How many bureaucrats does it take to design a streetcar? (Jack Bog's Blog)

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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on August 6, 2010 10:46 AM. The previous post in this blog was You can't have it!. The next post in this blog is The 'Couv will vote on light rail next year. Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.

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Friday, August 6, 2010

How many bureaucrats does it take to design a streetcar?

Let's see... The feds give the grants to Tri-Met... Tri-Met pays the money to the City of Portland... The City of Portland pays it to Mike Powell's streetcar nonprofit... The nonprofit pays it to Shiels Obletz as "project manager"... Shiels pays it to the engineering company that actually does the design.

Got it.

Oh yeah, and when the cash flow gets screwed up and the contracts need to be amended, it's always an "emergency."

Check.

Posted at 10:46 AM | Permalink

Comments (10)

The taxpayers give the Feds their hard earned money...The feds give the grants to Tri-Met... Tri-Met pays the money to the City of Portland... The City of Portland pays it to Mike Powell's streetcar nonprofit... The nonprofit pays it to Shiels Obletz as "project manager"... Shiels pays it to the engineering company that actually does the design...Sheils Obletz & Powells contribute to election campaigns...
reset.

Posted by Ben | August 6, 2010 11:11 AM

Congress needs to start seriously looking into what has got to be "stimulus fraud". Our representatives and senators might want to steer attention away from Oregon's flagship city, but there's plenty of other congressmen who won't.

Posted by JC | August 6, 2010 11:25 AM

Your link to the Auditor's web site returns a "404" error. "The article "(long number)" does not exist or was deleted.

Posted by Nonny Mouse | August 6, 2010 11:26 AM

It was there earlier today. It's Ordinance 184034, passed by the City Council on Wednesday. Try finding it now. Good luck.

Posted by Jack Bog | August 6, 2010 2:06 PM

Wow... the Auditor's web site is a black hole to hide the city's doing? There oughta be a law as evil as Sarbannes-Oxley to stop this crap.

Posted by LucsAdvo | August 6, 2010 3:39 PM

Congress needs to start seriously looking into what has got to be "stimulus fraud"

A couple of them already have.

Posted by MJ | August 6, 2010 4:23 PM

"Quick, hide the money!"

Posted by JC | August 6, 2010 6:55 PM

"Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys."
(P. J. O'Rourke)

Posted by AL M | August 7, 2010 12:09 AM

You forgot Metro in there. Metro authorizes the Feds to give the money to TriMet, who passes the buck to Portland, and so on.

Posted by Erik H. | August 7, 2010 6:49 AM

And the "educated" Portland electorate says: " can I have more of this, please."

They must not read P.J. O'Rourke, or somehow interpret him in a very twisted fashion. Can't tell which it is.

Posted by Bob Clark | August 7, 2010 9:38 AM