Sunday, February 14, 2010

Why Would Any Businessperson Support Walker?

Today's business people are supposed to be savvy operators and be able to look out for the best interest of their businesses and themselves.

That's why it makes no sense that a business would support Scott Walker in his perpetual campaign for governor.

Walker apparently rarely listens to some of the region's top business leaders when he has consistently opposed any improvement to our transit system.

Now we learn that when he does have anything to do with them, it can turn out very poorly for the business:
Creative Constructors LLC is suing Milwaukee County to recover $114,000 from a project at General Mitchell International Airport.

The Menomonee Falls-based contractor has tried to recover the money since 2005, when Creative completed the yearlong project at the airport, said Michael LaBonte, company CEO. He said the lawsuit, filed Wednesday, is the first time he has sued a project owner since he entered the construction industry in 1972.

“Any time you are talking about a fair amount of money,” LaBonte said, “it affects me. It takes me a lot of work to earn that kind of money.”

Milwaukee County in early 2004 signed a $2.6 million contract with Creative to expand and remodel a security checkpoint in the airport’s Concourse D. According to the lawsuit, the county changed the price of the contract 58 times and extended its schedule 97 days to add $483,852 worth of work.

LaBonte said the multiple price and timing changes stemmed from incorrect project plans. As crews started preparing the building for the renovation, he said, they found mechanical, structural and foundation systems in places where, according to the project plans, they weren’t supposed to be.

Could you imagine what he would do to the state if he was allowed to buy his way in to the governor's mansion?

6 comments:

  1. Capper,

    This one's a real stretch. I don't know why this guy isn't being paid, but anyone who's worked in construction knows that plans aren't always correct and things have a way of coming up once you get started on a project.

    You aren't suggesting Walker created the incorrect plans in his capacity as County Executive are you?

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  2. Compare this to when Walker had the Courthouse Annex demolished. Another example is they way they're jerking the environmentalists around about the county grounds.

    It is a pattern. Whether it is malicious or merely incompetence, I can't say. Probably the latter.

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  3. Capper,

    You should probably do a little more research before slamming Walker on Mitchell Airport work. I did work as a subcontractor for Creative Constructors in the Mitchell Airport, and they changed their contract with us 58 times in one month in what they dubbed as "add-ons".

    Of course, they changed their minds on things, which forces us to rewrite our bids. It got to be a headache after a while. And I must say, they weren't a real treat to do business for either. Without getting into too much detail, I wouldn't trust anything that comes from Creative Constructors period.

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  4. Aaron, I don't know about you, but the fact that he's been in business for 38 years would tend to make me believe it's not him.

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  5. Uh, . . . there are a lot of companies that have been around for 30+ years that scam, cheat, and lie about their business dealings.

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  6. ...that scam, cheat, and lie about their business dealings.

    Wait, are you talking about companies or about Walker?

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