Koch the bi-coastal Carpetbagger
On Sunday I was in downtown Concord and as I approached Starbucks I came across three people rolling, apparently in some type of pain, around the tables of the coffee cafe. When I inquired as to whether or not I could be of some assistance, they all stopped rolling and told me they were fine. They needed no help.
When I asked what the problem was they said that they didn't have one. The people of Delaware now do. Inquiring further, they went on, telling me that they had just read the paragraph in Lisa Vorderbrueggen's column appearing in the Sunday Times about local campaign puppeteer, Tom Koch, who is running for the Senate in Delaware. The trio was hysterical. I couldn't understand why.
Koch's campaign platform is based on making developers pay their fair share of developer's fees. The coastal carpetbagger claims that builders are not charged adequate amounts for permits in Delaware. He claims this will bring in more money for municipalities to add to there coffers.
That's a pretty humorous statement, coming from Koch, who is the coastal coffer king.
Apparently the bi-coastal, bi-personality, self centered senatorial candidate is running for carpetbagger of the year in the 2006 campaign Delaware State Senate race.
Now it wouldn't be prudent to go into Koch's political thinking and vision for the future. Whoever comes to him with the best contract will change that vision. Koch has built his reputation on lobbying for those who come to him with the largest-project. And, it is way too early in the game to analyze what strings Koch had pulled in Contra Costa County. But something was amiss between Koch and Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier and we look forward to that all being aired in the wash over the next twelve months.
Lest we say Koch is a political persuader on the same level, in many respects, as those suited men who show up at City Council and Planning Commission meetings attempting to clear the foggy vision of politicians so that they can see why a Taco Bell or Burger King is so pertinent to a residential neighborhood.
Don't get me wrong, Koch has not hooked-up with the fast food industry as of yet. He has constantly been the guy who represents developers in their quest to built controversial communities. And, he has been very successful with that. Now it is not that Koch is smooth or seemingly very nice, he works behind the scenes more than in the public eye. And, we all know what goes on behind those political curtains. Don't we?
There is a certain irony here. West- Coast Koch long ago decided to represent the developers, gaining a reputation for being the friend of builders who could get anything approved. East- Coast Koch, (that has a nice ring to it), decided that he would rather be a friend of the people. For they are the group that will send him to the state capital.
Beware Delaware of wise men bearing gifts from the coast. Koch's campaign is going to be based on the premise that developers should pay more fees than they are already being assessed. From the examples set in California, where they are still building $40,000 homes, and just charging $850,000 for them, developers do not pay developer fees. Of course they do initially, eventually however, those who buy the homes pay the fees. It may seem like a wonderful way to raise money for communities, but it is merely a taxation process slapped on the new home buyer. Therefore is Koch really a friend of the people? Koch is no dummy.
Here is the hypothetical plan that Bi-Coastal man has drummed up. He will walk the neighborhoods of tiny Delaware, shaking hands and talking about how the developers are not paying their fair share. He will speak of new developer fees and how they can be used to built parks, and green areas, and all the other amenities that people believe developers should now develop before they built a community. The people of Delaware will love what they hear, and the people could very well elect him.
And, it is Koch's plan to be Governor of Delaware one day. Of course, that could be something to build on. Once there, however, he will have a friend or someone who he has mentored dress in a suit and speak very smoothly. Koch will pull a few strings, and the suited friend will become a lobbyist for the developers. Koch will have then gone bi-coastal full circle. The developers will then be paying higher fees so they can built more houses and pass the fees on to the buyers. That's the bi-coastal platform for Koch's politics.
It will be a very interesting election. Koch has been writing this novel idea for years.
The trio in front of Starbucks was still laughing as I came out of the building moments later. They claimed the humor was brought on by the memory of Bobby Kennedy and Hillary Clinton moving to New York to run for the U.S. Senate.
What's so funny about that, I inquired. Koch could accomplish that, eventually.
Koch is no Kennedy, or even a Clinton they claimed.
Ouch.
When I asked what the problem was they said that they didn't have one. The people of Delaware now do. Inquiring further, they went on, telling me that they had just read the paragraph in Lisa Vorderbrueggen's column appearing in the Sunday Times about local campaign puppeteer, Tom Koch, who is running for the Senate in Delaware. The trio was hysterical. I couldn't understand why.
Koch's campaign platform is based on making developers pay their fair share of developer's fees. The coastal carpetbagger claims that builders are not charged adequate amounts for permits in Delaware. He claims this will bring in more money for municipalities to add to there coffers.
That's a pretty humorous statement, coming from Koch, who is the coastal coffer king.
Apparently the bi-coastal, bi-personality, self centered senatorial candidate is running for carpetbagger of the year in the 2006 campaign Delaware State Senate race.
Now it wouldn't be prudent to go into Koch's political thinking and vision for the future. Whoever comes to him with the best contract will change that vision. Koch has built his reputation on lobbying for those who come to him with the largest-project. And, it is way too early in the game to analyze what strings Koch had pulled in Contra Costa County. But something was amiss between Koch and Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier and we look forward to that all being aired in the wash over the next twelve months.
Lest we say Koch is a political persuader on the same level, in many respects, as those suited men who show up at City Council and Planning Commission meetings attempting to clear the foggy vision of politicians so that they can see why a Taco Bell or Burger King is so pertinent to a residential neighborhood.
Don't get me wrong, Koch has not hooked-up with the fast food industry as of yet. He has constantly been the guy who represents developers in their quest to built controversial communities. And, he has been very successful with that. Now it is not that Koch is smooth or seemingly very nice, he works behind the scenes more than in the public eye. And, we all know what goes on behind those political curtains. Don't we?
There is a certain irony here. West- Coast Koch long ago decided to represent the developers, gaining a reputation for being the friend of builders who could get anything approved. East- Coast Koch, (that has a nice ring to it), decided that he would rather be a friend of the people. For they are the group that will send him to the state capital.
Beware Delaware of wise men bearing gifts from the coast. Koch's campaign is going to be based on the premise that developers should pay more fees than they are already being assessed. From the examples set in California, where they are still building $40,000 homes, and just charging $850,000 for them, developers do not pay developer fees. Of course they do initially, eventually however, those who buy the homes pay the fees. It may seem like a wonderful way to raise money for communities, but it is merely a taxation process slapped on the new home buyer. Therefore is Koch really a friend of the people? Koch is no dummy.
Here is the hypothetical plan that Bi-Coastal man has drummed up. He will walk the neighborhoods of tiny Delaware, shaking hands and talking about how the developers are not paying their fair share. He will speak of new developer fees and how they can be used to built parks, and green areas, and all the other amenities that people believe developers should now develop before they built a community. The people of Delaware will love what they hear, and the people could very well elect him.
And, it is Koch's plan to be Governor of Delaware one day. Of course, that could be something to build on. Once there, however, he will have a friend or someone who he has mentored dress in a suit and speak very smoothly. Koch will pull a few strings, and the suited friend will become a lobbyist for the developers. Koch will have then gone bi-coastal full circle. The developers will then be paying higher fees so they can built more houses and pass the fees on to the buyers. That's the bi-coastal platform for Koch's politics.
It will be a very interesting election. Koch has been writing this novel idea for years.
The trio in front of Starbucks was still laughing as I came out of the building moments later. They claimed the humor was brought on by the memory of Bobby Kennedy and Hillary Clinton moving to New York to run for the U.S. Senate.
What's so funny about that, I inquired. Koch could accomplish that, eventually.
Koch is no Kennedy, or even a Clinton they claimed.
Ouch.
posted by Harrison Melbourne at 7:54 AM
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