After having a Florida-based firm run the inaugural Mother Road Marathon from Commerce, Okla., to Joplin, Mo., it appears the 2011 edition of the footrace will use locals to organize the 26.2-mile race instead.
The Joplin City Council instructed Joplin Sports Authority and the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau to put together the Oct. 9 marathon, according to the Joplin Globe.
Reinke Sports Group of Winter Park, Fla., organized the 2010 race. Shortly after the event, the city filed a federal lawsuit to extricate itself from its contract with Reinke. The city had been cagey on why it was reluctant to bring back Reinke, but the Globe article provided a few details:
But a disagreement took place when police organizations in the other states said they had agreed to give their services to help bring off the run believing it was a nonprofit or charity event. Dean Reinke was paid and then received a settlement from the city after a disagreement over his pay and who had rights to continue the event.
Also, a cursory Internet search also turned up many other problems that cities across the country encountered when they hired Reinke. It makes one wonder why Joplin didn’t do a little Googling of its own before Reinke was initially hired.
For many years, Joplin residents have been very frustrated in the way their local city government operates. A few years ago they floated the idea of constructing an expensive water park at taxpayer expense near Shifferdecker Park. Seems the locals pointed-out that the large facility would sit unused for nine months a year, and would take many years just to break even! A stupid idea that went nowhere.
Many local residents have made solid proposals that fell on deaf ears, including suggestions for the restoration of the old Union(train)Depot, claiming the structure was “unrepairable” and not worth the effort. Now they are hoping to find a buyer.
Alas, my hometown neglects to look within it’s boundaries for talented visionarys instead of hiring and contracting with outside companies who seem to take advantage of it.