In a developing investigation, the Fate Tribune has uncovered potential corruption within the City of Fate surrounding the Lafayette Crossing development project. Recent revelations shed light on a series of covert maneuvers aimed at advancing the contentious project while stifling opposition and shaping public opinion.
At the heart of this unfolding scandal is the mysterious relationship between City Manager Michael Kovacs and Ryan Breckenridge, proprietor of “BRK Partners”. Breckenridge is allegedly pivotal in what Kovacs has referred to as “fire support” and “public education” efforts concerning the Lafayette Crossing development.
Documents obtained by the Fate Tribune indicate that City of Fate administrators were unaware of Breckenridge until the moment of receipt of his invoice, suggesting that his connection was not with the City in general, but with the City Manager directly. According to email correspondence, Breckenridge was not listed as a “vendor” in the city’s database and administrators had no idea what to do with his invoice. Nevertheless, payment for BRK Partners’ services, totaling $4500, was directly authorized by City Manager Michael Kovacs without explanation.
In an open records request (ORR) made by the Fate Tribune, we asked for a copy of the agreement with BRK Partners. Apparently, no such contract exists, according to City Secretary Vickey Raduechel. The sum total of the explanation for the services to be provided by BRK Partners is on the invoice provided by BRK Partners themselves.
The absence of any formal contract delineating the scope of Breckenridge’s services raises serious concerns about transparency and legality. Moreover, the direct authorization of payment by Kovacs adds further suspicion of a coverup to this situation.
Breckenridge’s services, as indicated on their invoice, state “Strategic messaging and external communications consulting services.” But a timeline of events clearly shows what those services would include.
The timeline of events underscores a concerted effort by city officials to control the narrative surrounding Lafayette Crossing development.
On January 9, 2024, Kovacs referred to the project as “…our Olympics” in an email to the city council, emphasizing its significance and outright stating that an impending public relations campaign aimed at “educating” citizens would be underway shortly. Kovacs’ refers to this campaign as “fire-support”, allegedly to provide cover and backup to the Council. This suggests a covert strategy to be waged against people who might oppose the project was deliberately formulated by city executives. As the primary vocal opponent of the project, the Fate Tribune would be included in this group … we assume.
“We have some things in the works for fire-support to you all. Justin talking with PR team Thursday and we launch public education post info Friday (likely) or Tuesday (latest).”
Michael Kovacs in email to City Council
On January 7, 2024, Breckenridge joined the “It’s All About Fate” group on Facebook. Some might infer that that this was prep work for the campaign that was about to unfold. Four days later, Breckenridge was briefed on the project’s status during a City Teams Meeting on January 11, 2024, organized by Luke Franz, attorney for the Lafayette Crossing developers.
On the same day, after the ‘Teams’ meeting, Ryan Wells, Fate City Planner, forwarded the development plans to the “Fate Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee Members”, via a blind carbon copy of an email to the council, indicating an attempt to be covert. One might infer that this too was part of the campaign as the development was scheduled to be presented before the Planning and Zoning meeting (P&Z) on January 18, 2024, and subsequently, the City Council meeting on February 5, 2024.
In email correspondence to the City Council, prior to the P&Z meeting, Kovacs states his assurances that the project will pass, albeit with a lot of conditions. It begs to question, what would give Kovacs such a firm belief that the project would pass without question? Did he have communication with P&Z members that was not recorded as part of the official documents? How would he know such things? Was the P&Z approval a forgone conclusion before the commission even looked at the submittal?
In a true Republic, every single member of the Fate City Council should be furious that the City Manager would take it upon himself to conduct a covert public manipulation campaign against private citizens or media … but apparently, the City Manager had no qualms about discussing this with the Council openly. This may suggest a mutual understanding and tacit agreement by the Council whose job is to oversee the City Manager.
The authorization for payment to BRK Partners without a formal contract, coupled with Breckenridge’s undisclosed relationship with the City Manager, and the apparent coordination between city officials and developers, raises serious ethical and legal concerns. The Fate Tribune would recommend the Fate City Council conduct a thorough investigation into the conduct of Michael Kovacs with regard to his contract procedures.
The Fate Tribune investigation into the City of Fate’s relationship with the developers of the Lafayette Crossing is ongoing and we are awaiting the distribution of additional documents, emails and text messages. As the controversy surrounding Lafayette Crossing continues to unfold, it is imperative that the voices of citizens and independent media outlets are not silenced by covert tactics and manipulation. The Tribune remains steadfast in its commitment to uncovering the truth behind this troubling affair and holding those responsible to account for their actions.
*Correction 3/18/2024 – We incorrectly referred to Kovacs note of “Fire Support” as “Fire Control” in one of the two paragraphs. We have corrected the article.
