After canopy collapse, Irving officials concerned (Permits for unsafe structure Pushed through?)

[Ilsa]

After canopy collapse, Irving officials concerned

Text messages point to Cowboys' preferential treatment
http://www.caller.com/news/2009/jun/03/after-canopy-collapse-irving-officials-concern/

Associated Press
Wednesday, June 3, 2009

IRVING — A series of text messages from city officials after the Dallas Cowboys practice facility collapsed reveal concerns about the structure's quality and suggest the team "pushes" things through and receives preferential treatment.

SNIP

The Cowboys' tentlike practice facility collapsed on May 2, paralyzing scouting assistant Rich Behm and injuring 11 others.

SNIP

Gonzalez characterized the Cowboys as a team that "pushes" its projects through the city bureaucracy. He wrote in a text to another city official that "it was for the 'the cowboys' ... that's just what my gut tells me,"

snip

Gonzalez sent a text message to Brenda McDonald, the city's real estate and development director, saying he was confident proper permitting and inspection procedures were followed, but added that he also knows "how the D org pushes things thru."

snip

[Ian David]

1. Market Forces. n/t

[tularetom]

2. The guy who was injured now has a cause of action against the city

as well as that asshole Jerry Johnson or Jimmie Jones or Johnny Joe Jackson or whatever the fuck the idiots name is that owns the team.

I can imagine the pressure placed on the city's building department to expedite a permit for this thing without a proper review of the design. This kind of crap goes on constantly and it places the public at risk from a financial as well as a safety standpoint. If one of these political structures collapses and injures or kills a number of people the resulting lawsuits could bankrupt the city and cost the taxpayers literally billions of dollars.

[Arctic Dave]

3. The roof crashes on top of "America's team" because of cutting corners,

and a lazy gov't. Hmmm, I'm thinking of a word for this...

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. Interesting. A town ruled by sports