novelnext Chapter 32 The "Trouble" of $5
Chapter 32 The "Trouble" of $5
The first day of the new fiscal quarter.
A large sum of money was deposited into the Pittsburgh Urban Renewal Commission's bank account on time.
Two and a half million US dollars.
Leo, Sarah, Frank, and Gloria, the old secretary in the office who was always indifferent to everything, sat around the old computer, looking at the long string of numbers on the screen.
"Two and a half million..." Frank's voice trembled. "I've never seen so much money in my life."
Sarah excitedly took out her phone and snapped a picture of the screen.
Gloria adjusted her reading glasses to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
“My God,” she said, “the last time our committee received a grant of more than five figures was during President Reagan’s administration.”
Leo was also incredibly excited.
This is not just about money; it's about his power to control resources and change reality.
He didn't let the excitement last long.
He immediately announced their first phase of urban revitalization plan to the entire city of Pittsburgh through the "Heart of Pittsburgh" YouTube channel.
The Pittsburgh Renewal One project.
The core of the plan is very simple.
It involved hiring unemployed local Pittsburgh workers to carry out comprehensive infrastructure renovations in three of the city's most dilapidated blue-collar neighborhoods in the south of the city.
The specific projects in the plan include...
Repair those potholed community roads that have been neglected for decades.
Renovate those abandoned community parks that are overgrown with weeds and have damaged facilities, and rebuild safe playgrounds for children.
We carried out comprehensive exterior wall insulation and water supply pipe maintenance for those dozens of old workers' apartment buildings, solving the long-standing problems of drafts in winter and water leaks in summer.
The most crucial highlight of the entire plan is its execution method.
Leo clearly stated this in the video.
All engineering contractors participating in this program must prioritize hiring registered unemployed Pittsburgh residents and pay them at least the union-mandated hourly wage.
At the same time, the committee will establish a "project supervision group" composed of representatives of community residents, union representatives and committee members.
This group will have the final approval authority over all project tenders, material procurement, and fund usage.
Make sure that every penny of those two and a half million dollars is truly spent wisely.
The plan immediately garnered overwhelming support from the working class in Pittsburgh upon its announcement.
Those workers who had been unemployed for years and could only make ends meet by doing odd jobs and receiving welfare saw real job opportunities.
The residents living in dilapidated communities saw hope for an improvement in their living conditions.
The comments section of "Heart of Pittsburgh" was flooded with excited comments.
"God! Finally, someone's willing to fix that damn road in front of our house!"
"I'm a plumber with fifteen years of experience, and I'll register with the committee tomorrow!"
"Leo Wallace is our own hero!"
"This is the kind of government we really want! A government that gets things done for us!"
The community center also became a sea of joy.
Margaret and Frank were surrounded by excited residents.
Everyone felt that a bright future for Pittsburgh was just around the corner.
Amidst the jubilant atmosphere, Roosevelt's voice echoed in Leo's mind, as calm as ice.
"Child, don't be too happy yet."
"Do you think that two and a half million dollars is your own money?"
"In the American political system, any government budget exceeding $10,000 is like dinner for a pack of hungry wolves lying in wait."
"And your video just now was like ringing the dinner bell on the grassland."
Leo, immersed in joy, had not yet fully grasped the meaning of Roosevelt's words.
But he understood the next morning.
When he arrived at his office on the basement floor of the city hall, he was stunned by what he saw.
A long queue had formed in the previously deserted corridor outside the office.
But those queuing up were not unemployed workers applying for jobs.
Instead, it was a group of men wearing expensive suits, with slicked-back hair and professional smiles on their faces.
Each of them carried a stylish briefcase.
Secretary Gloria was frantically registering them.
When Leo came in, Gloria greeted him with an expression that was both excited and helpless.
"Mr. Commissioner, these people are all here to see you."
"They are project managers from major Pittsburgh construction companies, material suppliers for cement and asphalt, partners in engineering design consulting firms, and even a few lawyers who specialize in handling government contracts."
"They're all here to talk business with you."
At this moment, Leo finally realized that the wolf pack, following the scent of blood, had come.
Leo spent an entire day receiving these uninvited guests.
His small office became so lively for the first time.
Every company representative who walked in behaved politely.
They first expressed their warmest praise and support for Leo's "Pittsburgh Renaissance One" project.
Then, they produced a series of beautifully crafted project proposals and price quotes.
