News
A KMOX investigation shows St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley wanted to give millions of taxpayer dollars to an organization controlled by his campaign manager, as part of the most ambitious computer project the region has ever seen.
That's confirmed by Dooley's Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Tom Curran: "Clearly the idea was to promote this broadband project, and to provide connectivity to the schools and all the other things the [St. Louis Regional Exchange] had talked about," Curran told KMOX Friday.
The Regional Exchange, or REP, bills itself as the bi-state's premier non-profit internet development agency, run for the last four years by Dooley's campaign manager, John Temporiti. The Regional Exchange seems to have a minimal staff, and since 2008 has been operating out of the offices of Temporiti's lawfirm, Gallop, Johnson & Neuman.
Nevertheless, the Regional Exchange was to be given $25 million in stimulus funding, in a plan outlined on page 139 of Dooley's 2009 "Ready to Go" stimulus wish list. The grant request still hasn't been approved yet by the Department of Commerce, but the proposal itself is stunning in its scope and impact: connect all local governments, hospitals and school systems through a fiber and wireless broadband internet network designed and maintained by the Regional Exchange.
The plan reflects a vision laid out by Dooley in November of 2006, that would have connected all of St. Louis County's 91 municipalities under a so-called "technology quilt." But now that a KMOX investigation has shown the REP has been operating outside IRS rules for non-profits -- and the only viable WiFi venture in St. Louis County involved a REP member company run by a notorious telecom swindler named Timothy Huff -- Dooley himself has decided it's time to pull the plug.
Dooley told KMOX that St. Louis County is disengaging from its wireless internet initiative in general and withdrawing from the Regional Exchange altogether. "The best intentions were there, but it just didn't evolve like we thought it would evolve," Dooley said."Maybe it was over-ambitious. But right now, we're out of the business of trying to figure this out."
Curran, who joined the Exchange last month and was elected to be Temporiti's replacement as Board President, has resigned and his seat will not be filled. How that might affect the operation of the Exchange is not known; Mr. Temporiti has refused to speak to KMOX in the past about his activities at the Regional Exchange. Regardless, Curran says the roughly $1 million thus far awarded for the connectivity project through another grant will be run directly from his office, and not the Regional Exchange.
KMOX asked Curran if he knew who came up with the idea to put Temporiti in charge of the connectivity project: "I do not. I was not employed by St. Louis County at that time." But in an interview last year with the Post Dispatch, Dooley said that his former Director for Intergovernmental Affairs, Darrin Cline, had been the point man in seeking federal stimulus money for projects relating to internet broadband access and green energy initiatives (see also KMOX's report on how the WiFi con-man we profiled tried to get into the business of solar power) . Curran was Cline's replacement. Cline left Dooley's office last September to work in the private sector; later it was reported that Cline's personal finances were under IRS investigation.
During his interview Friday about the failure of his Wifi initiative, Dooley refused to point fingers at his staff, past or present; he wouldn't even mention them by name in response to direct questions. But now that Dooley wants out of the REP, does he still have confidence in the man who apparently still controls it - his campaign manager, John Temporiti?
KMOX asked Dooley that question Saturday at a barbeque celebrating the kickoff of his re-election campaign. His answer: "As we move forward, we're going to do all the things that make sense for St. Louis County," he said. "We've got a great team, our team is second to none. We've got very professional people working with us and I'm excited about that."
That's confirmed by Dooley's Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Tom Curran: "Clearly the idea was to promote this broadband project, and to provide connectivity to the schools and all the other things the [St. Louis Regional Exchange] had talked about," Curran told KMOX Friday.
The Regional Exchange, or REP, bills itself as the bi-state's premier non-profit internet development agency, run for the last four years by Dooley's campaign manager, John Temporiti. The Regional Exchange seems to have a minimal staff, and since 2008 has been operating out of the offices of Temporiti's lawfirm, Gallop, Johnson & Neuman.
Nevertheless, the Regional Exchange was to be given $25 million in stimulus funding, in a plan outlined on page 139 of Dooley's 2009 "Ready to Go" stimulus wish list. The grant request still hasn't been approved yet by the Department of Commerce, but the proposal itself is stunning in its scope and impact: connect all local governments, hospitals and school systems through a fiber and wireless broadband internet network designed and maintained by the Regional Exchange.
The plan reflects a vision laid out by Dooley in November of 2006, that would have connected all of St. Louis County's 91 municipalities under a so-called "technology quilt." But now that a KMOX investigation has shown the REP has been operating outside IRS rules for non-profits -- and the only viable WiFi venture in St. Louis County involved a REP member company run by a notorious telecom swindler named Timothy Huff -- Dooley himself has decided it's time to pull the plug.
Dooley told KMOX that St. Louis County is disengaging from its wireless internet initiative in general and withdrawing from the Regional Exchange altogether. "The best intentions were there, but it just didn't evolve like we thought it would evolve," Dooley said."Maybe it was over-ambitious. But right now, we're out of the business of trying to figure this out."
Curran, who joined the Exchange last month and was elected to be Temporiti's replacement as Board President, has resigned and his seat will not be filled. How that might affect the operation of the Exchange is not known; Mr. Temporiti has refused to speak to KMOX in the past about his activities at the Regional Exchange. Regardless, Curran says the roughly $1 million thus far awarded for the connectivity project through another grant will be run directly from his office, and not the Regional Exchange.
KMOX asked Curran if he knew who came up with the idea to put Temporiti in charge of the connectivity project: "I do not. I was not employed by St. Louis County at that time." But in an interview last year with the Post Dispatch, Dooley said that his former Director for Intergovernmental Affairs, Darrin Cline, had been the point man in seeking federal stimulus money for projects relating to internet broadband access and green energy initiatives (see also KMOX's report on how the WiFi con-man we profiled tried to get into the business of solar power) . Curran was Cline's replacement. Cline left Dooley's office last September to work in the private sector; later it was reported that Cline's personal finances were under IRS investigation.
During his interview Friday about the failure of his Wifi initiative, Dooley refused to point fingers at his staff, past or present; he wouldn't even mention them by name in response to direct questions. But now that Dooley wants out of the REP, does he still have confidence in the man who apparently still controls it - his campaign manager, John Temporiti?
KMOX asked Dooley that question Saturday at a barbeque celebrating the kickoff of his re-election campaign. His answer: "As we move forward, we're going to do all the things that make sense for St. Louis County," he said. "We've got a great team, our team is second to none. We've got very professional people working with us and I'm excited about that."
