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More Frank Jones Follies
By Greg L | 12 September 2007 | Manassas Park | 4 Comments
Listeners to WMAL’s Andy & Grandy show this morning heard some more about Manassas Park’s cancellation of it’s Latino Festival and subsequent attempts by Mayor Frank Jones to “blame” this on Prince William County. So far it looks like no one is buying this rather lame excuse, and at least on Andy & Grandy, the consensus is that if illegal aliens are leaving, and that’s forcing businesses that had previously catered to them to cut back on the number of events they’re willing to show up for, it’s a sign of progress rather than something to bemoan. The real story here is probably a lot more mundane than crowing about real or imaginary progress in removing illegal aliens from our communities, but a lot more important to the debate over some important policy issues that haven’t gotten much discussion.
According to the Manassas Journal-Messenger, at last year’s Latino Festival in Manassas Park 75% of the businesses that bought tables were in the real estate and banking industries. We all know pretty well what’s happened to these businesses over the last year, how the subprime lending market has collapsed and that the continuing downturn in the residential real estate market has made life very difficult for real estate companies. Many of these businesses just aren’t around any more, and those which are certainly aren’t eager to spend money when they don’t have to. In relatively good times, these business segments would be out in force at community events. These clearly aren’t good times.
Many of these businesses deserve this hit. Shady real estate agents have taken advantage of the unfamiliarity of recent immigrants — legal and otherwise — with our laws and the way real estate transactions are customarily done here, and abused rather than helped their clients. Unscrupulous lenders have pushed inappropriate mortgage products on naive buyers that they don’t understand and cannot pay for. The abuses by some of these criminals against Latinos is legendary and widespread. It’s not the whole industry that’s done this, but a significant enough portion has to the point it seems that everyone in the business has a disturbing story such as this one from a recent comment:
I am a realtor and I have been in the business since 1985. I never saw the kind of things that have been happening in the last 3-4 years. I was at a settlement where and agent got a kickback from his mortgage broker who was there at the settlement. The poor sap who bought my listing, paid about 7 points and was royally screwed to be honest. I was shocked to hear that the agent was getting a kickback which is against the law and totally unethical. I have friends who had a contract on their house, had moved out only that after July 25th everything changed and they found out that the agent wrote a contract for a “strawman” who wasn’t going to pay for the house at all. The lender found out and bam, the contract was dead. Some lenders are very ethical and some like the first are monsters. Another thing I saw, showing houses in Manassas was a townhouse, condo that was being “remodeled”. It was the most rediculous house I have ever seen. Who is doing inspections on the remodeling? the house had a Jacuzzi in the listing, however, they had put it in the living room. They divided the bedrooms in half, so some didn’t have a closet or window. The rugs, which were new,didn’t reach the wall, but they were Wall to Wall. Yikes. I hope all the unscrupulous realtors get what they have coming to them.
So while Frank Jones is screaming about how other folks are supposedly making his life more difficult as mayor, he’s entirely ignoring the predators who have harmed so many of his constituents and bemoans the demise of these predators. Again, his priorities are seriously out of order. This is almost as nutty as the child pornography scandal that city officials are embroiled in.
UPDATE: A reader reports that Channel 4 ran a news story on this today.
The story was just aired. Reporter states MP said they contacted 80 businesses to sponsor the event and only 4 responded. The reporter, Tracey Wilkins, is in front of a shopping center in MP interviewing hispanic business owners and they are stating they’ve never been contacted to sponsor it this year.
Manassas Park officials caught in yet another lie. I’m surprised Channel 4 considers this news.
UPDATE 2: The DC Examiner has a write-up on this as well. Here’s an excerpt:
Manassas Park officials would not provide a list of sponsors who were concerned about backing the festival because of tensions over the illegal-immigration laws. But Ronald Virto, publisher of the Manassas-based Spanish language newspaper El Comercio, said no one from the city of Manassas Park called to ask for his backing, unlike in the past.Virto said he put up $10,000 for the festival in 2005 but was not a sponsor last year.
“I was very mad and sad because I don’t even know what happened,” he said.
The Washington Post even piles on:
“We usually get contacted by the city,” said Robert Lopez, vice president of Lopez Enterprises Group in Manassas. “We’re always asked to do our best and help out, but this year we never got a call.”
…
Manassas resident Stephanie Williams, a vendor at the previous festivals, said no one called her from the city this year, either.
No, incompetence and laziness in promoting this event and obtaining sponsors didn’t have anything at all to do with this. Not at all.
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Channel 4 did a segment this morning on it, also. The City Manager said they have not received support from previous vendors and there seems to be a lack of interest. An interviewed “previous vendor” stated she had never been contacted to support it. I guess the illegals are afraid to come out “en masse” to the Festival and this should send a message to Jellyfish Jones.
Last year I was involved in the sale of a home for a family member who had to move for reasons of health. I too was amazed at what I saw from the buyer’s agent. The buyer’s qualifications on the contract turned out to be totally bogus.
After the home was inspected, I went by the house to resolve a few minor issues, and when I got to the house there was a load of wash in the dryer. I came back later, and there were 7-8 people in the house, five days before closing ! The buyer’s realtor had taken the key from the lock box and given it to the buyer !
Illegal immigration equates to continued fraud on a massive scale.. Those that are pro-illegal alien are those that are perpetrating much of this fraud..
You’ve hit my hot button. “Who is doing the inspections on the remodeling?”. Not Prince William County Building Code Enforcement. I personally complained about a house that was up for sale that had a full bath in the basement where there was none before. According to James Collins, Code Enforcement Branch Chief, I had to be in the house witnessing the remodel job in order for the judge TO NOT throw out the complaint. Explain that to me. The real estate agent was even bragging about the remodel job. Come to find out it was listed that way. There is something terribly wrong with Building Code Enforcement and if anyone is reading this and have experienced similar situations, you need to complain to your county supervisor immediately. Maybe if they hear more complaints they’ll do a little investigating of Building Code Enforcement.
It’s a known fact that RealEstate Agents,not all but a fair enough are only interested in collecting that Commission. They tell these buyer what ever they want to hear and assist them in further in breaking laws. Like Dan said it is many that let the buyer in early without the Seller permission.
The P.W.B.R. or the Va. State Board will do nothing about these infractions
and it makes it difficult for the honest agent trying to do what is right.
I had one a few years back that 15 people showed up to see the house.
The owner and I allowed a couple in at a time and finally they got disgusted. Come to find out this was being done throughout P.W. County.
What a mess. Why can’t we have honest people doing the right thing?