Ed Cone gets it right with "Led by the nose" story

In today's post called LED BY THE NOSE, Ed Cone gets it right! Cone identified "Greensboro's developer-driven growth policy."

It's that policy which explains the need for acquiring a vast amount of new water to support future development...but without the developers having to pay for it. Instead they LED BY THE NOSE an entire city in a scheme to get new water while tricking the citizens into paying for it. The dam scammers created an artificial water shortage to demonstrate that new water was needed for survival ....because no citizen in his right mind was going to willfully pay for new water to support future development. But for survival?..Yes, citizens will pony up.

It worked. The Randleman Dam Scam was a success. 

And still being LED BY THE NOSE, Greensboro's citizens believe water use is increasing and Randleman's water is needed for the city's survival. The folks have no idea that water use (water sales) has declined since 1995 and Greensboro's future water needs projections were a total failure.

Cone's "developer-driven growth policy" explains why the city would lie and cheat to get the Randleman Dam. The extra water was supposed to support huge commercial real estate development projects and line the pockets of people like Robbie Perkins. It's too bad for the taxpayers that in this new economy there are no huge commercial real estate development deals being struck that could begin purchasing (paying for) all the new water the city bought. With Randleman Reservoir Greensboro expands its water supply by 75%. What private sector enterprise would expand by 75% after a 15 year decline in sales? Only a government monopoly can do that.

The "developer-driven growth policy" purchased 53% of Randleman Reservoir without any need for the water. Greensboro cannot use it but Greensboro is now under contract to buy it—daily! How fortunate for the developers that they don't have to pay for it.