Obviously, there are a lot of crazy, stupid angles to this story - the ever-shifting, non-existent "host" non-profit to facilitate Scott Nagel's fundraising efforts; the attempt to buy a building when you don't have any actual money on hand: the fact that Nagel agreed to pay a price that's higher than the assessed value of this extremely run-down, problem-rich building - and on and on.But my favorite part of the story in today's PDN (written by Paul Clotlieb) is the part that shows how a huge portion of Scott's pipedream plans were set on a false foundation established by what turned out to essentially be a prank phone call.
From the article: But Nagel is still trying to reel in one that got away: An anonymous donor who reneged this month on a $75,000 pledge without saying why. I imagine it going down something like this...
"Hello, is this Scott Nagel?"
"Yes it is."
"Oh, hi Scott. I'm calling because, uh, I'd like to make a pledge for the Lincoln Theater fundraising."
"Great! Wonderful! How much would you like to pledge?"
"Uh...(Giggling in background) How about, um, seventy-five thousand dollars? Yeah, yeah, that's it! (More giggling in background.) Seventy-five thousand dollars!"
"Oh, wonderful! Thank you so much! And who is this calling?"
"Um, my name is Jack...Jack Mehoff. (Riotous laughter in background.)"
"Thank you, thank you so much, Mr. Mehoff!"
Of course, as most adults know, Jack Mehoff doesn't really exist any more than the Easter Bunny does. But poor, stupid Scott put so many eggs in that one Easter basket anyway. And now, oops, he's more than 25% short on his fundraising efforts. Which is to say, it's time to wake up from your pipedream, Scott, because it's just officially turned into an embarrassing nightmare.
I dunno about you lot, but I'm gobsmacked by this news!
ReplyDeleteWhat
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CHUMP!
SOO typical Port Angeles.
ReplyDeleteHow many times have we seen this exact same scam play out? Some huckster comes into town with a GREAT NEW IDEA that is going to do everything for everybody. Can't lose. Salvation of the town.
Then, like HarborWorks, it all falls apart, the cheerleaders stop waving their pomppoms, the news stories reveal naked truths, and the town realizes it was led down the merry path, once again.
I understand the donor of the $75,000 decided to put the money into something that would have a tangible result, something with long term impact and visibility and a chance of success - so he donated the money to the Trump campaign
ReplyDeleteColossal idea! Amazing! Huge!
DeleteGut that dump of a theater. Has no value, no historical architecture, etc...The Wenatchee owner must be thinking it's a gold mine...or just another retired ex-PA resident that thinks it is important.
ReplyDeletethe owner is an old man with very greedy kids
DeleteI don't understand Scott's math. How does raising 55k in two weeks constitute reaching the 50% mark of 235k? Is he assuming he's going to be at the 50% mark at the end of January based on two weeks of cash flows? With the anonymous donor gone,for whatever reason, this puts the purchase of the Lincoln out of reach. This also raises a timing issue. Did Scott know the donor had withdrew his/her pledge prior to sending out the upbeat email before Christmas asking people to fulfill their pledges and stating that the goal was nearly met? This whole thing smells fishy.
ReplyDeleteSmells fishy? You bet. Like being sealed inside a can of tuna.
DeleteI mean, either Scott Nagel is so incredibly stupid and naïve (which is a possibility) that he believed that there could be a "real" anonymous $75,000 donor - OR - Scott Nagel was so desperate and manipulative that he pretended there was an anonymous $75,000 donor, in order to generate hope and excitement for his dim and doomed "plan."
Either way, yes indeed, that is fish you're smelling. Goes down good with the snake oil, doncha know.
Really? Seriously? You actually think an "anonymous donation of $75,000" ever had any credibility? Who would do anything based upon an untraceable pledge for anything.
DeleteI'll be generous and say Scott didn't make the whole thing up in order to jumpstart donations for his campaign. But, what kind of responsible person conveys trust in such a "donation" to the rest of the public? Scott is just as responsible of scamming well meaning people as the supposed "anonymous donor", any way you want to construe it.
SLE-ZY
There have always been towns as described by Wendell Berry-"It was without pretense or ambition....It had never declared an aspiration to become something it was not. It did not thrive so much as it merely lived, doing the things it needed to stay alive."
ReplyDeletePort Angeles is a rather common phenomena "built in a place of great natural beauty and abundance which it had never valued highly enough or used well enough, had damaged, and yet not destroyed."
Port Angeles, like any town or community, represents the people that make it up. Towns like Port Angeles exist because people like those that stay home and accept what ever happens, exist.
DeleteClearly, there are towns that are vibrant, interesting and fun to live in. Any town can change to have new things be the focus of effort and attention.
People like Scott Nagel do so much to drag down Port Angeles. Well intentioned people who want a more interesting, vibrant town get sucked in by hucksters, and become disillusioned.
Or they just move away to a better place...
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