tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post7318567190235675070..comments2024-01-08T03:21:35.616-05:00Comments on DeKalb County School Watch: Who DCSS Spends Its Millions of SPLOST WithCerebrationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-38750841862481334172011-03-04T11:20:16.589-05:002011-03-04T11:20:16.589-05:00I continue to wiwh folks had it "in them"...I continue to wiwh folks had it "in them" to get county health and fire officials involved with inspections for health and safety violations when these issues come up... feet to the fire, feet to the fire....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-58798734316746699362011-03-04T10:31:04.189-05:002011-03-04T10:31:04.189-05:00With their "eyes off the ball" yet again...With their "eyes off the ball" yet again.... <br /><br />We are getting reports that Miller Grove Middle School is suffering the same leaky roof and mold issues as many other schools (Cross Keys, Lakeside, Kittredge, Chamblee HS to name a few).<br /><br />There is TOO MUCH ATTENTION paid to the politics of the administration and the board - and it appears that very few people are handling the necessary day to day work needed to keep the classrooms clean, safe, supported and well-supplied.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.championnewspaper.com/news/articles/850water-leaks-cause-health-hazard-at-middle-school850.html" rel="nofollow">Water leaks cause health hazard at middle school</a><br /><br />This is obviously not a north/south issue - this is an issue of inaction and incompetence countywide.Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-60613161009045088642011-03-03T16:49:27.432-05:002011-03-03T16:49:27.432-05:00@ anonymous 12:15
"It is a different board o...@ anonymous 12:15<br /><br />"It is a different board of education now and a different central office."<br /><br />I don't think that's true. We still have all the same people in place when Lewis was there. Lewis put them in those positions. You don't think Lewis came up with all those new positions and promotions by himself. And what about Lewis's girlfriend? She's still in a high ranking position making educational decisions for children.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-9761596559197812272011-03-03T12:15:02.519-05:002011-03-03T12:15:02.519-05:00for 3:42 PM
It is a different board of education ...for 3:42 PM<br /><br />It is a different board of education now and a different central office. The two people you rerfer to are no longer our employees. <br /><br />The time to improve is now not in a couple of years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-3042748303320624882011-03-02T22:25:58.911-05:002011-03-02T22:25:58.911-05:00Check out David Moody, Pat and Vince Pope, page 44...Check out David Moody, Pat and Vince Pope, page 44, 45, 46, 47. Tom Bowen picked this guy to run the CAC??? Wonder if the "mutual friend" who introduced Tom to Moody was Pat Pope or Crawford??<br /><br /><br />http://www.atlantaunfiltered.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Indictment-10CR2861.pdfAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-20887160582562680962011-03-02T22:12:58.921-05:002011-03-02T22:12:58.921-05:00Fred, David Moody keeps dubious company. Funny ho...Fred, David Moody keeps dubious company. Funny how he never got any DCSS contracts until Pat Pope came on board/Tom Bowen was elected:<br /><br /><br /><br />http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/conflict-in-dekalb-school-523098.html<br /><br />Those documents also include a list of four references provided by Vincent Pope. One of them is the former Superintendent Lewis; another is David Moody, a Lithonia construction company owner and friend of the Popes. Lewis and Moody, both of whom gave Tony Pope’s company high marks, are also under investigation in the same case.<br /><br />---<br /><br />http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/school-board-says-its-273593.html<br /><br />According to records obtained by the AJC, the district attorney is reviewing six construction projects.<br /><br />Pope’s now estranged husband, A. “Tony” Vincent Pope, worked on three of them. His friend, Lithonia builder David Moody, worked on two of the six projects, and Turner Construction worked on at least one of them.<br /><br />---<br /><br />http://www.communityradar.com/story.php?title=so-how-is-the-civil-case-between-dcss-and-heery-mitchell-coming-along<br /><br />On April 19, 2006, according to Heery/Mitchell, Pat Reid informed the construction partners their contract had been suspended until further notice. She also ordered the contractors off school property by the end of the work day.<br /><br />The following day, according to the indictment, C.D. Moody Construction Co. was awarded the $11.9 million contract for McNair Cluster Elementary. The company's owner, Charles David Moody, was a close family friend of Reid and Pope, according to the indictment.