Wall Street Journal : Palin's Hockey Rink Leads,To Legal Trouble in Town She Led
mike roberts
Palin's Hockey Rink Leads
To Legal Trouble in Town She Led
By MICHAEL M. PHILLIPS
September 6, 2008; Page A5
WASILLA, Alaska -- The biggest project that Sarah Palin undertook as
mayor of this small town was an indoor sports complex, where locals
played hockey, soccer, and basketball, especially during the long, dark
Alaskan winters.
The only catch was that the city began building roads and installing
utilities for the project before it had unchallenged title to the land.
The misstep led to years of litigation and at least $1.3 million in
extra costs for a small municipality with a small budget. What was to be
Ms. Palin's legacy has turned into a financial mess that continues to
plague Wasilla.
"It's too bad that the city of Wasilla didn't do their homework and
secure the land before they began construction," said Kathy Wells, a
longtime activist here. "She was not your ceremonial mayor; she was in
charge of running the city. So it was her job to make sure things were
done correctly."
[Hockey rink]
Associated Press
Ms. Palin, now Alaska's governor and Republican Sen. John McCain's
running mate, has pointed to her two terms as Wasilla's mayor, from 1996
to 2002, as evidence that she has enough executive experience to take on
the presidency, should the need arise -- more than Democratic Sen.
Barack Obama, who touts his own background as a community organizer in
Chicago.
"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer,
except that you have actual responsibilities," Ms. Palin said Wednesday
in her acceptance speech at the Republican convention.
Litigation resulting from the dispute over Ms. Palin's sports-complex
project is still in the courts, with the land's former owner seeking
hundreds of thousands of additional dollars from the city.
Hockey is much loved in Wasilla, and Ms. Palin, whose son was a star
player, wanted to build an indoor rink, with a track, basketball courts
and soccer field. In the late 1990s, the city sought a 145-acre parcel
owned by the Nature Conservancy, which wanted to sell the land to buy
more environmentally sensitive property elsewhere. City officials
negotiated a price of $126,000. Months passed without the city's
securing a signed purchase agreement, according to the city's attorney,
Tom Klinkner of Birch, Horton, Bittner & Cherot.
At the same time, Gary Lundgren, a Fairbanks real-estate investor, was
in talks with the Nature Conservancy to buy a larger adjacent property.
As discussions between the environmental group and the city dragged on,
Mr. Lundgren said, he purchased the entire site for about $1 million.
The city sued Mr. Lundgren and the Nature Conservancy, arguing that
Wasilla had had a deal. In 2001, a federal district court judge ruled in
Wasilla's favor. Mr. Lundgren appealed, but the city believed it would
prevail, according to Mr. Klinkner.
Ms. Palin marched ahead, making the public case for a sales-tax increase
and $14.7 million bond issue to pay for the sports center, which was to
feature a running track, basketball courts and a hockey rink. At the
time, the city's annual budget was about $20 million. In a March 2002
referendum, residents approved the mayor's plan by a 20-vote margin, 306
to 286. The city cleared roads, installed utilities and made
preparations to build.
Later that year, Ms. Palin's final one as mayor, the federal judge
reversed his own decision and ruled that the property rightfully
belonged to Mr. Lundgren. Wasilla had never signed the proper papers,
the court ruled.
[In Wasilla, Alaska, the construction of an indoor sports facility
(shown above), initiated during Sarah Palin's term as mayor, has led to
years of litigation over property rights and at least $1.3 million in
extra costs for the town.]
Greg Hensel /Alaska Stock
In Wasilla, Alaska, the construction of an indoor sports facility (shown
above), initiated during Sarah Palin's term as mayor, has led to years
of litigation over property rights and at least $1.3 million in extra
costs for the town.
Mr. Lundgren said he had offered to give smaller parcels to the city
free of charge, but the city held out for a larger tract. The former
chief of the city finance department, Ted Leonard, says he doesn't
recall such an offer.
