Banning City Manager Schulze Funnels Obscene Million Dollar Contract To His Old Crony
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1/9/19 – Immediately after voters rejected a $2M ballot measure for additional funding of Police and Fire (Measure P), and while already operating on a projected $2M annual deficit, the City council has thrown caution to the wind and has approved an unprecedented, fully burdened million dollar contract for a new Police Chief. In a 4:1 vote, four councilmembers seemed unfazed by unanimous opposition expressed by the public, with not a single member of the public supporting the idea.The council’s message to Banning was the same as it has always been: “We know best what’s good for you!”
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It also needs to be noted that by initiating the hiring, City manager Doug Schulze had a political conflict of interest, since he has been personal friends with the new Chief for many years. Notwithstanding, Schulze did not disclose his conflict, but instead strongly advocated for approval of the contract. As it has always been, cronyism continues to be alive and well in the City of Banning. Nothing has changed – it is business as usual.
Just like it happened in the City of Bell, predatory City officials often target impoverished, undereducated communities, in order to enrich themselves and their cronies with obscene contracts. With 25% of Banning’s population living under the poverty line, and with an average income of just $ 40,000 a year, the City makes an easy target for these type of predators. And when the sh*t eventually hits the proverbial fan (i.e. bankruptcy), the scammers will be long gone, never to be heard from ever again.
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