to Mary Jacobson’s testimony from that committee meeting. I believe she actually argues against a point she made earlier in the meeting. It’s ridiculous.
How many more examples do we need of why this guy needs to go? His delusional ramblings last night that he “created all the parks and libraries” and that we will have “four ports” is just utter nonsense. Even his former CFO is railing against him now warning us about the unchecked spending. Shame on us if he is re-elected. Meyer needs to keep the heat up.
Look at what he calls Meyers at the beginning his closing remarks. It’s a little after the 1:17:00 on the News Journal video of the debate. You can hear and see Gordon say “bite me, asshole.” That’s classsy with and extra s for emphasis.
Least we forget the early days, here is an early letter to constituents from Former Representative Rebecca Walker, back when Gordon and the entire contingent of State and County Legislators south of the canal were trying to unethically abuse the state programs for the sweetheart farm deals.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/52676838/Walker_letter.jpg
Here is Amy Cherry’s latest report:
http://wdel.com/story/76474-sheldon-seeks-fair-transparent-farmland-preservation-program-in-new-castle-county
This only underlines that this is a blatant sweetheart deal. Oh, and that Gordon is permanently unavailable for comment.
I have to say, I’m a little impressed by Sheldon. I hope this is a trend for him.
I had heard that the FBI was poking around this farmland deal — anyone know whether or not this is true?
This shows you the News Journal is no longer taken seriously on anything anymore in this state…..they may consider doing a’ thumbs down’ on corruption in their editorial page. No chance of any real journalism there.
FBI should go all in on this one!!!!!!!!!!
The FBI is controlled by the federal DoJ, which is controlled in Delaware by the US Attorney, Charlie Oberly, who will go after a Joe Biden pal like Gordon right after hell starts exporting ice.
Chris,
Don’t put down the NJ so quickly.
After all, they did run an op-ed on the farmland deal by Dave Carter last week.
Keep in mind that they were busy promoting their own debate among the county exec candidates.
Her husband was cleared by HUD, so that has nothing to do with it.
When did HUD clear Dana Long? HUD never issued any statements about the matter. He was never publicly “cleared” of anything.
For all we know he was smacked down hard by HUD and guilty as Hell, but got to keep his job. That’s how cronyism works.
There are so many better candidates for Lt. Governor than BHL, in fact, all of them are.
HUD did not issue a public statement. The investigation was not released because, most likely, it involved the names of section 8 recipients. It is my understanding that it has been FOIA’d, but how long does it take a federal agency to respond to a FOIA request?
All Gordon knew at the time of that call was that BHL’s husband admitted to calling sec 8 client for his wife’s campaign. And all Gordon ordered was “i don’t want him fired.” He even said “can’t we discipline him or something.” No mention of an investigation.
Gordon claims that an investigation took place. He was a cop. Do cops do much investigating after they get a confession?
“BHL’s husband admitted to calling sec 8 client for his wife’s campaign.”
Where did this bit of fabrication come from? Troll much?
Yawn. I guess Amy is just printing whatever Dave Grimaldi sends her, still.
Again, this isn’t investigative journalism, but it’s been so long since anyone in Delaware saw any real journalism that I guess it’s to be expected.
Does Amy still work for her husband? Or does someone else vet this work?
JTF: Shill for Gordon someplace else. This didn’t come from Grimaldi. Those were actual farmers who raised the stink.
And the crack about “working for her husband” is truly a low blow, especially coming from someone who has flapped her gums for years without revealing anything of substance. And, of course, couldn’t keep a husband, AND is a jerk besides.
As your buddy would say, bite me, asshole.
While we’re at it, let’s get to the lying Mr. Grimaldi. Who brought that maggot into government? Why your asshole buddy, of course, who ignored his lack of experience and CV full of lies.
It’s truly funny to watch self-styled civic watchdogs like Nancy Willing and Liz Allen who bought into this asshole four years ago trying to justify him now. More than a few similarities with Republicans who cuddled up to Trump.
By the way, asshole, what qualifies as “investigative journalism” to you? Ever done any? Didn’t think so.
JTF, best cut your losses on this one. Anonymous just dropped the mic, no, curtain on you. Just chalk it up to a bad, poorly thought out decision and call it a day.
Wow, someone hit a very sore spot there.
Ciro Poppiti brought that “maggot” into government here, btw. But you knew that.
Sorry, didn’t mean to get so ugly, it just comes naturally.
