Mark Brown Addresses
“Cesspool” and “Developers”
The big builders and developers Make Mark Brown their main target
Mark Brown took a stand and has fought The Big Builders and Developers who have been taking advantage of the taxpayer in the City of St. Charles for the last several years. They donated thousands of dollars to attempt to defeat him in the election of 2004 but were unsuccessful. Now it appears they are making a desperate attempt to quiet him.
They started by hiring PR firms who use their influence with certain reporters to slant their news article to manipulate the true facts and destroy anyone who challenges their agenda or who makes public their horrific actions. Their first problem was they could not buy off the First Capital News, so they started their own publication to target anyone who challenges them. Most recently they used the three papers they have influence with to go After Mark Brown for describing the problems in the St. Charles Public Works Administration as a cesspool.
Mark Brown says, “I stand by my statement that our public works administration is plagued with a cesspool of problems. This statement was in no way directed towards the street workers and city employees at large, it was simply an assessment of some serious problems we have such as; plans being drawn up for projects that we don’t even have the funds to complete. These studies and plans done by preferred vendors and never put to use. These expenditures line the pockets of the preferred vendors without any benefit to the taxpayers. If and when we get around to the projects, it is necessary to re-engineer everything because the plans are now obsolete. The city needs to take care of sewers, streets, and infrastructure before engineering more paper projects that benefit no one but the select engineering companies who get the contracts. We have six full time city engineers who subcontract out all of their work including the simplest things like designing sidewalks! With millions and millions of dollars being subcontracted you wonder what we pay six full time engineers for. Ninety percent of our projects have costly overruns and numerous change work orders requiring additional tax dollars given away to the preferred vendors. I think professional engineers should be more competent and not make so many miscalculations.
After discussing my concerns with the City Administrator Allen Williams, he decided to hire Mike Miners of St. Charles Engineering to act as our Public Works Director and assess why we have so many problems in that department. St. Charles Engineering unanimously received the backing of the city council and the city administrator to run the public works department until the end of the year. Then they were to give a report and make recommendations for improvements within the department.
Prior to our last council meeting, I spoke with Mr. Miners and he indicated that there are many problems within the department and it would take a long time to straighten things out. Mr. Miners told me that there is definitely a need for some of the engineers to be let go. With initial support from all sides, I questioned the reason for the Mayor’s sudden decision to veto the contract with St. Charles Engineering. Councilmen Weller and Kneemiller had previously supported Mr. Miners, however, when it appeared that Mr.Meiners was going to upset business-as-usual they felt threatened, They then became quite irate and voted along with Councilmen Muench, Hoepfner, and Reese to sustain the politically motivated veto. I realize that Mr. Reese, Mr. Kneemiller and Mr. Weller received both campaign money and endorsements from large developers like T.R. Hughes and they don’t want to upset the applecart.
MY INTEGRITY IS NOT FOR SALE! Mr. Reese, Mr. Kneemiller and Weller may think it’s okay to continue wasting taxpayers’ money by paying engineers who don’t engineer; to allow developers to force high density development down our throats; hand out huge contracts with no intention or funding to ever complete; to provide protection for the big spenders who continue to feed at the public trough.
I will continue to stand against the above-mentioned activities and will rely on the voters’ intelligence to see through the smoke screens and half-truths that are being spun and are shamelessly targeting my wife, my brother and me. They are spending thousands of dollars and even going so far as to start organizations to begin recall. if I don’t quiet down and get out of their way. In spite of their dirty efforts, I will continue to serve as “Your Watchdog At City Hall!”
Mark Brown
Councilman Ward 3
PS If you have any questions or if I can ever be of any service do not hesitate to call me
at my office 314 426-0419 or my home 636 896-9977.
