A key member of the Confluence Partners, who is asking the Navajo Nation to give him a $65 million loan to build the proposed Grand Canyon Escalade, apparently is unable to pay his bills in Scottsdale.
Rial Lamar Whitmer, who spearheads Partners, has several outstanding parking tickets that date back to 2004. The batch of Whitmer’s cases, according to records at Scottsdale City Court, was sent to tax intercept in February, 2016.
A tax intercept, according to http://rrtrainingcenter.com/module/tax-intercept-arizona, “is an optional module designed for use in the state of Arizona only. This module facilitates the collection of funds from debtors by intercepting funds (tax refunds, lottery winnings) to pay off debt.” Of four parking tickets, records show Whitmer owes about $595.00.
The Scottsdale resident, a public-relations professional, had the Navajo Nation’s legal counsel draft the “Escalade Bill” earlier this month. Navajo Nation officials said Benjamin Bennett, Fort Defiance, Red Lake, Crystal and Sawmill chapter councilman, has yet to introduce the bill.
The partners, which received a narrow approval of its resolution at Bodaway/Gap in 2012, propose a $1 billion resort, stretching from the eastern rim to the floor of the Grand Canyon. The plan calls for a tram, hotels, a cultural center, a sewer treatment plant and a parking lot on 420 acres.
The plan also includes a 27-mile stretch of road to the site be paved.
The other members of the Confluence Partners include State Rep. Albert Hale and Michael Nelson.