That’s not how Gordon tells it, so no, I didn’t know that. But then, Ciro is friendly to everyone. To a fault, obviously. But at any rate, Ciro didn’t make him the No. 2 person in the county, so nice try.
My sore spot is that you don’t know the first thing about investigative journalism, and you have no basis whatever for shitting on what Amy Cherry did. Grimaldi didn’t look up all those records or conduct all those interviews. He’s too lazy.
So, for that matter, are you.
You’re very precious.
http://www.doverpost.com/article/20150810/BLOGS/308109998
Never saw that article; why was the Dover Post writing about New Castle County in the first place?
So that’s enough to blame Poppiti in your opinion? As I said, Ciro didn’t make him the No 2 person in the county. If you have a problem with him, it ultimately reflects on Gordon, not Poppiti.
You still haven’t answered the question: What do you consider investigative journalism, and what gives you the idea you’re qualified to define it?
You’re not mad about the investigative journalism swipe, are you? It’s ok. Go relax and have a drink.
Don’t drink. And you still haven’t answered the question. I’m mad that you’re a troll (fill in “piece of shit” if that helps). Now I’m amused that you can’t defend your asshole statement. An asshole AND a coward.
C’mon, see if you can do it, asswipe. Defend your statements. Or do you need a drink first?
Investigative journalism isn’t publishing a tape from a single, anonymous source without corroboration, and then including that “anonymous” source as a separate, named source to validate your story. That’s why no one in town would print the story. That’s just printing what Dave Grimaldi gives you. Which it would seem she’s done again. That’s being a receptionist, not a journalist.
We’re not talking about the other story, we’re talking about this one. It’s documented with plenty of evidence. So no, we’re not talking about something “she’s done again.” This one is plenty well documented, both with print documents and a bunch of interviews.
You either didn’t actually read or listen to any of it, or don’t care about the facts.
Your boy Gordon wouldn’t even comment, wouldn’t even try to defend himself. But then he has you to lick his ass, so why bother, right?
You don’t know if Grimaldi gave it to her anyway. It could have been any of dozens of people in the administration. In his first administration there were so many leaks the sources raced each other to the phones every time there was a new piece of Gordon/Freebery dickishness.
The important takeaway is that Freebery is gone now, and Gordon is the same dick he always was. It wasn’t all her fault, as Gordon’s pals like to say. They were just peas in a pod until they got shelled.
Also, too: “That’s why no one in town would print the story. ”
Bullshit and you know it. There’s only one place to print it, and TNJ is scared shit of him, always was, because he repeatedly threatens to take away the public-notice advertising, which is worth about $1 million per year.
Yeah I guess once you see shitty work, you just always think the work is shitty. And there’s very little faith in the quality control over there at WDEL, if you know what I mean.
And I’ve never licked Tom Gordon’s ass, but thanks for that lunchtime visual.
That Dover Post piece is an unsigned blog entry and reads as though Grimaldi wrote it, really.
Of course it does. That’s the kind of crap Gordon and the sort of people he likes to pal around with do instead of working. Sherry Freebery herself used to post under a pseudonym at that Brandywine Hundred blog 15 years ago. They would get buddies to write letters to the editor; TNJ printed a letter from her son without pointing out that it was her son.
The saddest thing about them is how smart they think they are.
First you said this:
Her husband was cleared by HUD, so that has nothing to do with it.
Then you said this:
Dem19703 says:
August 4, 2016 at 3:43 pm
HUD did not issue a public statement. The investigation was not released because, most likely, it involved the names of section 8 recipients. It is my understanding that it has been FOIA’d, but how long does it take a federal agency to respond to a FOIA request?
Which is it? Was he cleared or wasn’t he? The answer is: we don’t know.
What we do know is that BHL’s husband Dana Long is a loose cannon, first stealing signs (moronic and sophomoric) and then shaking down low income people in order to get his wife votes, either with or without her knowledge and/or guidance. Long is a Section 8 housing inspector, so what does a low income person do when the man who can kick their family out of their house tells them to vote for his wife? You got it, they vote for his wife.
BHL won the election in 2014 by 267 votes.
Do we really want BHL and her dubious husband in the Lt. Governor’s office, or God forbid, in the Governor’s office someday? I wonder how far Dana Long would go to get BHL elected Governor? My bet is pretty f*cking far.
There are better democrats running in the Lt. Governor’s race. Democrats who don’t have crazy spouses who break the law to get them elected, possibly with their knowledge and guidance. Let’s elect one of them instead. Or haven’t we learned anything from our Tom Gordon experience?
