GOP fund-raising heavyweight and two-time U.S. Ambassador Mel Sembler – the man whose company is pushing for $132 million worth of tax credits to build a “Mega-mall” in Jasper County – has a corporate development record littered with bad deals for the government entities who were foolish enough to do business with him.
At least that’s according to a lengthy investigative report published this week by the S.C. Policy Council’s new citizen reporter website, The Nerve.
According to The Nerve‘s exclusive report, Sembler-affiliated partnerships have lost money and defaulted on government loans in connection with a series of public-private partnerships in Tampa, Florida. The company also threatened to scale back a mixed-use development in Atlanta unless it received a 100% property tax abatement.
The report also contains a veritable laundry list of other shady deals and political power plays on the part of Sembler’s company, which is beginning to flex the prodigious Palmetto political muscle it has purchased to build a “Mega Mall on the Okatie” in Jasper County – again, with a $132 million taxpayer funded head start.
We have no problem with Sembler doing business in South Carolina, but as far as we’re concerned a mega mall doesn’t deserve the same sort of public support as the center of a major manufacturing cluster.
Of course, all of this underscores the slippery slope you start down when government begins picking winners and losers in the marketplace.
And clearly, Boeing’s incentive package was much bigger than S.C. lawmakers initially disclosed.
WEB EXTRA
By Marvin January 15, 2010 at 4:18 pm
This stuff just keeps getting sleazier by the day. Big “told ya so” on that one, folks.
Nice work, FITS and The Nerve. The more you guys put this stuff out there, the louder the good guys get. Maybe there’s hope for my already debt-burdened kids yet….keep it up!
By jimbo January 15, 2010 at 5:08 pm
It’s only a matter of time before this guy is named the next director of Innovista.
By Ynotfirst January 15, 2010 at 5:55 pm
shoulda removed shifty Sanfraud
By BIN News Editorial Staff January 15, 2010 at 6:09 pm
thenerds.org must have already been taken. What cr@p. Written by who. Local political pimps grinding their axes. DaNerve is just more blogomania by a few paid political pimps.
By Overruled January 15, 2010 at 9:53 pm
or Rick Brundrette…the former writer from the State looking for a job….
By Saluda Shoals January 15, 2010 at 11:26 pm
BIN – Do you have a substantive criticism of what The Nerve is reporting, or is this another of your pointless ad hominem attacks?
By Alec January 16, 2010 at 9:31 am
Saluda: guessing the latter. BIN never has anything substantive to say. Someone pays him to call everyone doody-heads. He’s like the slow bully with a big gut and a buzz cut. Just ignore him and he’ll go away…
By Huhhh??? January 16, 2010 at 11:15 am
Somebody needs to look at the deals The Beach Company is trying to get in Charleston and Clarendon (Lake Marion area) counties.
This is apparently the way our big, strong, anti-government (except when it benefits them) types are trying to scam everywhere, in every kind of business; looking for corporate welfare run amok.
By Substantive Criticism January 16, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Okay, here is your substantive criticism of The Nerve, AKA, SC Policy Council, AKA, Ashley Landess. If they want to investigate this state, here are a few places to start.
How about they do a story on the policy council “transparency” group removing its board of directors’ names from their website recently?
Or their board chairman running for a House seat while the group’s tax-exempt status flatly prohibits partisan activity? Is he no longer chairman? If so, who is now?
How about a story on the real journalists who’ve hit a brick wall trying to investigate this “transparency” group because current and former staff are required to sign confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements.
It’s a real shame FITS still covers for them/her and doesn’t report any of the dirty laundry. This site usually does a pretty good job, but you cheapen yourself carrying water for an entity with this many ethical questions that are so easily verified.
By Say So January 16, 2010 at 1:44 pm
If a large mall and its tenants generate 500 million per year in sales, which is done by several SC malls, then 30 million in tax revenue paid to the state. Show me a manufacturing plant that pays that much in taxes.
By Marvin January 16, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Please, “Substantive.” You are reaching. And it sounds like you get paid to do that, which is pretty pathetic.
Don’t give a crap who is on SCPC’s board. Probably public info, if anyone cares. They don’t get my money and they don’t make decisions for me. But whoever you work for does, and they spend my money doing it. What pisses me off is that I probably pay you, too…one way or another.
By BIN News Editorial Staff January 16, 2010 at 9:31 pm
Substantive just uses more words than our Funding Editor to define DuhNerve as nothing but more blather by the same old paid political pimps.
Marvin probably doesn’t give a cr@p about anything as long as he can listen to rush limburger and billy oreally.
By BIN News Editorial Staff January 16, 2010 at 9:43 pm
Saluda Slime knows our Funding Editor is an educated woman.
And, she’s a sure winner in this battle of wits.
Particularly since Saluda Slime is witless.
Saluda Slime claims “ad hominem” attacks.
Our Funding Editor points to: “argumentum ad populum.”
That phrase proves political pimps have been around a long time.
By Barker January 18, 2010 at 2:19 am
We’ve never had to give tax incentives to attract a mall or shopping center before. If people want the stores, someone will build the store space. That’s how it always works. If it takes a tax break, then the store space probably wasn’t needed anyway.
The stores it might attract will probably vacate other shopping centers, reducing revenue from those properties and adding to sprawl.
How can anyone be so fucking stupid as to think this is necessary?!?
By Barker January 18, 2010 at 2:32 am
Substantive – good points there. I will bet anything The Nerve will never investigate how the SCDSS fraud took place, how come the feds have penlized the agency to the tune of around $100 million bucks, where Chad Prosser is, what is going on inside SCDOT or anything else that involves asking tough questions about the parts of state government under Sanford’s control.
It is NOT about transparency. It is about POLITICS. The nerve of some people.
By Bill January 18, 2010 at 11:54 am
Barker: In fairness, Nerve took on Commerce and Dept. of Revenue in their stories. Supposedly under Sanfraud’s control. As for SCDOT, please….you seen their “board?” C’mon. Bobby Harrell’s daddy was on that thing for years.
Not about Sanfraud anyway. He doesn’t have control of much besides his mouth. And he sold out with Boeing. Mr. “fight taxpayer giveaways” turned into an slobbering drone when it came to giving away a billion dollars of our money.
No, these big fat-cat deals are about a few politicians and their buddies. Witness Sembler. Lot of people making money off that. That’s the only “reason” the boys in the Statehouse need to do anything.
By Brill Smith June 28, 2010 at 9:07 am
Check out the latest on Sembler
http://tmp.orangetoiletnews.com/?p=1231
Don’t let your children onto any of his properties.
or http://www.thestraights.com
Brill Smith Tampa Bay Area Florida