Saturday, May 18, 2013

More to the Dale Wamstad Story




At the City Council meeting of May 13 Dale Wamstad took to the podium opposed to Subway’s request to move his business to the end of a building in an effort to help increase his business sales. Previously, that spot had been occupied by a dry cleaner business that decided to throw in the towel and close. The city council voted 6-1 in opposition to the request without giving much of a reason even after the City Planning Commission voted 5-0 in favor of the request. Maybe it was in deference to the man waving his tax bill at the podium.
But there is more to this story.

Several years ago Dale Wamstad came to Richardson with plans to develop what is now known as the Shire at Jupiter and Bush. Things seemed pretty good: New business and more tax revenue. In his pitch he demanded the city pay for a road, something that would have been normally been paid for by the developer. When Gary Slagel and Bill Keffler told him no, Wamstad picked up his toys and said too bad, if you don’t build the road, I will not do this. He left.
Apparently Keffler and Slagel talked it over and decided to give into Wamstad’s demand for the city to build the road. They called him two weeks later and things got back on track.
When the idea of the Shire was presented to the City Planning Commission, some of the commissioners asked about the road and who would be building it. Monica Heid said the city and the development would share the cost. When pressed for a more detailed explanation, she apparently said Wamstad shared expense would be to donate the land for the road while the city would pay for the infrastructure. In essence, Wamstad got out of having to do what a developer is normally responsible for.
The road wasn’t just pouring some concrete over dirt. Where Shire Blvd was to be built was a normal drainage area. This area needed culvert installed, then had to be filled up with dirt, then finally the concrete could be poured. This provided quite a present to Wamstad and saved him lots of money. So it is with amusement I watched him wave his tax bill when he seems to fail to realize he still has come out far ahead.
This is an instance in which the city manager and the mayor made the decisions in private and things played things out behind closed doors.
Wamstad opposing Subway’s move, the city planning commission voting for the move and the city council not publicly giving a good reason for voting against the advice of the planning commission raises questions about how things are done at city hall. These things don’t even consider the $7,000 Wamstad donated to Laura Maczka, but that is another interesting point.


8 comments:

  1. One of the benefits to building the road was to enable more parking via angle parking. Although angle parking has been banned in the city for years, he got a variance. So that would qualify as another city paid for benefit.
    You can hardly blame Dale for what has happened. They city manager and the former mayor were the ones who effectively robbed the taxpayers and gave the money to the developer. Dales asked (or demanded) and these city representatives gave away the farm.
    Dale was somewhat crazy in his appearance before the council. The city council did not properly discuss why they denied the request. It’s the same thing just a different day.

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  2. During the council meeting, Wamstad said that in 2004 when he met G. Slagel, B. Keffler and city staff, "They gave me a bible what to do and not what to do in the city of Richardson.... We'll be glad to have you, but this is the rule... Why are we standing here today?" suggesting that the Subway owner shouldn't be asking for a variance.
    http://youtu.be/W-ubu0JqFD8

    In August 2012, however, Wamstad asked for a PD amendment for the development of an independent living facility in the same area.
    http://www.cor.net/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=4855

    After his request (Zoning File 12-13) was denied by the City Plan Commission on 8/12/12, he appealed to the city council and his request was unanimously approved on 9/10/12. "Mayor Pro Tem Maczka and Councilmember’s Mitchell and Dunn expressed support of the proposed development and appreciation to Mr. Wamstad."
    http://www.cor.net/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=5189

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  3. I see nothing has changed. Same song, second verse. Nothing will change as long as Chuck Eisemann is Mayor!

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  4. During the council meeting, Wamstad said that in 2004 when he met G. Slagel, B. Keffler and city staff, "They gave me a bible what to do and not what to do in the city of Richardson.... We'll be glad to have you, but this is the rule... Why are we standing here today?" suggesting that the Subway owner shouldn't be asking for a variance.
    http://youtu.be/W-ubu0JqFD8

    In August 2012, however, Wamstad asked for a PD amendment for the development of an independent living facility in the same area.
    http://www.cor.net/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=4855

    After his request (Zoning File 12-13) was denied by the City Plan Commission on 8/12/12, he appealed to the city council and his request was unanimously approved on 9/10/12. "Mayor Pro Tem Maczka and Councilmember’s Mitchell and Dunn expressed support of the proposed development and appreciation to Mr. Wamstad."
    http://www.cor.net/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=5189

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  5. What about abatements and rebates? Dapper Dale can wave around a tax bill all he wants, implying his net tax expense is whatever. But, what I want to see is the rebate he gets as a result of the economic development incentives given by the Slagel/Keffler administration. So, out of that $400k (city, county, hospital, school, community college district) tax bill, just how much was actually paid to the City of Richardson, and how much was later rebated in the form of an economic development incentive agreement over a steak dinner at Three Forks?

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  6. This is rich with irony. Wamstad is a classic case of a shrewd business guy from out of town who got under the skin of corrupt local public servants. Using his charm, wit and steak house, he wined and dined the right people into complicit submission. Now he knows enough about those events to damage just about any top official's reputation. Thus endeth this lesson on the ways and means of corrupting public servants. Who, of the key public servants and political operatives in the City of Richardson, has not been a guest of Dale Wamstad for at least one steak dinner at his restaurant? Speak up or consider yourself corrupted. Your name will come out eventually.

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  7. Dale probably sang another for his wife Coleen as he walked away.

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  8. Does anyone in Dallas know who dale wamstad really is : A child abUser and wife beater - check out the Dallas Observer cover story on this lunatic entitled "THE FAMILY MAN

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