Gainesville Council accused of 'good old boy' politics

GAINESVILLE - A Gainesville industrialist Tuesday night blasted the city council for its decision last month to sell a 28-acre site in the city-owned Industrial Park West to a mulch producer.

Mencom Corporation owner Bruce Mistarz said the council's 3-2 decision on April 15 smacked of small town politics.

"The way the board handled the issue gives the appearance of 'good old boy' and back room politics,' Mistarz said.

Mistarz said he still plans to expand his industrial connection products plant but he won't be doing it in Gainesville, and he plans to move his existing plant with 22 workers out of town when he finds a suitable site.

"The way this whole thing was handled we're quite disappointed as a company that is looking to put in a large amount of jobs here," Mistarz added.

Mistarz said Mencom worked closely with the city manager, city attorney, the industrial authority and the chamber of commerce and had structured a purchase agreement, but added that the council awarded the property to the mulching company owner and did so without any discussion.

Mistarz described Mencom as a high tech industry, the kind Gainesville is looking for, but claimed the mulch producer was not and most likely won't meet park covenants.

"If dealings like this continue, the future will be less bright for Gainesville and the county because business will be looking elsewhere," Mistarz said.

Mistarz added there is a lot of competition for business between Jackson, Lumpkin and surrounding counties.

Chris Cowart, the mulch producer, promised a 50,000-square-foot expansion worth $5 million to hire 60 people within two years, with $1.5 million worth of machinery ready to be installed on the site.

Mayor Myrtle Figueras and Councilman Bob Hamrick voted against selling to Cowart, the mayor stating that she felt Mencom was a more suitable business.

Councilman Danny Dunagan made the motion to approve the resolution authorizing the sale to Cowart, saying the city had been talking to Cowart for a year and he was the one who needed the property.

Dunagan said the property was just undeveloped "raw" land next to Cowart's existing location in the park.