Rumors fly about Brooks' resignation

Even Archie Brooks' friends - and he has lots of them - are saying to themselves that he should resign. But no one wants to tell him. Cityview received a tip that embattled Councilman Brooks was planning to resign after the July 10 city council meeting, when discussion about Ned Chiodo's management contract at Blank Golf Course is up for debate. Brooks and Councilman Tom Vlassis are currently the targets of a recall campaign. But Brooks told Cityview that the rumor was unfounded: "Whoever gave you that wasn't a credible source, because I have no intention of resigning before or after July 10. The contract with Blank Golf Course was decided last November during the workshops and adopted in the budget, because it saves the city over $150,000. And it was Christine Hensley that pulled it off the agenda last time. If I had my way, I'd tell Ned not to do it. He has a contract until 2010, and he doesn't have to guarantee any money."

According to city documents from November, when Chiodo's contract was extended, the city receives 100 percent of green fees generated by Blank Golf Course, as well as 16 percent of carts, 12 percent of food and beverage and 3 percent of Pro Shop sales, and the city reimburses Chiodo for his "direct expenses related to golf course maintenance activities."

Democrats are looking everywhere to find a candidate to run against Auditor David Vaudt, who is getting under their skin with his investigations. CIETC stuff was bad enough, they say, but his plan to look into the Iowa Values Fund - a Vilsack favorite - really nettles. Dems say the mild-mannered Vaudt is more political than his predecessor, Republican Richard Johnson, and more interested in headlines. Some say he is positioning himself to run for governor in four years if Jim Nussle doesn't win this fall... Meantime, Democrats - especially Polk County Auditor Michael Mauro - breathe a sigh of relief after the Republicans nominate a foot doctor instead of a lawyer to run against Mauro for the Secretary of State job that Chet Culver is vacating. Mauro should win, but the CIETC thing - his son works there, his brother John was on the board - is tainting him in some quarters, even though his hands (and his son's and his brother's, apparently) are clean.

West Des Moines developers are saying that West Des Moines Mayor Gene Meyer should step aside now that he is leaving the DCI and going to work for R&R Realty. They see it as a conflict of interest that puts them at a disadvantage. It's been the subject of some pretty heavy meetings with some pretty heavy hitters, we're told. We're also told it's unlikely he'll step aside.

The word on the street is federal investigators of the CIETC scandal are looking at the bonuses the Ramona Cunningham gang paid themselves and their timeline relationship to state and federal grants that helped fund CIETC. Insiders suspect bonuses were paid before grants expired. Taxpayer groups say it's common for bureaucrats to go on spending sprees whenever there is grant money left at the end of the grant cycle. "If you don't spend it all, you won't get as much money the next time" being the rationale. If Cunningham & Co. used the grant funds to pay themselves bonuses, they could be charged with extortion, which might pressure lawmakers to enact new laws about how grants are used.

A closer look at a long-range plan outlined by Des Moines Public Schools regarding the Walnut Street School and Marvin Pomerantz Early Childhood Learning Center, commonly known as the Federal Home Loan Bank building, reveals a bait and switch by former superintendent Eric Witherspoon and facilities manager Duane Van Hemert over the building's use, says one insider. A lone school board member stated his concern that the impetus behind the purchase of the building was administrative space, not a downtown school. Witherspoon, we're told, said in a public session that the building would never be used for offices. Four years after its purchase, that board member's concern is being realized. "Should anyone doubt that Witherspoon and Van Hemert have been running, are now running and obviously plan to continue to running, a massive bait and switch project with taxpayers' funds voted for school repair and maintenance, read the report," our source tells us... In other school news, we're hearing that board member Connie Boesen is ready to announce she will seek re-election.

We've also heard that the predominantly Democratic ISEA Committee might be leaning toward endorsing Jim Nussle over Chet Culver, following a recent presentation by the two candidates that insiders say revealed Culver's lack of preparedness. "Culver took only half the time allowed and said he should be endorsed because he was a teacher and his parents were teachers," our source says. "Nussle was well-prepared, knew the issues, took the full time and generally impressed the assembly. The prediction is that Culver will do everything possible to avoid debates on the subject of education."

Last weekend, Ankeny real estate magnate Denny Elwell hosted a fundraiser for Congressional Republican candidate Jeff Lamberti. The featured guest speaker was Karl Rove and included "hosts" Marvin Pomerantz, Jim Cownie, Diane Crookham-Johnson, Gary Kirke and Don Lamberti. When the Dems got word of the event, they quickly organized a rally. But because it was in a residential area, protesters were warned to keep the gathering small. CV

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