“There are better democrats running in the Lt. Governor’s race.”
And yet not a single candidate whom I’d want to inherit the governor’s office in the event of tragedy. The office is unnecessary.
In New Jersey, Senate president pro tem Richard Codey filled in twice as governor of New Jersey, first when Whitman left for the EPA, again after the McGreevey scandal. The second time, when he left office after two years as the state’s governor, he had a 65% approval rating, but 21% of the voters still did not recognize his name.
“Which is it? Was he cleared, or wasn’t he? The answer is: we don’t know.”
Yes, we do. HUD cleared him. For one, he is still doing his job. That should be evidence enough. Second, you brain dead moron, no one made an accusation that he threatened to kick anyone out of their homes. That is something you fabricated in your tiny little trolling mind. Explain to me how this is at all relevant to her winning the election? Are you actually saying that ALL 267 votes were Section 8 recipients that were strong armed into voting? If that’s the case, that guy should be running Hillary’s campaign, or one of the five families. He’s the most persuasive man in the world. In addition, he managed to find 267 section 8 recipients who are registered to vote and made sure they actually cast their votes. He must be a fucking political genius!!
Just because you feel scorned from 2014, or your candidate is polling below BHL (which all are, btw), doesn’t allow you to create facts. Seriously, do you truly believe your bullshit?
You have legitimate polling on the Lt. Gov race? By all means, share.
Only got the final rankings. I didn’t get the questions asked. If anyone has seen this, feel free to add to it. It’s a PPP poll, so take it for what it’s worth. What I do know is that it was not done by an LG candidate. None of the LG candidates that I know of use PPP. It may be a NJ poll, but not sure. That’s all I know.
BHL- 18%
CP- 9%
SDW- 8%
Chris Bullock (??)- 4%
KM- 3%
Eaby- 0%
Fuller- 0%
I asked if it was new, or old, because of Bullock’s name. They said new, but did not say who ordered it. Could be pure crap, but it’s all we have to go on so far in this race. If anything is accurate, I would guess it is the 58% Undecided. It seems to be the trend, so far, in all the races.
My biggest rub is that Gordon thinks he is accountable to no one. His arrogance is deplorable and behavior as an elected official is laughable. He’s hell bent on creating some fictional legacy that by serving two eight year terms he’ll be in the upper echelon of great Delawareans, when the reality is he’s forever tainted by the endless headlines of irresponsibility his hubris created.
Yes, we do. HUD cleared him. For one, he is still doing his job. That should be evidence enough. Second, you brain dead moron, no one made an accusation that he threatened to kick anyone out of their homes.
Sure, I’m the “moron” for listening to the words coming out of Tom Gordon’s own mouth about Dana Long, that’s hilarious:
“I’m telling you, if we lose this f—— woman, we’re on a string right now of support with Karen Peterson going against me,” Gordon said. “This is one strong woman who has clout down there in terms of farmland preservation…any possible way we can discipline him or something, but firing him?”
So they “disciplined him” without firing him. BTW, if your housing inspector calls you and tells you to vote for his wife, when he has the ability to kick you out of your house, that in itself is threatening. In fact, the person who complained said they felt “intimidated.” If you can’t understand that if you live in Section 8 housing, and a Section 8 housing inspector calls you to vote for his wife, you’re going to feel threatened and intimidated because he can kick you out of your house. This isn’t rocket science.
I love watching people do gymnastics for their candidates. The fact is that Delaware operated smoothly for 2 years without a Lt. Governor, and we’re still facing a budget shortfall.
Let the position stay open for 4 more years to save the state a few million dollars, my candidate is no candidate.
I second that. We anonymice have to stick together.
Well, well, well…if it isn’t Dem19703. What is your issue? Why do you continue to bring up things that aren’t true? So what if BHL is leading. Our girl Kathy is going to win this. She is a long time democrat with strong Delaware roots, and a very strategic plan. Why do you insist on dealing in innuendo? It’s absurd.
Is this Park City Kathy you are talking about? The one who voted as a registered Republican in Utah? That doesn’t count as a “long time Democrat” under any circumstances.
Isn’t he in line for Carper’s job?
I am confused. If there are 230 acres & the commitment to purchase is about $2500 per acre why on earth would anyone offer to over pay to the tune of almost 1200% more. The county could go borrow the money needed from a payday lender and pay less in interest
And we are thinking about letting Gordon run our county for 4 more years???? Vote Matt Meyers
The County administrator is hire by Council down here