Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Standard-Examiner: Gullo Won't Get His 63 Grand Back

For reasons unknown, Mr. Schwebke entirely wanders "off-track"

Late last week we reported that Boss Godfrey's Crackpot Ice Tower Project had gotten the City Council ax, and been removed from the Ogden Capital Improvements Plan "wish list." In the course of our report we asked this question, "Will Godfrey crony John Gullo be demanding his $63 thousand donation/bailout back?"

Thanks to Ace Reporter Schwebke, we now have the answer to our query; and the answer is a resounding "No":
Ice tower donation won't be returned
Strangely however, Mr. Schwebke allows his reporting to wander off-track. Oddly, this morning's story provides this off-tangent quote from Mr. Gullo, which would likely lead casual Std-Ex readers to believe that his generous July 29, 2009 donation was designed to help an ailing Jeff Lowe extricate himself from a troubling financial scrape:
Gullo said Monday he never expected to get reimbursed for the donation.
He donated the money to take the financial burden off Lowe, who has multiple system atrophy, a neurodegenerative disorder.
"I did this for Jeff, and I wasn't approached by the city to do it," he said. "It was gesture on my part because I believe I need to do stuff like that."
In point of fact however, anyone who followed this story in 2009 knows that Mr. Gullo's donation didn't benefit Mr. Lowe at all, inasmuch as Mr. Lowe never had any financial skin in the game to start with. Rather, Mr. Gullo's funding was used to replenish Ogden City's Capital Improvements Account, from which Boss Godfrey had pilfered misappropriated an identical sum earlier in the year.

For reasons unknown, Mr. Schwebke entirely left that part out.

As Scott Schwebke stories go, we're sorry to say this isn't Mr. Schwebke's greatest journalistic moment.

17 comments:

althepal said...

If Gullo chooses to believe that his donation helped out Jeff Lowe, that's quite alright with me. After all, Gullo's not the brightest bulb on the Godfrey bandwagon, and he's entitled to harbor his own self-delusion.

This is what I'm talking about said...

Here is the republicans new pledge of allegiance.
Isn't this what the tenth amendment is all about?

I pledge Allegiance to the flag
of the Separate States of America
and to the Republic for which it falls, Fifty nations under God,
divisible by 50 State's Rights,
with Liberty and Justice for all, of the White people, and not the
gay and lesbians and the brown people,even though they are citizens and pay taxes and own property in the United States of America.

Danny said...

Rudi is right.

Patterson said Gullo knew that the project was on the skids when Gullo gave the money.

But Gullo said he did it for Lowe.

Bull.

Gullo did it for Godfrey. Godfrey was on the hook for the city money he'd spent.

Here's another question. There is no way this could be counted as a charitable contribution. It was a political contribution at worst, and it was money given to Odgen City at best.

Did Gullo claim it was charitable? Do we need to see whether Gullo or his foundation owe tax on that money?

John Gullo remember: When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.

OneWhoKnows said...

This leaves a shitty taste in my mouth much like his hamburgers!

I will be boycotting Burger King and The Not Rockin 4th again this year.

One more pun.....This latest lie must be a WHOPPER ! Now I'm done.

Bob Becker said...

Sorry, guys. The end result is, Ogden City taxpayers are not going to be, in the end, on the hook for the 63K Hizzonah wasted on one of his loonier ideas [downtown outdoor year round ice climbing tower]. If Mr. Gullo chose to bail out the city on this, good on him. It's his money and I'm hard put to criticize him for donating it to cover the money Hizzonah sank into that particular Loony Tunes idea so the taxpayers won't have to.

Dan Schroeder said...

The real story is that the administration misused RAMP funds when it incurred the $63,000 in expenses (and even lied to RAMP about this at the time), then misused city funds when it used those to repay the RAMP grant. Gullo's contribution eventually restored those city funds, but that doesn't make the misuse of funds any more legal.

ozboy said...

On his very best day of reporting Schwepke wouldn't make a pimple on Nelly Bly's ass. He is a hack through and through and he works for a two bit rag that is so far up Godfrey's keester it wouldn't know a good story if even if they ever accidentally published one.

Schwepke and the Sub-Standard are a complete disgrace to the fourth estate.

RudiZink said...

"...that doesn't make the misuse of funds any more legal."

Exactly right, Dan.

Monotreme said...

Dan S. & Rudi:

But, they were cured.

Neither of you must know much about the law.

Pearl said...

This Gullo fellow must be pretty gullible if he spends this kind of money to "cure" the little mayor's crimes. He proves the old saying: "a fool and his money are soon parted".

Bob Becker said...

Again, without in anyway excusing Hizzonah and his competency-and-ethics-challenged administration for its slippery handling of the RAMP funds for his Downtown Outdoor Year Round Popsicle fantasy, I'm still hard put understand the criticism of Mr. Gullo for his contribution to the city's coffers. That's $63K that doesn't have to come out of some other stressed city budget. It's Mr. Gullo's money and if he wants to spend some of it bailing the city out of financial potholes Godfrey and his Pureheart Posse keep digging, that's fine with me. A public-spirited action that rates, I think, a hearty "Thank you, Mr. Gullo!" from the ratepayers.

la dee dah said...

Well as long as there are kind hearted souls (dumb-asses) who will continue to bail out the crooked Godfrey bunch, I suppose Godfrey and the Pureheart Posse will continue to make bad decisions on behalf of the taxpayers.

Bob Becker said...

La De:

Based on past performance, the Mayor will continue to make bad decisions for Ogden. The difference is, with Mr. Gullo willing to pick up the tab occasionally for Hizzonah's screwups [downtown outdoor year round popsicle e.g.], the taxpayers won't be on the hook as much as they would otherwise be. That's a good thing.

ozboy said...

Well, Mr. Curmudgeon is right again! And so what is new? I definitely agree with his take on the Gullo guy. What puzzles me is how a self made and very successful guy like Gullo lets a two bit and bush league hustler like Godfrey hustle him?

From what I have heard about Gullo he is trying to help Ogden and is pretty free with with his dough in the process. Seems like I remember something about him underwriting a large event in Ogden a while back wherein he spent even more than what is being questioned here.

So my hat's off to the Gullo Guy - keep them checks a coming!

guys with badges said...

Hey, I wonder if John Gullo will pick up Grieners tab for the hatch act. They would be just great charity work for a guy that has made his money though the taxpayers monies. How about John Gullo will you please pick up the tab for this, and then you will have a chief of police in your hip pocket, just like you do with the mayor.
It is just amazing how much our money can buy. Just who also can be bought. look at Kevin Garn.

Dan Schroeder said...

I think it's reasonable to speculate that Gullo's bailout reduced the likelihood that Godfrey and Patterson will eventually be held accountable (by the city council, state authorities, or even a criminal prosecutor) for their misuse of public funds. Admittedly, the likelihood was never high to begin with. But for this reason, I can understand why some people might disapprove of what Gullo did.

OneWhoKnows said...

Why not have Dan, Curm or Rudi run for mayor next year? All of you seem to be right-on most the time and we need people that can think and are basically honest that give a damn. Please consider the suggestion. We don't want to end up with Patterson, Stephenson or Geiger because that will only be more of the same. PLEEESE

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