After Ms. Palin left office, the city decided to take 80 acres of Mr.
Lundgren's property through eminent domain. An Alaska court confirmed
the city's right to do so and ordered that an arbitrator determine the
appropriate price.
Last year, the arbitrator ordered the city to pay $836,378 for the
80-acre parcel, far more than the $126,000 Wasilla originally thought it
would pay for a piece of land 65 acres larger. The arbitrator also
determined that the city owed Mr. Lundgren $336,000 in interest.
Wasilla's legal bill since the eminent domain action has come to roughly
$250,000 so far, according to Mr. Klinkner, the city attorney.
Mr. Lundgren has appealed the decision, arguing that the arbitrator
should have awarded him more interest. "It has been 10 years; it's just
insane," said Mr. Lundgren, who now lives in Panama. "All [Ms. Palin]
had to do was close the transaction."
The McCain-Palin campaign referred questions about the sports complex to
Mr. Leonard, the former city finance chief. He blamed the Nature
Conservancy for dealing with two different potential buyers at one time.
"That's what caused the confusion," he said.
"At the time, with the information she had, [Ms. Palin] made the right
decision," Mr. Leonard said. "But you know what? Litigation happens."
The sports facility is finished, set against forest and mountain ranges.
Inside, locals kick soccer balls and skate laps on the rink. Last year,
it hosted a statewide wrestling tournament.
"All I can say about the sports complex is that it was done on time and
under budget," said Donald Moore, a Palin ally who managed the
construction. "It was done legally, and for someone else to say it could
have been done differently in a better way, that's strictly their opinion."
Ms. Palin cited her mayoral duties as partial evidence of her executive
experience. Dianne Woodruff, a Wasilla city councilwoman and critic of
Ms. Palin's performance, agreed.
"If people are going to be voting on her based on her experience as
Wasilla's mayor, then they should know how she did in the job," Ms.
Woodruff said, "the good, the bad and the ugly."
Write to Michael M. Phillips at michael....@wsj.com
whofan
> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122065537792905483.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
>
> Palin's Hockey Rink Leads
> To Legal Trouble in Town She Led
The liberal media is following a rumor that the evil Sarah Palin
actually tears the "Do NOT Remove" tags from pillows!
She *must* be stopped!!!! LOL :^D
Rich Hutnik
> mike roberts wrote:
> >http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122065537792905483.html?mod=googlenew...
>
> > Palin's Hockey Rink Leads
> > To Legal Trouble in Town She Led
>
> The liberal media is following a rumor that the evil Sarah Palin
> actually tears the "Do NOT Remove" tags from pillows!
>
> She *must* be stopped!!!! LOL :^D
Whining that Palin is being picked on by the "big bad liberal media"
again? It is being picked on, because she is a woman. Such is fair
game for a man though, particularly if he is African American, right?
You may want to consider what Palin said about this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEkNS3QxFCM
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/09/04/jon-stewart-exposes-rove-hannity-morris-palin-hypocrisy/
Consider watching to the very end. In other words, suck it up and
shut up.
- Rich
Jimmy
<retro...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:l9a5c4lf6uh962ga6...@4ax.com...
> looking at the facts. This is a message to ignore the economic mess
> she made of here town (from balanced budget 22 million in debt when
> she left - and that for 5000 people), to ignore they had to hire a
> City Administrator to supervise the 49 person staff because she was
> inept, to ignroant the "family values" of a mom whose ambition has her
> put her teen age daughter and her illegitimate pregnancy in the
> international news so Mom can move ahead, (Gee Thanks Mom!). Ignore
> that she seeks a vendetta against anyone who disagrees with her and
> seeks to get them fired and punished. Ignore that she has no concept
> of the division between church and state asking in a church for them
> to pray for a 30 billion dollar deal for a gas pipeline as "God's
> will". etc., etc.
Peter Gabriell the musician gave McCain permission to use the song "Shock
the Monkey" to be used when he accepts the presidency, I suppose even more
legal trouble for our new president.