Columbia City Councilwoman Under Fire For Loan
A Columbia, S.C. City Councilwoman is under fire for a federal “community empowerment” loan that ended up going to the private building that houses her law firm, according to a report published Tuesday by WACH TV 57 (FOX – Columbia, SC).
Clearly, some politicians have a very personal definition of the term “stimulus.”
Tameika Isaac Devine, widely considered to be one of South Carolina’s rising political stars, now suddenly finds herself in very real danger of crashing to earth as a result of the scandal.
From WACH TV’s website, MidlandsConnect.com:
In mid-April, Veronica Isaac, the mother of Columbia Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine received a $280,000 loan from the Sumter-Columbia Empowerment Zone Program for a commercial building on Richland Street. The building now houses her daughter’s law firm.
The firm moved there from another Columbia location, which according to the U.S. Department of Housing Development violates the spirit of the program intended for new businesses–and they want their money back.
Amazingly, Councilwoman Devine is playing the whole thing off as no big deal, calling reviews like this “common.”
Whatever.
Play it down all you want, but this is theft, people – pure and simple – and Isaac should return every dime of this money and resign her position of public trust immediately.
Exacerbating the political damage caused by Devine’s cash grab are the dire straits faced by the city that she’s supposed to be governing. Columbia is currently running a multi-million dollar deficit due to poor financial management by Devine and other city leaders, which makes skimming like exponentially less tolerable.
By the way, huge props to WACH TV’s Jerrita Patterson for breaking this story, which we have no doubt will register seismic shock waves in South Carolina’s capital city …
Comments
By Brian on September 30th, 2009 at 12:25 am
Bold story. WACH is workin’ it.
Didn’t Rickenman’s name come up too? What’s the story there?
By fitsnews on September 30th, 2009 at 12:50 am
Brian,
Correct. City Councilman Daniel Rickenman’s name did come up, although in his case it appears (or at least he alleges) that the reference is erroneous. In Devine’s case, it’s admitted.
-FITS
By Fred on September 30th, 2009 at 6:56 am
A non-story, as blacks NEVER vote a black out for financial wrongdoing. She is bullet proof. Like Clyburn, Rangel, etc.
Drop it and move on to a story where insider self-dealing and profiting from your position matters.
By old bike dude on September 30th, 2009 at 6:57 am
FITS, good job. Follow up please.
By Zach on September 30th, 2009 at 8:22 am
I agree with Fred. Nothing will happen. It should. But it won’t.
By beentook2 on September 30th, 2009 at 8:32 am
Too bad Sherman didn’t finish the job. Columbia is a boil on the arse of mankind.
By RedBank Bar on September 30th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Good ole FRED, just another Repugnant Party bigot. Is that you, Rusty?
You shoulda told us some of y’alls favorite darky jokes, FRED.
I suppose Bill Jefferson was voted out because of his position on Afghanistan?
Tameika always has been a Repugnant with a tan. She sought out Repugnant backing when she ran the first time and subsequently. She certainly acted like az Repugnant with her legal “fees” for the Dreher High School closing.
By newzjunkie on September 30th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
@Fred: Your comment is concerning. I mean do you not think caucasians don’t look out for each other? I mean, do you REALLY thin anything will happen to Sanford? Oh, let’s see if Lexington votes out Wilson (which I will cast my vote against). Bauer, my gosh – what hasn’t he done. But he still gets elected. And Strom – no let him stay til he dies! So, aren’t you the pot calling the kettle white?
By Cola Native on September 30th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
But this is the story that made it to the media.
Apparently Sumter know how to distribute EZ funds better than Columbia does. On the report in question, HUD has no concerns with how the EZ department in Sumter is run. But with Columbia’s EZ department(directed by Tony Lawton), every case in the first half of this year is being questioned by HUD. This is the deal. Tameika and Daniel have a friend in Tony Lawton. He does what they want him to do.
-Daniel sold his business to a partnership. That partnership used $179k from the EZ fund, $250k from First Savers Bank, and $13k in cash to purchase Daniel’s business for $442k. That thriving business when bankrupt in just less than a year. The bank looses and the EZ Fund looses.
-Tameika’s mother was given a loan for $280k from the EZ fund and a second loan from the Benidict/Allen Development Corp. (also funded by the Feds) for the purchase of a commercial building/house on Richland St. at a sale price of $325k. Tameika’s mother was given a 100% loan and $5000 in closing costs. Tameika has relocated her law firm to that building.
Did Daniel and/or Tameika instruct Tony Lawton to make these loans happen?
Is Tony Lawton misusing his position to benefit the council that hired him?
Did Daniel or Tameika dosclosure their involvement with these transactions?
Has this happen in the past but was never exposed?
Does Clyburn know about these transactions? The Sumter-Columbia Empowerment Zone is essentially his voting district.
Things that make you want to throw up.
By dirtbogger on September 30th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
you said it fits, THEFT. She should be led away in hand cuffs, not just resign.
By Darth on October 1st, 2009 at 10:08 am
Acorns don’t fall far from the fambly tree…
By Y. Ape on October 7th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
In response to some of the previous comments re. T.I. Devine’s Mothers recent real estate transaction, it’s difficult to say “business as usual, let’s move on”.
I am hopeful someone will do some real digging to find out who all the players are involved with this fraud…..yep, FRAUD. I would like to take the time to do it myself, but I’m too busy trying to make a living, pay my taxes, put my kids through good schools, pay my mortgage, etc. This is pure “BS”. Makes me sick to my stomach…the DR transaction was also “BS”. We’ve got nothing but a bunch of low life running this city.
By SnakeMD on November 6th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
You might want to go back and check all of Ms. Devine’s “dealings” with regard to the appraisals and condemnations of the homes around (new) Dreher High School when it was built. You might find that the fees paid for such transactions were higher by three fold than the current market price. And whom did these fees go to? You might want to check who is on the various llc’s. Hmm…………
I’m like Marshall Tucker–hey, I just “heard it in a love song.”