<br /><br />C.D. Moody listed Vernell Barnes as the project's "architect of record.” But prosecutors say it was Vincent Pope (Reid’s then husband), not Barnes, who did most of the substitute architectural work. Pope tried to cover his involvement in the project in an email that is part of the evidence.<br /><br />---<br /><br />http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/dekalb-school-official-faces-238420.html<br /><br />In one instance, the builder was Moody, who is a friend of Pat Pope and president of C.D. Moody Construction Company.<br /><br />The project was the construction of McNair Discovery Learning Academy, south of Decatur.<br /><br />Moody was awarded an $11.9 million contract, later revised to $12.2 million, to build the school in April 2006.<br /><br />The contract shows that Moody identified Barnes as his subcontractor for the architectural, civil and structural work. Barnes also is listed as the architect on 10 different price revisions to the contract from October 2006 to March 2008.<br /><br />Pope’s name is not found on any of the paperwork.<br /><br />Pope, however, said that Barnes, whom he has worked with in the past, got behind in his work so Moody brought him in to help.<br /><br />Tony Pope said he has known both Moody and Barnes for more than a decade.<br /><br />He described Moody as a friend, but said that Pat Pope has known him longer. Her sister used to work for Moody, he said.<br /><br />Over the years, Moody was a guest at the Popes’ home several times “for a Christmas party or something like that,” Tony Pope said.<br /><br />Tony Pope said he and Moody also have worked together before. Their first project was in 1999, when they worked on a medical clinic in East Point, Pope said.<br /><br />C.D. Moody Construction is one of the most prominent minority-owned construction companies in metro Atlanta and has gotten much work from DeKalb’s school system in recent years. Since 2003, Moody has collected nearly $40 million from the school district, documents show.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-30998520477374359862011-03-02T21:23:12.378-05:002011-03-02T21:23:12.378-05:00" If David Moody won a bid, it is because he ..." If David Moody won a bid, it is because he had the best bid."<br /><br />Dude, what fantasy planet do you live on? The DeKalb DA has brought to our attention that during the Pope regime, when Moody was awarded some of his contracts, firms were awarded because of her manipulations, not merit.<br /><br />And front row seats to Hawks games for Crawford Lewis paid for b construction companies did hurt either.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-66243619154936215452011-03-02T21:19:40.340-05:002011-03-02T21:19:40.340-05:00Fred must be new to this blog.
He supports millio...Fred must be new to this blog.<br /><br />He supports millions spent on the Mpuntain Industrial mega-complex for Central Office, $2,000 chairs and BOE offices, jumpin ahead of school house projects and fixing leaking rooofs.<br /><br />Fred is unaware that the only reasons why Cross Keys High finally got attention, with its decrepit facilities and large hole in the gym, are because of Kim Gokce and this blog, who both brought it the public attention.<br /><br />Fred is unaware that Lakeside finally got money for an addition after a few months of non-stop atention on this blog, posting photo's of the most disgusting restrooms in Georgia.<br /><br />Fred is an apologist for the old DCSS Way.<br /><br />That's fine, Fred. But the times are a 'changin. We are getting close to cleaning house, whether BOE or the Central Office.<br /><br />David Moody won't be able to have a mutual friend introduce him to Tom Bowen, and go from no DCSS projects to $40 million in a few years after Bowen was elected.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-77619462991849982492011-03-02T17:06:28.065-05:002011-03-02T17:06:28.065-05:00@3:53, if you read my post at 7:20 on 3/1, I outli...@3:53, if you read my post at 7:20 on 3/1, I outlined what was incorrect. It started with this statement, "DCSS Chair Tom Bowen picked David Moody, a construction company owner, to chair the Citizen's Advisory Committee, as advisory board for school construction projects" which is NOT true.<br /><br />So Marshall Orson and Pam Buncum had opinions. So what, if the opinions are based on false assumptions, what good are the opinions? You might want to ask them if they voted for him as chair during the first meeting. <br />Marshall commented he questioned David overseeing projects he worked on. The CAC oversight was for the school district handling of the projects not the actual projects themselves. You think lay citizens are qualified to oversee construction projects? If so, I'd like you to oversee the sale of oceanfront property on US 78.