Though he had every right to toss out a smug âI told you so,â Councilman Robert Clark wasnât biting. Five years ago this summer when members of the Winston-Salem City Council voted to spend nearly $1 million in a risky hydroponics farm â they later threw another $500,000 on top of that â Clark was the lone voice to speak in opposition. No one outside the fringiest, stingiest Scrooge-set could possibly oppose trying to alleviate childhood hunger, food deserts and providing job opportunities. But as a business proposition, dropping more than $1.4 million on such a venture didnât â and doesnât â make a whole lot of sense.