"Round Up the Usual Suspects"

Pat Burns and a Small Circle of Friends

If that outraged majority of residents in Gemantown and Mt. Airy had any doubt about the insider dealing and collaboration between Pat Burns of Fresh Grocer and individuals with city connections, just check out the photos in this story and imagine the conversation.  Here we have Pat himself, Malik Boyd, Secretary of Germantown Community Connection, Marshall Freeman of the Human Relations Commission and "Human Relations Consultant to he GCC Board", and LeRoi Simmons of the city-financed Central Germantown Council at the site of Chelten Plaza next to the SEPTA station that the project promises to further obscure.

It sure looks like these folks are on the same page and possibly "chatting up" the strategy as to how they plan to ramrod through the zoning appeal and continue to dupe the community about what they are doing, like the politicians and developers have always done with Germantown's assets, of course with the state and federal government paying them to do it.

Ironic isn't it that both Marshall Freeman and Malik Boyd were brought on to the leadership of the GCC only after Burns decided to use them as a remedy for his failure to do even basic compliance with the community; a prerequisite to qualifying for millions in state grant money that he expects to get next month. GCC is the community group that was founded to do the exact opposite from what its management is currently supporting.  That would be to bring sunshine and transparency to developer and city misdeeds after 25 years of a cabal between Germantown Settlement and elected officials.

Mr. Malik Boyd gets an "emergency appointment" as Board Secretary (no vote) and Marshall Freeman of the City Human Relations Commission is appointed to a new position by Board Chairperson Betty Turner, one that never existed before, as "Consultant for Human Relations issues." He is called upon from time to time to intervene in difficult discussions at board meetings as an "independent mediator."  Looks like he might have a second agenda that might not be quite so independent. 

LeRoi Simmons of the Central Germantown Council can always be counted on to carry the water of local politicians, particularly those who want outcomes pre-determined and opposition stifled.

The photos sort of have a "Casablanca" feel to them, don't they. Can't you almost hear a high level city official looking the other way and shouting, "Round up the usual suspects?"

Jim Foster

Germantown Newspapers