Upcoming Events
Poll
Pan/scraper accounts differ
Company: Adams showed interest in buying equipment
INVERNESS — An executive with a heavy-equipment company said he had a potential buyer lined up for Citrus County’s pan/scraper — a corporation co-owned by Commissioner Scott Adams.
Bill Hartt, regional vice president for Ring Power Corp.’s Brooksville office, said A.C.M.S. Inc. was preparing to buy the former landfill heavy-equipment vehicle when the deal fell through Wednesday morning.
“We had a buyer,” Hartt said. “I don’t know what happened.”
Adams, who co-owns A.C.M.S. and other Sumter County solid waste-related companies, denied his company was ever interested in the pan/scraper.
“Are we buying this machine? Not that I know of,” he said.
Adams said he asked one of his business partners, Charlie Dean Jr., to make inquiries about the pan/scraper as part of a fact-finding mission to determine whether county staffers were lying about the equipment’s condition before the county traded it in to Ring Power for an excavator.
However, Adams, who wanted the county to repair the 1995 pan/scraper and voted against trading it in, also said there would be nothing wrong if he had decided to purchase the equipment.
“If those dummies were so dumb to get rid of a perfect machine, what would be wrong with me buying it?” he said.
Dean Jr. said he asked Adams about the equipment after reading a newspaper story stating the county was trading it in for the excavator.
He said Adams asked him to inquire about the machine, but not for their corporation to buy. Dean Jr. said he told Adams he might want to buy it for his personal use.
“I was going to look at buying it,” Dean Jr. said.
Hartt said an A.C.M.S. representative met with Ring Power and was working toward a sale, though nothing was in writing. Wednesday morning, the company representative, who Hartt could not name, called to say A.C.M.S. was no longer interested in the pan/scraper.
Dean Jr. said he called Ring Power on Wednesday morning because he had not received the information he requested. Dean Jr. said he did not tell Ring Power whether he was interested in buying the pan/scraper or not.
Told that Hartt said Ring Power was nearing a sale of the equipment to A.C.M.S. prior to Wednesday, Dean Jr. said: “Nope. Didn’t happen.”
The county decided in February not to repair the machine for $35,709. This month, after county officials said the machine was dismantled at Ring Power’s Brooksville facility, commissioners voted to accept the company’s offer of a $36,493 trade-in for the pan/scraper, bringing the cost of an excavator to $161,586.
Adams said he received a call last week, on Wednesday, from Bob Schweickert, who video-recorded the machine assembled and operating properly in Brooksville. He met Schweickert at Ring Power and portrayed himself as a potential customer to gain knowledge about the equipment.
Adams said he didn’t tell Ring Power employees he was a commissioner because he didn’t want them tipping off county officials he was there.
He then asked Dean Jr. to “get as much information as you can on that piece of equipment.” Adams said he plans to present the information at Tuesday’s commission meeting, though he wouldn’t say what he discovered.
As for the pan/scraper, Adams said he is not in the market.
“It’s a good deal. It’s a great deal for somebody to buy,” he said. “It’s not a piece of junk.”
Contact Chronicle reporter Mike Wright at 352-563-3228 or mwright@chronicleonline.com.
Add new comment
Read and share your thoughts on this story
Ad Gallery
Copyright © 2013
Try to understand complex issues is hard, unless....
you have a proper scenario with which to compare.
scene 1: Before elections all commissioners are able to work together, scratch each others backs, lend a blind eye, wink and nod to other commissioners indescretions.
Scene 2: Elections are coming, all commissioners lightly cover all the buried bodies.
Scene 3: Adams elected to commission. He wrings his hands in glee, now he finally has the power to get things done (look out for Adams) Unfortunately, Adams joy is short-lived when he discovers that he is expected to venerate and kao tao to the elder statesmen commissioners.
He realizes he's not able to "do his own thang" with the other commissioners not going along with it.
Scene 4: Adams adopts the strategy of pointing fingers, accusing everyone else of incompetence, thinking that the bullying technique will quiet the other commissioners and county staff.
Scene 5: Elder commisioners have secret meeting to break bread and decide how to cripple Adam's interference with their " own thangs" They decide to leak Adam's secrets.
Scene 6: FBI leading Scott out of Commission chambers in handcuffs on charges of political corruption. Investigations are still underway on the other commissioners.
We are in Scene 5 now.
"Follow the money trail!"
Scene 7
Scene 7: FBI determines witness statements from the morons against Scott are lies. They decide to let Scott go and arrest 4 county commissioners, county administrator & county attorney. Its going to get interesting for the ones who know they have done wrong.
Floridian
Pan/Scrapper
I'm appalled at these 4 commissioners - you all know who they are!! Looks like Scott Adams is trying to work for the people. Leave him alone and let's see who else - OPPS - I mean what else he digs up!
INACCURATE STATEMENT, needs clarification
as per above article "Adams said he received a call last week, on Wednesday, from Bob Schweickert, who video-recorded the machine assembled and operating properly in Brooksville. He met Schweickert at Ring Power and portrayed himself as a potential customer to gain knowledge about the equipment."
