Its time to start following the money trail to see what is really going on in North Minneapolis with a couple of the players.
1. Kris Brogan wants to open a pizza place in North Minneapolis. She lives in South Minneapolis and has no family living in North, she and Mick just pick North Minneapolis as the place to open their "dream". Kris knows North is having hard times, she helped open RS Eden on Broadway. They have lost of opertunity in South Minneapolis but they decided to chance it in North. Knowing all along they plan to not offer the serviced in the North location that the residents are needing and wanting, like pizza delivery!
2. Kris, a mortage broker for some of the biggest deal in North Minneapolis low income and supported housing in North Minneapolis claims she got caught up in the mortage problems the rest of the state did? How she is a mortage broke with a brother that is also in the real estate business?
3. Kris and Mick Brogan take out loans on their four plex in North Minneapolis after Kris looses an election for city council in South Minneapolis. They almost double the debt on the house in South Minneapolis.
4. Kris worked as an aide in Mayor Beltons office of city hall and knew all the ins and outs of the city. She more then anyone had the information available on how to navigate the city policies and what the city expected. Yet later when things got tough Kris turned on the city and it because their fault she could not run a business in one of the hardest parts of time!
5. Kris and Mick are warned prior to signing the lease at the 42nd avenue location that the landlord in trouble. They are warned that several people have had trouble with him and that the old Ric's on 44th across from her dear friend Duanes business The Warren is open, has plenty of parking for what the Brogans want to do and it would add to the the eat street imagine of that area because of Emily's and Dominos pizza, The Warren for shows and on and on. But the Brogan's thought they would "deal" with the troubled landlord on 42nd and Thomas and knowing their home in South was going to be foreclosed on they had their eye on a house on Thomas avenue. It looks like more planning went into how they could start their business without by screwing over the mortage company in south minneapolis, get a new house on Thomas Avenue in North, and plunk down a pizza place in a building that needed a lot of updates, a kitchen, and basically starting with a blank slate and starting from scratch. Is this a good business plan? An established area for food in an established restraunt with plenty of parking VS. a spot in the middle of a basically residential neighborhood without parking, a rental space without the right kitchen, and a known troubled landlord?? What kind of planning?
6. The pizza joint they claim took two years to open because of issues with the city, or was it because they wanted it their way and the heck with what was the right way? They open the business and right away begin to seak placements on local boards. Kris joins the ViNa board, she has a history of being deeply involved in the non-profit game in North Minneapolis so she know the rules!
7. Mick starts to terrarize the neighbor car repair business because he thinks the repair shop is taking up too many parking spots, but remember there is only on street parking on 42nd and Thomas and they had been warned about this. Mick also spends a couple of years building his dream without income? Who does that when they have a family to feed, mortage to pay, business expenses to pay for? I would say its someone who knew they had NO plans to pay off that mortage in South Minneapolis.
8. Within days of lossing the South Minneapolis four plex they had a deal to buy a house on Thomas Avenue in North Minneapolis. Now also keep in mind that Kris had her failed run for city council memeber as a republican also. Was this a planned move so she could gain a seat on the city council? Also magically they are able to find a house on Thomas avenue on short notice and one that the owner was willing to sell on a contract for deed?? Luck?
9. When the tornado came Mick and Kris go to the local paper, one that is not having public finacial problems and they hatch a plan to "help" this poor local neighborhood news paper? They offer Papa's gift cards for $20 and the poor local paper thats not publically having finacial problems will recieve $4 out of every $20 gift card sold. While this is going on Mick and Kris start to withhold the rent money on the space of Papas pizza, again Kris knows this is an illegal move but they try and bully the land lord anyway to get what they want! At the ViNa meeting its brought up that the ViNa board, using public funds should buy $200 in these soon to be defunct Papasgift cards because it will help two local businesses. Now Anne Kaari and Duane Atter are both voting members of the ViNa board also. Kris says she cant vote on this because she is part owner of Papas but both Anne Kaari and Duane Atter seem to have lost their voice of ethics as they dont make it know they have both invested over a $1,000 each in Papas recently, had menu choices named after them, and are close friends of Mick and Kris Brogan! So of course the motion passes!
10. Lets talk about the rental space that Papas was in. The original landlord had several run ins with the city and the rental court. Kris knew this from the start and because of her connections at the city level she also knew he was at the end of his rope with that building, do you think she had a plan for that building from the start? Then shortly after the lease is signed Mick Brogan starts telling people it wont be long and the building will be his but the landlord sells out to someone else with in months of Papas opening. The new landlord does not want to play ball with the Brogans and wont be pushed around by Mick, he has the ball in his court because they are now stuck in the lease and he does not have to entertain the Brogans on their wish list of changes.
11. When the gift card idea does not bring in the amount of money they had dreamed of they start to panic. Conversation are heard around the dinning room and the typical Brogan fights grow worse! The landlord wants them out and he wants them paid up in full but thats not the plan Mick Brogan has! They force the landlord to take them to eviction court and later to get a writ because they are not leaving. Only after all of this Duane Atter goes on social media crying how sad it is Papas is closed, how terrible it is that the city failed the Brogans! Ever hear the old saying "You can lead a horse to water"?
So now we have neighbors involved finacially with Papas and these good investors strech all the way from south Minneapolis to far north Minneapolis yet there is no mention of the fact that Kris has a brother Greg Maltby that has a nice size business and good income and he is not listed as an investor? Or that Kris comes from family money to the point that they even have the Maltby Reserve that the family has poored lots and lots of moeny into, it can been seen by clicking here: http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/reserves/maltby-low-common-nature-reserve
Check it out to see all the services this offers, its a great place and there is no doubt its a wonderful adition to our state however, why didnt the family of Kris Brogan get behind her and her dream? Bad investment maybe? Why did the community, already taxed by a failed housing market, crime, and a tornado have to step up to the plate and give more? Remember when Kris went to the media saying its was the communitys fault for not supporting them?
There is more to come so please stop back and check out the real story in The Brogan Files!
