From my vantage point this does not pass the smell test.

TexasAggie_02 said:

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rockelle said:

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So the Mayor has to answer to you for private business matters not related to the City?

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The city owns the property. That makes it directly related to the city. Does the mayor own the cattle? If so, how did he get the grazing lease, and does he pay far market value for it? Sounds like he is using city property to extort money from the pilot.

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I enjoy a good old political shakedown! Rarely is corruption in government answered to!

What if market rate for pasture land is being paid? I have no idea but y'all sure want to burn a witch without knowing what happened.

Plus the guy in that video is a aero blogger and I doubt has any idea of whatever actual legal snarl there is. I'd bet a bunch of money no one is claiming emotional damage to a cattle herd, but hey the airplane guy in YouTube said so.

Which one of you Sherlock's tried to get Delucia to talk on the morning show? Good try but he quickly dumped you.

rockelle said:

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What if market rate for pasture land is being paid? I have no idea but y'all sure want to burn a witch without knowing what happened.

Plus the guy in that video is a aero blogger and I doubt has any idea of whatever actual legal snarl there is. I'd bet a bunch of money no one is claiming emotional damage to a cattle herd, but hey the airplane guy in YouTube said so.

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Why would the pilot lie? I mean, he has no reason to. If there is litigation ongoing, would that not hurt his case? Why make a public video that would serve to hurt his claim?

It certainly seems something weird is going on and the crickets from the Mayor on this is very interesting. Certainly strange that he supposedly has cattle grazing on land that is owned indirectly albeit by the city of Bryan. That sounds very fishy on its face, but to add a spotlight to the situation by not simply letting a guy get his plane off city owned land is extremely bizarre. Can we not at least admit that? Bobby is a good man, so this whole story is very odd.

At the very least this situation is very curious and I think there are some legitimate concerns. Some of us are willing to dismiss it because Bobby is a good man and others see it at least as a perception of impropriety. Maybe it is worth it for a reporter to simply ask some questions, to either prove Bobby's a good man or prove the impropriety. After all the job of Mayor comes with extra attention, it's kind of what you're signing up for when you run.

Even if he pays "fair share" fees, it does not "look good" for a Mayor to use public lands owned by Bryan for financial gain. An elected official must be above approach or the system fails.

Also interesting that the BBC bought 196 acres of land with a valuation of $5,314,383 in September 2021. How much was paid to broker this deal? Were tax payer dollars used to purchase this parcel of land? How long has this land been used for cattle grazing? How much money was made via this operation? Did it directly benefit the city of Bryan or did it directly benefit one of its citizens? Kevin Russel's name appears as the PO Box and apparent point of contact. He is in charge of the Economic Development for the city of Bryan. So perhaps he would be able to shed light on some of the questions posed. Perhaps this is far more reaching than simply a plane landing in a field.

Bryan Business Council Regular Meeting
Monday, March 13, 2023
12:00 p.m.
Bryan Municipal Building, Conference Room 305
300 South Texas Avenue
Bryan, Texas

Bryan City Council Meeting
Tuesday, March 14, 2023
5:30 p.m.
Council Chambers, Bryan Municipal Building
300 South Texas Avenue, Bryan, Texas

Tibbers said:

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Also interesting that the BBC bought 196 acres of land with a valuation of $5,314,383 in September 2021. How much was paid to broker this deal? Were tax payer dollars used to purchase this parcel of land? How long has this land been used for cattle grazing? How much money was made via this operation? Did it directly benefit the city of Bryan or did it directly benefit one of its citizens? Kevin Russel's name appears as the PO Box and apparent point of contact. He is in charge of the Economic Development for the city of Bryan. So perhaps he would be able to shed light on some of the questions posed. Perhaps this is far more reaching than simply a plane landing in a field.

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KBTX are you listening? How about Dallas or Houston news outlets... Here is your story.

BBC land deals are discussed in closed-door sessions, so details of broker fees, leasing, etc. are not public. It makes sense with respect to negotiating price and if I'm not mistaken, most public entities do the same. However, if the city itself sells or buys land or property, there is public documentation of who brokers the deal and some other details. Seems like the city has used a former mayor and local broker often so maybe the same person is used for BBC deals.
Edit to add I don't mind being corrected if I'm wrong. My wife points this out often. The being wrong part.

Lease or no lease, a City Official running cattle on City owned property is unethical and a clear conflict of interest. I would bet the City of Bryan's HR policies clearly state a City Official or Employee should not take financial gain from use of City property or something to that effect.

Moy said:

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Lease or no lease, a City Official running cattle on City owned property is unethical and a clear conflict of interest. I would bet the City of Bryan's HR policies clearly state a City Official or Employee should not take financial gain from use of City property or something to that effect.

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I wonder what it states too.

As for the plane being held hostage, this does sometimes happen in events such as this. If there was property damage, then it would be understandable. In this instance, it's open pasture, not a cultivated field with damaged crops. Worst case scenario, get a skid steer to recover the wheel ruts and re-seed. DONE.

Regardless of who owns, leases or manages the property, the FAA cannot allow this kind of behavior. There are so many issues this can cause if other landowners are allowed to act in this manner. Pilots are trained to pick the best field in an emergency situation. It's the second step of the emergency landing checklist. They cannot be worried about anything but getting the plane on the ground as safely as possible. If I have an engine out situation on my next flight, should I be spending cycles of my already taxed brain on a landowner's feelings?

Turn the plane over. Let insurance get the plane out to investigate the mechanical issue and handle any compensation claims later.

boredatwork08 said:

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Regardless of who owns, leases or manages the property, the FAA cannot allow this kind of behavior. There are so many issues this can cause if other landowners are allowed to act in this manner. Pilots are trained to pick the best field in an emergency situation. It's the second step of the emergency landing checklist. They cannot be worried about anything but getting the plane on the ground as safely as possible. If I have an engine out situation on my next flight, should I be spending cycles of my already taxed brain on a landowner's feelings?

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AGREED! ....And an open pasture is the best, safest option for the pilot and public.

The number of questions here are staggering.

Leaving the plane and why it can't be recovered completely out of it…

Where does the Bryan Business Council get $12.8MM from to buy property? And if it's a bank loan how exactly was it secured? What other property does BBC own or are paying a note on? Did the CoB purchase the property by giving the BBC access to funds? I mean it's not like the BBC isn't associated with CoB.

Who was the real estate agent and what was the commission?

Since the BBC is technically the one buying it, who pays property taxes? Are there actually property taxes? And are the cattle being used to generate an Ag exemption? What is that lease agreement? Is it market rate?

Some of these are public questions I suppose that could be answered by some interneting. Others? Who knows.

Perhaps a Freedom of Information Act request is in order