This Commissioner visited Ring Power on Thursday morning, March 14, non accompanied by Mr. S and did NOT visit the Company on Wednesday, March 13, with Mr. S
Visit Commissioner Scott Adams FB page:
www.facebook.com/pages/Commissioner-Scott-Adams/352727031471017
A change in the wind
It appears that Gerry Mulligan and the Chronicle have altered their schedule in their continuing attempts to smear and attack Commissioner Scott Adams. The Chronicle usually waits for the Sunday edition which has the largest circulation number of the week.
My observation is that Commissioner Adams along with a responsible citizen are beginning to expose a lot more of the "deceitful" and "manipulative" actions of Citrus County Staff and the "Gang of 4" commissioners, Meek, Bays, Damato and Kenney.
When you upset a comfortable, cozy nest of staff employees and a complicit Gand of 4 Commissioners, you are perceived as the enemy and no stone will be left unturned in attacking the messenger. The reputation of Commissioner Scott Adams will continue to be assailed because he is making many feel uncomfortable with his unorthodox yet effective investigative style.
The Chronicle along with some in County Staff, and the Gang of 4 believe that by attempting to distract from the core issues they simply will go away. The are trying to "neuter" Commissioner Adams by hurling allegations at him with the appearance of impropriety. It is an old political trick used by those who are feeling a bit nervous about a "new kid" on the block who is not perceived as NOT going along with the "Status Quo, even if that status quo is riddled with waste of millions of taxpayer dollars, at a time when the Gang of 4 and senior staff members are looking to purge more money away from you in the form of increased taxes to finance their extravagant toys and other assorted wasteful spending.
Citizens should be wary of this attempt by the Chronicle, some on county staff, and the Gang of 4 to undermine the genuine efforts of Commissioner Scott Adams. I do not recall a Commissioner uncovering so much ineptitude and waste in County Government in quite some time. For this new Commissioner Scott ADams will face a continuing barrage of nasty baseless accusations in order to get him to back off. Anyone with half a brain can see what is happening here. Stay vigilant folks,, the hatchet jobs will continue. Clear your eyes and see things as they are not as some would have you believe.
Waste?
It's becoming hard to believe these incidents Mr. Adams has been uncovering are mere innocent errors which happen to result in wasteful spending of MY tax dollars.
It appears the more rocks Adams turns over the more the rats run.
A couple extra cars purchased but quickly and quietly returned when questioned, now a very expensive piece of heavy equipment needlessly purchased and when questioned, the same excuses "I didn't know or I was misinformed".
I ain't buyin' it.
Our county officials, especially our currently seated county commissioners are being paid well with MY tax dollars to stay in the "Know" and be "Properly Informed".
You, County Commissioners have been hired to manage our county and it's funds.
I ain't buyin' this "innocent stupidity" position you're backing yourselves in a corner with as explanation for these discovered "wastes?".
If this were true, it would mean you have turned the roll of County Commissioner into nothing more than the social position of showing up at those benefit dinners an occasional cocktail party and of course hand out a few meals to the elderly to get your face in the paper doing a good deed here and there, you know, mastering the art of being in the right place at the right time so it appears you are on top of things.......Oh yeah, then you attend your Commissioners meetings and mindlessly toss money around?
If this describes what you have been doing with your job as County Commissioner, please turn in your resignations now because YOU are the waste and we don't want or need you or your poorly formed decisions.
If the above doesn't describe you in your roll as County Commissioner, lets hope it isn't greed that's driven you to make such seemingly wasteful decisions.
GREED = CORRUPTION = INDICTMENT..... Get it?
JeffJ
New Math
The new math, used in this undervalued trade, only makes sense if a deal had been struck, for Ring to resell it quickly at a sweetheart price to maybe a "high value" campaign donor. Then it makes perfect sense. County alerts donor, before public vote, that equip will be traded for low price. Ring agrees to repair pan and sell to donor for trade($37k)+repair($35k)+profit(10%). Final price is still well below market value, but Ring makes out on new equip to county, repair cost and profit on old equip, donor makes out buying a well maintained pan for well below market value, and Thorpe/Wesch/Frink make out when it's time for donor to fund campaigns for four commissioners. County residents wouldn't ever know a thing about it, until Bob shows up with his video camera to record the pan in pieces.
2+2+X=5 only when X=1 Looking out for #1 seems to be the order of the day!
Here ends todays' lesson in administration math!
Ring had this pan sold to somebody before you voted NO to trading it in, or showed up there on Wednesday. Keep digging Commissioner Adams, you're obviously on to something!
Goood Job Commissioner Adams
Keep up the good work Commissioner Adams.If it wasnt for you this throwing away of taxpayers money wouldnt have been brought to light. I see nothing wrong with your company picking up a piece of equipment that the county dont want. Thats their stupidity if they want to get rid of good piece of equipment.
The Citizens appreciate what your doing for us.Be careful and Watch you back! Some county officials should lose their job over this non sense and there will be some disgruntle employees mad at you wanting to blame you for their screw ups!!
Floridian