Biggest Lie: The Check Is In The Mail

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http://www.freeabq.com/2017/03/16/no-art-in-trumps-budget/

President Trump has thrown Mayor Berry and the Albuquerque City Council under the ART bus.

Trump’s proposed 2018 federal budget, which was released March 16, 2017, does not contain the $69 million Federal Transit Administration grant the mayor and his staff have said repeatedly is coming.

Over 20% of the ART bus project is complete and construction should be finished sometime October.

The contractor for the project Bradbury and Stamm will no doubt will be demanding full payment for their work.

The City has already placed and order for new buses.

Chief Operation Officer Michael Reardon and Transit Director Bruce Rizzieri both repeatedly said during public forums that such funding is never denied once the Federal Transit Administration grants are approved.

The Albuquerque City Council refused to put the project on the ballot and voted to fund the construction without having the money from the Federal government.

U. S. House and Senate conference committees have recommended a $20 million cut in Albuquerque’s Grant under the 2017 Obama budget and funding has not been approved.

According to the ABQ Free Press article, officials at the FTA said that if ART does not appear on the current list of “fully funded” projects, it’s won’t get any more federal money, and Albuquerque’s ART Project does not appear on the list of “fully funded” projects.

Mayor Berry and the Albuquerque City Council have egg all over their faces while city taxpayers will suffer the consequences of their sure stupidity for spending money that has not been received.

There are at least three ways the City can make up for the lost grant money but the money will still need to come out of the general fund:

1. Cuts to services with money taken out of all city departments.
2. City Council can pass revenue bonds guaranteed with future gross receipts tax revenues and at least seven (7) city councilors must vote yes for enactment.
3. Enact a special 1/8 cent gross receipts tax with a sunset clause.

The Albuquerque City Council has already enacted $13 million in revenue bonds to help pay for the project.

The entire ART Bus project has been based on lies as I said in my March 13, 2017 blog article “The City Hall Liar”s Club.

Every Albuquerque City Councilor who is running for re-election including Diane Gibson, Ken Sanchez, and Don Harris and who voted to fund the ART project need to be voted out office as does Pat Davis if he runs again.

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About

Pete Dinelli was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is of Italian and Hispanic descent. He is a 1970 graduate of Del Norte High School, a 1974 graduate of Eastern New Mexico University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and a 1977 graduate of St. Mary's School of Law, San Antonio, Texas. Pete has a 40 year history of community involvement and service as an elected and appointed official and as a practicing attorney in Albuquerque. Pete and his wife Betty Case Dinelli have been married since 1984 and they have two adult sons, Mark, who is an attorney and George, who is an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). Pete has been a licensed New Mexico attorney since 1978. Pete has over 27 years of municipal and state government service. Pete’s service to Albuquerque has been extensive. He has been an elected Albuquerque City Councilor, serving as Vice President. He has served as a Worker’s Compensation Judge with Statewide jurisdiction. Pete has been a prosecutor for 15 years and has served as a Bernalillo County Chief Deputy District Attorney, as an Assistant Attorney General and Assistant District Attorney and as a Deputy City Attorney. For eight years, Pete was employed with the City of Albuquerque both as a Deputy City Attorney and Chief Public Safety Officer overseeing the city departments of police, fire, 911 emergency call center and the emergency operations center. While with the City of Albuquerque Legal Department, Pete served as Director of the Safe City Strike Force and Interim Director of the 911 Emergency Operations Center. Pete’s community involvement includes being a past President of the Albuquerque Kiwanis Club, past President of the Our Lady of Fatima School Board, and Board of Directors of the Albuquerque Museum Foundation.