{"id":1539,"date":"2017-03-28T14:00:17","date_gmt":"2017-03-28T19:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=1539"},"modified":"2017-03-28T14:00:17","modified_gmt":"2017-03-28T19:00:17","slug":"seeing-through-meiers-latest-fabricated-campaign-issue-the-war-on-amli","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=1539","title":{"rendered":"Seeing Through Meier\u2019s Latest Fabricated Campaign Issue: The War on AMLI"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seeing Through Meier\u2019s <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Latest Fabricated Campaign Issue:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The War on AMLI<\/strong><\/h4>\n

By Susan M. Halpern<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Former Addison Councilmember (1992-1999)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Todd Meier is again misusing Addison\u2019s council meetings to run a political campaign of lies. We saw this nonsense last year, when Meier concealed Lea Dunn\u2019s critical memo in violation of the Open Meetings Act to pave the way for his shill accountant to attack prior management.\u00a0 I wrote extensively about Meier\u2019s misconduct in 2016.\u00a0 2017 brings us the same song, different verse.<\/p>\n

Meier now claims (with no substantiation) that the site of the AMLI development (approved by council on February 14, 2017) has environmental issues. Meier doesn\u2019t mention that in October 2014, the TCEQ declared that the site was safe for residential use.\u00a0 Nor does Meier discuss the strongly-worded letter from AMLI\u2019s lawyer correcting his many misstatements.\u00a0 The truth has never stopped Meier.<\/p>\n

So, Meier has again placed the supposed environmental issues on the council\u2019s agenda, now with a proposal to spend money not in Addison\u2019s budget. Here\u2019s the thing.\u00a0 Meier has led SIX budget cycles.\u00a0 Not once in that six years has Meier suggested devoting Addison resources to a study of environmental issues in the Quorum District.\u00a0 And remember, AMLI brought a very similar proposal to council in 2014, so if Meier thought a problem existed, he certainly had the opportunity to address it.\u00a0 But he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the other thing. Meier\u2019s concern for the environment ebbs and flows depending on what he wants.\u00a0 Last year, Meier championed Addison Grove.\u00a0 Meier clearly wanted Addison Grove to be his \u201clegacy.\u201d\u00a0 Meier wanted it so badly that he even led the council to pay an astonishing $6.5 million of our hard-earned tax dollars to the developer of Addison Grove.\u00a0 And so, given his support for that development, he never once raised environmental issues, even though Sam\u2019s had a gas station that used underground storage tanks (\u201cUST\u2019s\u201d).\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t a word of concern raised.<\/p>\n

And so, it\u2019s not hard to see through Meier\u2019s sudden \u201cconcern\u201d for non-existent environmental issues . . . Or his claim that they are suddenly \u201curgent.\u201d\u00a0 At election time, of course.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s clearly a political ruse, the latest in a long line perpetrated by Meier. But here, the two developments \u2013 Addison Grove and AMLI \u2013 are linked.\u00a0 Here\u2019s why: ADDISON Grove currently sits DEAD IN THE WATER.\u00a0 That\u2019s right.\u00a0 No developer is interested in building apartments at Beltline and Midway.\u00a0 And without the apartments, the townhomes don\u2019t happen.\u00a0 And so, Addison Grove is quickly turning into Meier\u2019s Folly, and that has made Meier mad.<\/p>\n

So, here\u2019s what Meier did. Go back to the P&Z meeting in January and you\u2019ll hear the AMLI representative mention a call he received from Meier.\u00a0 In that call, Meier apparently pushed AMLI to build at Addison Grove, not in the Quorum District.\u00a0 After all, that would fix Meier\u2019s problem at Beltline\/Midway.\u00a0 Watch the video for yourself.\u00a0 The AMLI rep describes telling Meier of the problems AMLI had with Addison Grove.\u00a0 And, he emphasizes that AMLI wants to build in the Quorum, not at Meier\u2019s favored site, Addison Grove.<\/p>\n

That didn\u2019t sit well with Meier. And in Meier\u2019s world, you either OBEY or you are attacked and punished.\u00a0 It\u2019s a scenario to which Addison has been subjected again and again for six years.\u00a0 We have watched Meier declare war on Addison\u2019s employees, police and fire departments, Addison\u2019s former management, citizens, fellow councilmembers, neighboring communities, and anyone who doesn\u2019t capitulate to Meier\u2019s demands.\u00a0 Sadly, the list of Meier\u2019s victims is long.<\/p>\n

So, AMLI is simply Meier\u2019s latest victim. AMLI didn\u2019t capitulate to Meier\u2019s demand, and so Meier is doing what he always does: attack and punish.\u00a0 Oh sure, disparaging a nationally established developer like AMLI is horrible for Addison.\u00a0 It has surely discouraged other developers unwilling to be subjected to such tactics.\u00a0 But Meier doesn\u2019t care.\u00a0 His tenure on council has been all about him, not about Addison.\u00a0 So, when AMLI refused Meier\u2019s demand to build at Addison Grove, Meier attacked AMLI, punishing its representatives at the February 14th<\/sup> council meeting, and falsely telling people that the AMLI site has environmental issues.\u00a0 It\u2019s why the piece of land owned by Addison has suddenly become an issue.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all a fabrication by Meier (a) to punish AMLI for not saving Meier\u2019s Folly, aka Addison Grove, and (b) to create campaign issues for Meier\u2019s chosen candidates.<\/p>\n

The beauty of this issue is that you don\u2019t have to take my word for any of it. Watch the January P&Z meeting and watch the February 14, 2017 council meeting.\u00a0 And when you hear Meier\u2019s sycophants spew nonsense about supposed environmental issues, ask questions.\u00a0 And press for answers.\u00a0 Especially from his candidates.<\/p>\n

Addison has suffered enough damage at the hands of Meier and his ilk. It\u2019s time to forcefully reject his latest campaign of lies, so that Addison can return to the true Addison Way.<\/p>\n

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