<br /><br />Also, you do realize that the winner bidder is selected by a team of individuals based on a common scorecard. The biggest piece of misinformation that came from the AJC was that Pat Pope selected the winning bidder. She knew that would not fly because of possible improprieties. If David Moody won a bid, it is because he had the best bid. Again, are you aware of any contractors complaining about his winning a bid? Are you the kind of person that does not like projects being completed on time and under budget? I guess you like Heery and Mitchell overcharging taxpayers with change orders for fixed price projects.<br /><br />Tell you what, go to his website and see for yourself. Also take note of the other projects he has worked on along with how he gives back to the community. When you can back up anything you said with hard proof, feel free to post it.Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04676448124010158751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-40460306349325979302011-03-02T16:29:34.638-05:002011-03-02T16:29:34.638-05:00@3:58 said, "Hard to do when DCSS doesn't...@3:58 said, "Hard to do when DCSS doesn't make such information easily accessible on its webpage." <br /><br />Let me help you out since you can't seem to find anything. This is the link to the SPLOST Program Status Report as of January 2011. I'll be waiting on your post.<br /><br />http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/administration/operations/projects/2002-2007/files/SPLOST2/SPLOST_II_Program_Status_TOC_January_Report_Final.pdfFredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04676448124010158751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-4728942571002106912011-03-02T16:16:52.479-05:002011-03-02T16:16:52.479-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04676448124010158751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-54611839761250301912011-03-02T16:06:50.034-05:002011-03-02T16:06:50.034-05:00But committee member Pam McCorkle Buncum said the ...But committee member Pam McCorkle Buncum said the committee cannot provide transparent oversight if Moody continues as chair.<br /><br />“I just think it’s going to raise questions if he is still having that responsibility as chair,” said McCorkle Buncum, who does not object to Moody staying on the committee as a regular member. “How do we know we’re not getting maneuvered in a direction that they want us to go?”<br /><br />Committee member Marshall Orson said he didn’t want to prematurely judge Moody, but said Moody’s connection to the criminal investigation “certainly makes it more compelling that he should not be on the committee.”<br /><br />Orson and McCorkle Buncum, arguably the two most vocal members of the committee, also questioned whether Moody should have ever been appointed to it, considering that Moody has regularly received multimillion-dollar contracts to build or renovate schools.<br /><br />“You always want to maintain the appearance of propriety,” Orson said. “In order to build public trust, you need to instill the public’s trust. And you can’t instill the public’s trust if you include the people you’re overseeing as part of the oversight group.”Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-27719106923631988372011-03-02T15:58:43.739-05:002011-03-02T15:58:43.739-05:00"I asked if anyone could find a project that ..."I asked if anyone could find a project that David Moody bidded on since being appointed to the CAC and heard crickets. Can someone find a project on the CIP that was not done?"<br /><br />Hard to do when DCSS doesn't make such information easily accessible on its webpage.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-91782248182187099202011-03-02T15:56:43.995-05:002011-03-02T15:56:43.995-05:00"He bid on projects and had the most 'res..."He bid on projects and had the most 'responsible, responsive' bid then delivered the services on time and under budget."<br /><br /><br />Ha! There were other contractors and architects who originally had the most "responsible, responsive" bid on projects.<br /><br />Some actually were hired, started work, and then were released as Pat Pope changed the scope of work and alledgely hired her favorites, including her own then husband.<br /><br />Your arguments Fred, just don't hold up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-13151474379502210912011-03-02T15:53:31.943-05:002011-03-02T15:53:31.943-05:00Name one untruth from the post or the AJC article....Name one untruth from the post or the AJC article. Just one. C'mon, Fred.<br /><br />His co-committee members Pam Buncum and Marshal Orson went on record with their concerns.<br /><br />We don't know the quality of his work. We know little about DCSS construction projects as this administration is consistently secretive. He admittedly was personal friends with Pat Pope.