"Commissioner Wallace, we are the largest road construction company in Pittsburgh, with state-of-the-art equipment and a highly experienced team of engineers. We guarantee that we can complete the road repair projects in those three communities at the lowest price and with the highest efficiency in the city."
"Mr. Commissioner, our company is the best building facade maintenance service provider in Pennsylvania. Here are some of our past projects, including that bank building in the city center. We are willing to offer a 20% discount on your revitalization plan."
In addition to these normal business offers, some people will give various private hints.
A sales manager from a cement supplier carelessly left a membership card for a top-tier golf club on Rio's desk as he was leaving.
A partner at an engineering consulting firm warmly invited Leo to a "small party" on his private yacht over the weekend.
Leo politely declined all of these offers.
He reiterated his core plan to each visitor.
"Thank you very much for your support, gentlemen. But our 'Pittsburgh Revitalization One' project was never a commercial project from the beginning."
"Our core objective is to provide dignified jobs for local unemployed workers through work-for-relief programs. Therefore, we will not outsource the project to any company; we will establish our own construction team, directly hire workers, procure materials ourselves, and be responsible for the construction."
Upon hearing this answer, the smiles on the faces of the company representatives froze.
The way they looked at Leo was like they were looking at a fool who didn't know the rules.
"Committee Member Wallace, you may not fully understand the complexity of engineering construction," a construction company manager tried to kindly persuade him. "It requires professional management, expensive equipment, and a complex supply chain. This is not something a group of unemployed workers can accomplish."
"We will hire the most professional engineers to manage the project," Leo replied. "As for the equipment, we can lease it. As for the supply chain, I believe that as long as we have the money, it won't be a problem."
"Well, good luck, Mr. Commissioner."
The company representatives left one by one, their faces filled with disappointment and disdain.
After they left, Leo's office returned to its usual tranquility.
But Leo knew things wouldn't be that simple.
He refused the wolves' invitation to dinner, and then the wolves would bare their fangs.
Two days later, the Pittsburgh City Council held an emergency meeting.
The topic of the meeting was "how to strengthen the supervision and management of the use of federal special appropriations".
The meeting lasted only one hour.
A temporary amendment to the "Regulations on the Management of Municipal Engineering Projects" was passed by an overwhelming majority.
The amendment stipulates that "all municipal engineering projects with a single budget exceeding US$100,000 executed by municipal agencies must be awarded to qualified professional construction companies through open bidding."
The amendment was initiated by the city council president, a man named Daniel Murphy.
He is a staunch ally of Mayor Cartwright.
The list of "qualified" local construction companies drafted by the city council included almost all the companies that had visited Rio a few days earlier.
They are all local construction oligarchs with close ties to city council members.
"Do you see that, son?" Roosevelt's voice rang out. "A classic case of collusion between government and businessmen, a perfectly legal robbery."
"They used their expertise and qualifications as an excuse to cut off the core of your entire plan—work relief."
"If you accept their bidding proposal, at least one million of your two and a half million dollars will end up in their pockets through various inflated project quotes, shoddy building materials, and political kickbacks."
"And in the end, what will be left for those unemployed workers is only the lowest wages, the most dangerous working conditions, and a shoddy construction project built with the worst materials."
Leo was caught in a dilemma.
If he complies with the regulation just passed by the city council, his "Pittsburgh Revitalization One" project will be completely distorted, turning from a public welfare project that serves the people into a tool for transferring profits to construction oligarchs.
He will completely lose the trust and prestige he has built up among the working class.
However, if this regulation is not followed, the city council has the right to freeze all funds in his committee's account on the grounds of "violation of municipal management regulations".
His money was withheld by the other party in a completely "legal" way.
He won public support and he got federal money.
However, he still found himself unable to make any progress due to the local power structure.
Just when Leo was at a loss and didn't know how to break the deadlock.
His secretary, Gloria, knocked on his office door.
She handed Leo a beautifully crafted invitation.
The cover of the invitation features an old family crest.
Leo opened the invitation.
Inviter: Douglas Morganfield, Chairman of Morganfield Industries.
Invitation Location: Allegheny Hilltop Club, Pittsburgh's most exclusive private club.
Invitation time: This Friday evening.
Roosevelt's voice echoed in Leo's mind, tinged with amusement.
"Oh?"
"It seems that the biggest crocodile lurking in the deepest part of the swamp has finally decided to surface."