How would the taxpayers in Henderson answer the following?
Mr. Bernard Alston is a member of the Embassy Foundation. Is it a conflict of interest for him to vote as a member of the city council on this grant proposal for that Foundation?
Mr. Mike Inscoe owns a property in the David Street grant area and as this grant is an extension of the David Street grant. Should he be allowed to vote on this grant proposal?
Does Mrs. Brenda Peace have a direct conflict? This grant lists the collaboration of her church and their ownership of property as benefiting from this grant.
Mr. Mike Inscoe also has property that is subject to another grant that is being put forth for downtown and was not allowed to vote previously because of that conflict. Likewise, Mr. Inscoe, who sits on the city council and votes to contribute our tax money to the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments, has been hired by Kerr-Tar to oversee a CDBG grant on Julia Avenue. Is this acceptable?
The city has in its employ the Executive Director of the Embassy Foundation, Ms. Kathy Powell. Does this present a serious conflict of interest, since it could be interpreted that the administration fees from this grant will be used by the Embassy Foundation to pay her salary?
Chic Young was appointed to the Redevelopment Commission and he is on the Embassy Board. His voice and opinion was instrumental in getting the Redevelopment Commission that was formed to work on Orange-Breckenridge to put that well-thought out and planned redevelopment aside and say that a performance hall was the top priority of the Redevelopment Commission. Is it a conflict for him to sit on the Redevelopment Commission and promote the Embassy Foundation at the same time?
What say you, taxpayers?
Tielhard, the Inquirer
Editor’s Note: Although the writer states that Henderson City Council member Mike Inscoe “was not allowed to vote” on two votes regarding a grant for a downtown low-to-moderate income housing project, it is rather the case that he voluntarily recused himself from those votes because of his stated ownership of property affected by those grants.