Waste of the Day: Out of Control Grants in Massachusetts

Topline: Back in 2010, local officials in the City of Lynn, Massachusetts bragged to The Daily Item about an “inexpensive” way to beautify their own city: use federal grants to send the cost to taxpayers in other cities.

This Massachusetts city spent millions on beautification projects

The city spent $2.8 million renovating a goldfish pond, a Mexican restaurant and more, using multiple grants and no-bid contracts.

That’s according to the “Wastebook” reporting published by the late U.S. Senator Dr. Tom Coburn. For years, these reports shined a white-hot spotlight on federal frauds and taxpayer abuses. 

Coburn, the legendary U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, earned the nickname “Dr. No” by stopping thousands of pork-barrel projects using the Senate rules. Projects that he couldn’t stop, Coburn included in his oversight reports.   

Coburn’s Wastebook 2010 included 100 examples of outrageous spending worth more than $11.5 billion, including the City of Lynn’s spending spree — which would be worth $4.2 million today.

Key facts: Lynn’s funding came out of Community Development Block Grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The city had already renovated its heart-shaped goldfish pond in 2005, but apparently residents were still unhappy with the stone walls on the island in the pond’s center. Lynn officials solicited bids for renovations and hired a nonprofit instead of private companies that offered a cheaper price.

Finally the city uses its own money – to pay generous salaries

Businesses in downtown Lynn, just north of Boston, were reimbursed up to $4,000 each to redecorate their storefronts. A vacuum cleaner store, a video rental store and more took advantage. 

One local official explained: “It‘s an inexpensive way to fix up a storefront, especially for the business owner.” It was yet another example of a city treating federal grants like free money. 

Other projects included a new gazebo, a water play area and a boat dock.

Today, Lynn is using its own taxpayers’ money to pay out generous local salaries. Twenty-six public employees earned more than $200,000 in 2023, according to payroll records obtained by OpenTheBooks.com. 

Search all federal, state and local government salaries and vendor spending with the AI search bot, Benjamin, at OpenTheBooks.com. 

Summary: All public funds ultimately come out of Americans’ wallets, even if some lawmakers would like to ignore that simple fact.

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com

This article was originally published by RCI and made available via RealClearWire.