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– News about Quincy Massachusetts from Quincy Quarry News with commentary added
The Mayor, his Consiglieri, and his Chief of Staph …
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The proposed lease extension for the roughly 240 acres of city property rented for use as a high-end semi-private golf course ended up in the rough at Monday night’s City Council public hearing.
The deep rough.
If the stakes were not so high, much of hearing could be viewed as darkly as well as wicked amusing slapstick.
Especially given the usual shtick out of the Koch Maladministration foisted so as to endeavor to benefit the few at the expense of many long-suffering locals.
Ironically, not Mayor Koch. Not exactly anyway
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For starters, the Quarry Hills Association (“QHA”), a shell company of a sort owned by the local O’Connell family that currently holds the lease on the ground where it operates the Granite Links Golf Course, opened the hearing with a presentation on how it was planning to see its contractually-required recreational trail access addressed as the condition of the so called trails QHA was also obligated to build is at best woeful to arguably dangerous as well as verging on non-existent in some instances.
This mea culpa by QHA was offered up after previously stating at the initial December City Council hearing on the lease proposal in December of last year that the trails were in decent order then perhaps missing trail markers care of vandalism.
In other words, the walking back was woefully as well as amusingly inept to the knowledgeable.
After all, among other things, these failures by Quarry Hills/the O’Connell’s to abide by the lease agreement are unarguable defaults on the lease and yet the Koch Maladministration is instead willing to let things slide as well as instead grant Quarry Hills with a very generous 99-year lease extension upon what is currently a bit over half expired 50 year lease.
Business as usual?
A Quincy Quarry News meme
Fortunately for the Koch Machine, many of the locals who spoke up critically at the hearing mostly but focused on seeing Quincy Hills finally met its various public recreational obligations rather than duly consider how such long ongoing failings pose an arguable basis to perhaps terminate the current lease agreement given instead of granting an undeserved as well as generous extending of the lease for 99 years.
Even better for the grifters seeking to slip a lease extension into the backsides of locals, relatively little commentary at Monday’s meeting addressed how granting a 99-year lease extension will surely provide upwards of a couple tens of millions or thereabouts increase in the value of QHA’s leasehold.
Making funny money …
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How great an increase in creatively created value?
To an amount on the order of close to what would be the case if QHA instead owned the land outright rather than but leased it, but which City of Quincy taxpayers would not see any consequential legitimate benefit from this giveaway of so created value for the QHA.
Similarly, QHA wants approval to be able to use the so-enhanced value of the leasehold as collateral.
Such approval would, in turn, allow QHA to thus be able to tap this so-created additional value while at the same time baiting the possibility of all sorts of problems for the City of Quincy should the lessee go bankrupt or otherwise default on the lease agreement at some point during the proposed 99-year new lease’s term.
Follows the money and the details, ALWAYS follow the money and the particulars
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Further troubling per the comments of a local who is an able attorney with a reputable firm in Boston as well as even more comments by an outspoken and savvy at Large City City Councillor, both of whom reviewed germane documents, many of the revisions in the working draft of a new lease agreement eliminate a number of current lease obligations which QHA is currently in arguable default.
Further yet, the proposed new lease also increases the number of deductions to QHA’s benefit when setting future in lieu of regular property tax assessment percentage of the revenue payments to the city calculations are made and thus further to the detriment of local taxpayers.
Sharing a card during smoke-filled room wheeling and dealing …
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Then again, when one is favored by the Koch Machine, such favors are only to be expected as well as local taxpayers conversely be damned.
Additionally unfortunate, certain City Council members talked up trying to come up with some sort of publicly moderated political solution instead of scrapping the current new lease proposal and then starting over at square one, if not instead just let the current lease run out in 2045 and then see the city take over full control of the course.
In other words, so more than likely ending up coming up with a so-called as well as potentially even worse compromise akin to how a camel is said to a horse designed by a committee.
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A big no to renewing the Oconnell’s corrupt lease.
It is time to run the OConnell crime family out of the city!
“O’Connell crime family!”
If they were black, at least three members of the O’Connell cartel would be in Walpole State Prison.
A 99 year lease? Why not limit lease to 10 or 15 years?
Does the lease extension prohibit any sub-leasing?
Goobs,
While currently uncertain about subleasing, it is the Quarry’s understanding that the proposed new lease allows for its assignment to another party. Unclear so far, however, if this can only happen given the City of Quincy’s preapproval to any such assignment.
Editor – Thanks for your response!
So, ability to sublease is in question. And, according to the article, the current leasor is in default of the current terms. Gee, after much thought and pondering, why would our esteemed Mayor of the City of Quincy and other City Officials have any reason not to extend the lease? Hey! What else are friends for?
Current leasor is effectively in default of current lease terms. What is the problem with that? I am sure current leasor is making plenty of money on their sweet lease deal. Should we really expect the current leasor to spend some of their hard earned money to be in compliance with their current lease agreement contract although it would most likely be to the benefit of the City of Quincy? Why should the lessor be in compliance with the current lease terms in the lease contract if it does not prevent them from renewing it?
Has any list of these non-compliance lease agreement issues been published?
Is the City of Quincy Auditor conducting a review to determine what other lease agreements and city contracts are not in compliance and in default?
After all, it is only the taxpayers’ money.
Why has there been no discussion on a bid tender. There appears to be no incentive for the city to extend the lease at this point given the remaining time still left on the current lease. I would submit that the lease should be put up for tender and the city explore the most profitable outcome for the residents of Quincy.
Mr. Smith,
After taking well-warranted heat over this particular koched-up attempt at doing yet another fat solid for connected peeps, the proposal was tabled.
In other words, expect a very thinly revised proposal to follow at some future date.
But not to worry, other media are also sniffing around the problems and in particular arguable shortcomings as regards both sides not upholding the CURRENT lease’s terms.