<br /><br />Nice little competitive advantage that other contractors didn't have, to be friends with the person in charge of hundreds of millions of construction projects, plus serving a citizen's advisory board for said projects.<br /><br />"The network of contractors is small." You obviously don't know construction in Georgia, as this state has a large number of large and mid-size construction companies. There are plenty of contractors who are capable and qualified, but did not have the advantage of working closely with Sam Moss staff, learning their priorities and management styles, building personal relationships, having direct information on facilities needs, etc., by serving on the CAC.<br /><br />Moody clearly stated himself he would still bid on DCSS projects while he served on the board.<br /><br />Sorry Fred. A conflict of interest is a conflict of interest.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-84825606412491984272011-03-02T15:52:48.018-05:002011-03-02T15:52:48.018-05:00Well said 1:58! This particular post complains abo...Well said 1:58! This particular post complains about who the school system is spending its dollars with. In the case of David Moody, he is a DeKalb resident, had children attend DeKalb schools, is supportive of the school district and also uses many DeKalb residents to provide the labor. He bid on projects and had the most 'responsible, responsive' bid then delivered the services on time and under budget. I don't recall hearing any complaints from those that bid against him however this open+transparent person wants to bring untruths about a local business person for providing quality service for the county where he lives. <br /><br />The network of contractors is small. An even smaller network is African American contractors. Isn't it reasonable that most African American contractors in the metro area would know one another because there are so few of them?<br /><br />Should we go back and look at the contractors used during Jim Cherry's administration and scrutinize each of them? I bet he chose contractors that he felt would provide quality service for a good price. Hopefully he used local business people so that dollars could be reinvested in the county.<br /><br />I asked if anyone could find a project that David Moody bidded on since being appointed to the CAC and heard crickets. Can someone find a project on the CIP that was not done? Hopefully S7 will validate that David was open about his business dealings with the county and was democratically elected by members of the CAC to be its first chair. Hopefully S7 will also find out that as the chair, he simply ran the meeting according to the agenda and did not seek to influence the discussions.<br /><br />It is a sad day when people can hide behind pseudonyms and impugn a good business person based on misinformation.Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04676448124010158751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-45440414990941511242011-03-02T15:42:26.951-05:002011-03-02T15:42:26.951-05:00What bunk, Anon 1:58. This Central Office and BOE...What bunk, Anon 1:58. This Central Office and BOE have proven it can not competently and efficiently spend SPLOST dollars (unless its for a new Central Office facility), enough so that the systems then top 2 officials are under indictment.<br /><br />Allowing them to continue to do so "for the children" is irresponsible and wasteful. SPLOST can be deferred for a year or two.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-36803725806349061772011-03-02T15:42:06.901-05:002011-03-02T15:42:06.901-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04676448124010158751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-37151256259930758812011-03-02T13:58:05.262-05:002011-03-02T13:58:05.262-05:00I know let's not trust anybody and let our chi...I know let's not trust anybody and let our children suffer rather than having the courage and industry to elect a decent board and hold them accountable for spending our tax dollars wisely. I personally will not hesitate to vote for SPLOST to sustain our schools. If you want to abdicate your responsiblity as a citizen so you can then complain about malfeasance then we have met the enemy and it's us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-47590806251982229242011-03-02T00:33:59.729-05:002011-03-02T00:33:59.729-05:00http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/parents-make-one-la...http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/parents-make-one-last-857791.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-64531666565878835332011-03-02T00:20:50.520-05:002011-03-02T00:20:50.520-05:00HJ Russell & Company (and family) were always...HJ Russell & Company (and family) were always big Vernon Jones campaign contributurs. Enough said.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-81083080110002195832011-03-01T21:03:57.527-05:002011-03-01T21:03:57.527-05:00Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...
