News
Another failed smell test.
Now we have a shadowy figure usurping the power of Congress and the president.
The saga of the congressional earmark for seed money for an interchange at Interstate 75 and Coconut Road in Estero grinds on.
First came the announcement in 2005 of the $10 million — on top of the $81 million for overall I-75 improvements secured by U.S. Reps. Connie Mack IV, R-Fort Myers, and Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami.
Until then, I-75/Coconut, at The Brooks, was a project known to and favored by government/development insiders only.
Then Mack and Diaz-Balart insisted they knew nothing of the authorship of the earmark, which led to connections with U.S. Rep. Don Young of Alaska, who was treated to a campaign fundraiser while visiting Southwest Florida in 2005 to learn, we were told, more about the need for I-75 improvements. At the time he was chairman of the House Transportation Committee; Mack and Diaz-Balart were members.
The story kept going downhill, failing smell tests all the way, as Lee County transportation planners, after resisting twice, voted to accept the tainted money, though in a superficially clever way. The Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization decided on a study of future I-75 intersection needs in general — which could point in a direction other than Coconut Road, where documented Young donors own as-yet inaccessible property to the east of the interstate.
Now comes the worst smell test failure. A study compiled by a retired veteran of congressional funding practices shows the earmark was changed to specify Coconut Road between the time an overall transportation bill was passed by Congress and later signed by President Bush. Editing solely for style rather than substance is supposed to take place at that stage.
The study goes on to say that those locally who have been impressed with the notion that either we use the money or lose it, are wrong. Because Congress approved the earmark for I-75 improvements in general, the money can be switched back to that purpose with the ease of corrective legislation. That ought to be a no-brainer for Mack, Diaz-Balart or both.
Maybe the $10 million can be designated to help widen I-75, minus the convoluted idea of tolling lanes 5 and 6, funded above board by Congress and the state of Florida.
We note as well that the earmark in question cited I-75 improvements in Lee and Collier counties, so Collier would seem to be entitled to a voice in the re-allotment of the money.
One more point. We note that Young and an Alaskan colleague, Sen. Ted Stevens, are under scrutiny these days by the national media and federal investigators for activities that appear to resemble the Southwest Florida experience.
We wonder, again, whether it is time for the campaign donations/Coconut Road earmark to be subjected to a higher level of smell test — the kind done by investigators checking public funding for manipulation for private gain.
As a researcher for Taxpayers for Common Sense puts it, “I’ve seen little gimmicks and little tricks used to make sure somebody’s friend or contributor is taken care of, but this is by far one of the more underhanded, surreptitious examples I’ve seen — ever.”
Now we have a shadowy figure usurping the power of Congress and the president.
The saga of the congressional earmark for seed money for an interchange at Interstate 75 and Coconut Road in Estero grinds on.
First came the announcement in 2005 of the $10 million — on top of the $81 million for overall I-75 improvements secured by U.S. Reps. Connie Mack IV, R-Fort Myers, and Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami.
Until then, I-75/Coconut, at The Brooks, was a project known to and favored by government/development insiders only.
Then Mack and Diaz-Balart insisted they knew nothing of the authorship of the earmark, which led to connections with U.S. Rep. Don Young of Alaska, who was treated to a campaign fundraiser while visiting Southwest Florida in 2005 to learn, we were told, more about the need for I-75 improvements. At the time he was chairman of the House Transportation Committee; Mack and Diaz-Balart were members.
The story kept going downhill, failing smell tests all the way, as Lee County transportation planners, after resisting twice, voted to accept the tainted money, though in a superficially clever way. The Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization decided on a study of future I-75 intersection needs in general — which could point in a direction other than Coconut Road, where documented Young donors own as-yet inaccessible property to the east of the interstate.
Now comes the worst smell test failure. A study compiled by a retired veteran of congressional funding practices shows the earmark was changed to specify Coconut Road between the time an overall transportation bill was passed by Congress and later signed by President Bush. Editing solely for style rather than substance is supposed to take place at that stage.
The study goes on to say that those locally who have been impressed with the notion that either we use the money or lose it, are wrong. Because Congress approved the earmark for I-75 improvements in general, the money can be switched back to that purpose with the ease of corrective legislation. That ought to be a no-brainer for Mack, Diaz-Balart or both.
Maybe the $10 million can be designated to help widen I-75, minus the convoluted idea of tolling lanes 5 and 6, funded above board by Congress and the state of Florida.
We note as well that the earmark in question cited I-75 improvements in Lee and Collier counties, so Collier would seem to be entitled to a voice in the re-allotment of the money.
One more point. We note that Young and an Alaskan colleague, Sen. Ted Stevens, are under scrutiny these days by the national media and federal investigators for activities that appear to resemble the Southwest Florida experience.
We wonder, again, whether it is time for the campaign donations/Coconut Road earmark to be subjected to a higher level of smell test — the kind done by investigators checking public funding for manipulation for private gain.
As a researcher for Taxpayers for Common Sense puts it, “I’ve seen little gimmicks and little tricks used to make sure somebody’s friend or contributor is taken care of, but this is by far one of the more underhanded, surreptitious examples I’ve seen — ever.”
