I was at the new Maywood Riverfront park, and there was a huge golden statue of an important-looking fellow. Who is he?

Photograph courtesy biography.com

The 15-foot-tall monument honors Rubén Darío, “the most famous poet of the last thousand years,” according to über-fan German Peña. The Nicaraguan writer, who died in 1916, never visited Maywood, but Peña says four years ago he and friends (including then-mayor Felipe Aguirre) raised $70,000 to build the tribute. In 2010, the FBI began investigating Aguirre for reportedly steering funds to pet projects. Just saying…