Virgil Goode Sticks Martinsville With the Bill

By: Mark
Published On: 2/2/2007 1:08:21 PM

Virgil Goode (R-MZM) has had a long history with the deal he made to bring MZM to Martinsville. He got the state to give MZM $500,000 when the company opened its facility there. He also had a very unusual arrangement that put the City of Martinsville on the hook for the bill should the MZM end or fall apart.

According to the Roanoke Times, the City is going to be required to pay back around $145,000 to satisfy the arrangement Virgil made with the Commonwealth.

I am going to second a suggestion I have heard before, most recently this morning on Waldo's blog.

Virgil Goode should pay the bill for the City of Martinsville. It's only fair, since he got them into this mess in the first place.

He has the money. He should pay the bill.

Comments



What a Crook He is n/t (Mark - 2/2/2007 1:09:08 PM)


Blame Virgil? (Houdon - 2/2/2007 2:09:08 PM)
Asking Virgil to pay the bill is absurd to the point of asinine.  If the Roanoke Times is to be believed, Virgil suggested the idea and council members adopted it as the independently elected representatives of the City. If it was a poor business decision taken by the Council, then it was just that and was made in the sincere pursuit of a business expectancy that didn't come to fruition.  If the Business Judgment Rule were applicable to decisions taken by Council, they wouldn't be held liable either.


Since we are diametrically opposed (Mark - 2/2/2007 2:31:51 PM)
I won't argue with you.

Suffice it to say that I think he should pay with a jail sentence.

We'll have to agree to disagree.



Give the Ethics Committee Time (Gordie - 2/3/2007 12:35:13 AM)
Right now there is more important business then an unethical Congressman and his unethical Appropreations.
Any way his type of doing business is old news. All that is left is a clean up program and embarassment.


Business Judgment Rule (Splash - 2/3/2007 1:40:49 PM)
Business Judgment Rule? As a standard for public servants? Talk about asinine. Goode's reckless promotion of Wade's scam is a prima facie breach of fiduciary duty to the public.

This business of running government "like a business" is ridiculous and stupid. Yes, the government should be efficient; no, it should not be turned into a vehicle for fleecing the public resources of the Commonwealth. It's just an excuse for corporate welfare. Notice how the deal put the local government on the hook - this is called shifting the risk, and it is appalling that people would actually accept this as ethical.  Has Goode even heard of the phrase "public trust?" Or is this how they plan to "starve the beast"? By screwing the people they're supposed to be representing?

If Goode had a shred of honor he'd pony up.