In 2001, Tom Bo...Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...<br /><br /><br />In 2001, Tom Bowen, then running for his first BOE campaign, met David Moody through a "mutual friend".<br /><br />Before then, Moody had no DCSS contracts.<br /><br />Since 2003, David Moody has worked on 19 DeKalb school construction projects since 2003, collecting nearly $40 million.<br /><br /><br />Smell test, anyone?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-58985384925120959082011-03-01T11:27:12.030-05:002011-03-01T11:27:12.030-05:00Fred,
You seem to have a knowledge of past events...Fred,<br /><br />You seem to have a knowledge of past events that is refreshing to this blog. <br /><br />I hope you stick around a while to see that DCSS gets turned around for the sake of the children. <br /><br />Are you going to attend the meeting this evening? <br /><br />I'll ask some of my associates on CAC about David and respond with any information that may arise.<br /><br />Thanks again for your prompt response.<br /><br />S7Sagamore 7https://www.blogger.com/profile/06152206779671223406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-37764721296546944872011-03-01T10:55:53.167-05:002011-03-01T10:55:53.167-05:00Sagamore 7 asks,
"First of all, who is Coint...Sagamore 7 asks,<br /><br />"First of all, who is Cointa Moody related to?"<br /><br />Not sure but it has been reported it is NOT David Moody. What difference does it make? Everybody is related to somebody.<br /><br />"What about Henderson MS being retrofitted from a HS to MS during SPLOST II and still not being done during SPLOST III?"<br /><br />It's been acknowledged that SPLOST II was a cluster you know what. Dr. Pritchett lost his job over the failings of SPLOST II. The school district is suing Heery Mitchell over excessive change orders SPLOST II. How can you have a 'fixed price' project then issue a change order for it? <br /><br />The overall problem with SPLOST II is that the school district also promised more in projects than it had revenues for. Remember the old 'above the line/below the line" Henderson is not the only school that got screwed during SPLOST II. At the same time, citizens are partially to blame (squeaky wheels) but ultimately responsibility should fall on the Board at that time for approving projects it could not afford.<br /><br />"Why do you think he should be a part of the solution on CAC while he has been so closely associated with the PROBLEM within DCSS?"<br /><br />The AJC is not clean is all of this either as they have also miscommunicated information in stories. They did not report that the school district could have lost several million dollars of Gates money if they did not move forward with relocation of DECA to Mountain Industrial earlier than expected. As a result, other projects in that facility were done earlier also. Don't let them shape your opinion unless you know the entire story.<br /><br />At the same time, I think too many are giving too much credit to the CAC. Look up the list of members and ask them if David did anything improper on the committee. If someone believes he did something improper, aske them to be very specific and post it here. Most of the time, the meetings consisted of information sharing by the staff then discussion amongst the members. David had no influence over that.Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04676448124010158751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-35841900156356618522011-03-01T10:40:22.364-05:002011-03-01T10:40:22.364-05:00Fred,
First of all, who is Cointa Moody related t...Fred,<br /><br />First of all, who is Cointa Moody related to?<br /><br />You remember, Pat Pope's highly paid assistant that is currently under indictment as well as Tony Pope, Pat Pope/Reid and Clewless!<br /><br />2nd is your question regarding SPLOST projects not being completed?<br /><br />What about Henderson MS being retrofitted from a HS to MS during SPLOST II and still not being done during SPLOST III?<br /><br />3rd and not least is this article from the AJC on 01/24/2010 describing Moody and his relationship with Tony Pope and Pat Pope.<br /><br />http://www.ajc.com/news/moodys-role-in-dekalb-282366.html<br /><br />Why do you think he should be a part of the solution on CAC while he has been so closely associated with the PROBLEM within DCSS?<br /><br />I look forward to hearing from you soon.<br /><br />S7Sagamore 7https://www.blogger.com/profile/06152206779671223406noreply@blogger.com