The slice of my life that needs help: Advocate reportage

I love it when the Advocate calls itself a slice of my life. It would be the slice I send down the pot every morning.

Because the Advocate continues to pick up out-the-butt "facts" delivered by Newark bureaucrats and businessmen and, without the first attempt to substantiate them as true or false, reports them as fact.

Let's be kind and call it pretend journalism, though there are so many ways to describe it.

The most recent outstanding example of this regards the proposed soccer facility being snake-oiled for city council's blessing as something that "could bring in as many as 500,000 people each year to the chosen community, Economic Development Director Stephen Fowler told Newark City Council on Monday."

And developer William Kraner (who provided Mayor Bruce Bain with $10,000 donation for his re-election effort) is reported to have promised to "move his planned town center development closer to the proposed Crew site to try to help the city land the soccer facility."

And how will we do this? FINALLY The Bain Boys admit it and even the Advocate seemed forced to report it (yes, it's right there in the 10th paragraph) ...

"Fowler said it is important the city is not stuck with a facility it can't afford and stressed the city would be willing to pay only one half to two thirds of the project."

One-half to two-thirds for a freakin' soccer field? YES! Newark taxpayers really need a white elephant of this magnitude on which they will pay for years and years so that Kraner can more skillfully develop a profitable Old Orchard Farms to enhance his retirement fund. Assisting this development will be the sale of Newark water to the entire 827 acres, though 600 of them are in Granville. Read it here.

Here is one of the comments to the announcement in the Advocate of the water sale:

"Why don't you guys wise up, since your basically allowing for Mr. Kraner to develop land that will bring him millions how about requiring him to pay fees to Newark City School and Granville Schools for the additional burden he will be bringing on them, how about making him take care of his own road maintenance rather than turning that burden over to you after he's done, how about making him pay for the extra traffic on the roads he is about to bring in with atleast 1600 new cars to the area, how about making him pay for the lines to be ran to his property, how about making him pay for the additional fire and police services this new are will require. I'm sorry, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a mere 600,000 a year in property taxes is enough to pay for the additional burden this development would bring. Oh and by the way, if you haven't noticed the housing market is kinda down right now as well as wages and jobs, so to think your going to be seeing any of that tax money anytime in the near future is probably a little naive. Heres another cool idea for the paper to use sometime if they want, ask the people in your community if they really want more neighbors, and if they would prefer zoning rules changed so that developers can't just do whatever they want which is pretty much what goes on, except in Granville where the IQ of the people running that town may be a little higher and they may be a little more attentive to what the people really want."

And don't forget to read what I've already written here about this incredible purchase the Bain Boys want us to bankroll: The world's dullest sport making big promises and Soccer is no spectator sport.

What someone ought to do is to handsomely bankroll the Advocate editorial department. It really needs more help.