Editorial by Matt Marquardt –
What a tired, frustrated man John Skipper has become.
I am flattered that Mr. Skipper is now, seemingly, obsessed with me, and spending all his hourly wages paid to him to work on discrediting me and other fine citizens who only want to serve the people of Mason City and treat others fairly.
On the eve of this City Council election, John Skipper is once again misleading – and perhaps outright lying – to what is left of his readers. Believe me, there’s not many left, and those that are left, mock him and the Globe Gazette daily. I heard it all throughout the fourth ward as I knocked doors and chatted with my neighbors. John, I have bad news for you. It was brutal. Your name is mud, and you should stay home or hide in Eric’s office to avoid ridicule. We know he makes you feel good in there when the door is closed.
That brings us to Skipper’s latest hack job. He wrote today, I am told, that I got it all wrong on the Blue Zones project cost to the taxpayers, saying I misrepresented the facts when I reported in October of 2012 that the Blue Zones project was 76% over budget. I also mentioned the cost over-run at a candidate forum last week. That is true.
Well, John, I’ll make it simple for you, because I know your brain is clouded by your love for Eric and your devotion to saving his campaign and those of his cohorts.
The city council packet itself reported for the October 16th, 2012 meeting that that Blue Zones Project, at the time, was 76.92% over budget. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PACKET.
I reported the cost over-run here on NIT on October 15th, 2012. CLICK HERE TO READ THAT STORY.
See, now I have to spend all my time cleaning up John Skipper’s lies. City Hall itself reported the cost over-run, and I simply reported that to the public, but Skipper twisted my words today and tells you how it all turned out OK later once Eric Bookmeyer, Brent Trout and the other City Hall cronies rounded up donations to cover themselves.
And they did get donations. Where did the lion’s share of those donations come from?
Mercy Hospital.
Who gave thousands of dollars to Eric’s campaign?
Mercy doctors and administrators.
Who gave Mercy a street and a neighborhood, that it then bulldozed?
Eric Bookmeyer, Brent Trout and Eric’s rubber stamp City Council.
So the truth is, folks, Blue Zones was in big trouble, it was way over budget. Then the city gave Mercy everything it wanted. Eric and his council sold out Forest Park residents, robbed them of the equity in their homes, cut down the trees. They didn’t care about the people of Mason City… they just wanted a payback.
Blue Zones is then funded by Mercy with big donations to the tune of at least $75,000.
There’s some truth for you this morning.
Please vote.
You know what I really, really like about North Iowa Today, NIT?
The Globe Gazette no longer gets the last word or ONLY WORD!
I got to love it.
Mr. Skipper,
I am waiting for your rebuttal/reply!!!!!
It appears Skipper has always provided positive comments for Bookmeyer and Skipper will continue to be his biggest cheerleader.
“I am flattered that Mr. Skipper is now, seemingly, obsessed with me, and spending all his hourly wages paid to him to work on discrediting me and other fine citizens who only want to serve the people of Mason City and treat others fairly”
How is this any different than…
[Eric Bookmeyer is] flattered that Mr. Markquardt is now, seemingly, obsessed with [him], and spending all his hourly wages paid to him to work on discrediting [him] and other fine citizens who only want to serve the people of Mason City and treat others fairly
@small-the difference is that Matt means it and drunkmeyer can care less.
^Larry, really? That is what an argument is to you? Because “Matt means it and [Bookmeyer] can care less”?(Which by the way you at least are saying Bookmeyer does care, thanks for acknowledging that at least). It is hard pressed to try to say Matt M has not been infatuated with Bookmeyer and others for the past three years. I would think it would be very tiring to hate someone so much that it has dominated you life for three years. Matt will dispute this, but just look at the amount of articles and videos he has put out there. Matt has become Captain Ahab and Bookmeyer is his whale.
@Small Minded-Did you ever stop to think there is a good reason behind Matt’s argument. You need to wake up and see what is going on around you. And what is with the “Larry” stuff?
Great point.
The blue zone could be an economic success to Mason City if they could figure a way to harness all the methane gas produced at the council meetings and use it to power city hall.
I will tell you right now, no Eric, no Blue Zone. The BZ is Eric’s legacy, becauase he has nothing else. If he is not mayor, the BZ is dead because he is the fundraiser and the fearmonger who says ‘get on board or else.’ Do you really think anyone will ever give two red cents about a BZ once the bully is gone? We got two years of it already and America is still getting fatter, it was just in the news the other day. You can’t legislate diet. Hell, they open a new frozen yogurt shop in this town every other day. Chery Fairy, Orange Sugar Crap Shop, what is next? You can buy a hamburger on every corner in this town. Please, get real Eric, or better yet, get lost.
Matt that is some serious truth. And I loved how you pointed out at the candidate forum that Decorah – the place Eric was educated – booted the Blue Zone. The crowd was blown away. Even Eric’s mentors and educators can see that Blue Zone is a joke. Heck, even Eric knows it, that’s why he drinks profusely and smokes like a chimney. Even brings his own kid into Tailgator’s to watch him drink. Now that is messed up.
I got a big kick out of Skipper’s column. In order to try to “even out” his criticism of the current candidates, he threw in one little jab at Bookmeyer pertaining to the Foster brothers running Jodi Draper’s campaign. I really had to chuckle at that. It’s all he could come up with? Talk about slanted, biased reporting! He’s the king!
Skipper is a snake. He is so far up the mayors colo it is funny he doesn’t suffocate.