Life Of Jason

I was listening tonight to SportsTalk with Art Hains and it just reminded me how lucky Ozarks radio listeners are to have someone as talented as Art working in our market.  Art is one of the “old school” announcers on the level of a Jack Buck or Vin Scully who can take a lame game and actually elevate it to the point it’s worth listening.  I know there’s been many a night where I’ve stumbled onto a game where I could care less for either team but listen just because of the way Art calls a game.  His knowledge of local sports is unparalleled and his loyalty to the Royals is admirable considering how much of a challenge it can be to remain a Royals fan.

The part that impresses me the most about Art is that when he’s hosting SportsTalk is how he is unafraid to express his views but do it in a way that doesn’t really make someone feel like he’s been running over them.  I’ve heard Art be very insistent that someone was wrong but still allow the discussion to be on a level that doesn’t sink into petty name calling.  His skill as a broadcaster is far above the average (or above average) announcer for this market and I hope that the folks at Meyer Communications realize how blessed they are to have Art in their fold.

If you’re a sports fan and you haven’t taken the time to listen to Art call a Missouri State game (or any other game) you need to arrange your schedule so you can hear it.

Robert Goulet has died while waiting for a lung transplant.  He was 73.

What I loved about Goulet was how he could allow us to laugh at him like in the Emerald Nuts commercial, a Weird Al video and the Naked Gun movie.   I like when you have a big star who’s not afraid to laugh at themselves a little bit.  (That’s why I like Shatner too.)

Rest in piece, Robert.

Anyone else love it when you’re watching a show and catch an inconsistency?

In tonight’s episode of House, our beloved Dr. House had his Vicodin replaced with laxatives by Dr. Cuddy.  When Dr. H rushed into the bathroom..marked with a Men’s sign…he’s followed by Dr. Foreman who’s challenging House’s contentions.  Behind Dr. Foreman as he’s talking is…a tampon machine.  There were urinals on the walls so clearly it was supposed to be a men’s room.

Someone in continuity wasn’t on the ball that day.

The opening night write-in for National Novel Writing Month in Springfield has been set!  Authors of all stripes will be descending on Ziggie’s Cafe at 935 N. Glenstone starting at around 11:30 pm Wednesday night.  (According to NaNo’s rules, not a word can be written before 12:00:01am on November 1.)  The first write-a-thon will last until we all get too tired to continue or they throw us out!  It’s free to be a part of NaNoWriMo and I really would encourage writers in the Springfield area to take part in this really fun exercise of creativity, writing skill and crap.  (Hey…when you write that fast and are only concerned about word count you get some really bad writing!)

Don’t worry if you’re not a Patricia Cornwell or Stephen King or Scott Turow or Ron Davis.  The whole point is fun and the chance to meet other writers in the Springfield area.  We have college students, we have parents, we have grandparents and we have some really creepy Springfield area bloggers participating this year.

Just show up or if you have questions just e-mail me.

A big thank you to the folks of Ziggie’s Cafe for their willingness to host us this opening night.  There is a second write-in scheduled for later that day at a different location (5-9pm) and if you want the info on that just e-mail.

When I first heard someone say to me there was a stink in Jefferson City about Eckersley, I had to wonder what kind of bizarro fantasy league still had a team with Dennis Eckersley on it.

However, it’s the story of Scott Eckersley, a lawyer who apparently quickly rose through the ranks until he started blowing the whistle on some cover-ups involving public documents and e-mails.   As you can imagine, the left and right have already started their spinning about it because it either proves the Governor’s office is corrupt or that we have Jay Nixon’s group trying to discredit the Governor during an election cycle.  Both sides are shouting to the heavens and neither one is listening to the other…and the roar is getting louder.

I’m not shy about the fact I’m an independent conservative and as such will likely side with the Republicans and the Governor on most issues.   The parties are so polarized that it’s impossible not to have one party to which the fringes of the opposition will claim you belong because the idea of someone thinking for themselves is very foreign in political debate in 2007.  So while it’s likely I’m about to be lambasted by both sides on this I’m going to have to say that neither side has proven to me anything other than something is a little fishy in Jeff City.

The guy in question, Scott Eckersley, looks on the surface to be a top notch guy who lives out his personal beliefs and was dedicated to this governor and the rule of law.  I understand that we’re only really seeing the story that Eckersley and his lawyers are presenting to us at this point but there seems to be a lot of credence to Eckersley’s claims about his life.  Right now, the smears against him seem to be concocted and stretches of the truth.  (If you really think you can brand someone based on the spam e-mails they get, you’d think I was a hard core Hillary Clinton supporter.)  The fact they’re so detailed in the accusations in my mind lends credibility to the claim that these are being concocted to try and throw attention to Eckersley and away from the violations of the Sunshine law happening in Jefferson City.  (Kind of like when we bombed another country to take attention away from a little blue dress.)

The timeline that was laid out by several reporters does create serious questions about what went down in this situation and when it happened.  The claims we’re hearing laid out by the hard-core supporters of Blunt and the Republicans really seem outlandish in their scope because it seems to conflict with the rapid rise of Mr. Eckersley in the political structure.  No matter how much the Republican spin machine wants to try and say this is all media bias blocking their story there is still something wrong with the time line and the accusations versus the promotions.  These are valid questions and ones that deserve a rock solid answer (preferably in some legal action so it’s on the record.)

What really concerns me is that several Republican leaning websites and blogs started making a rather vehement defense of the Blunt administration and it’s staff before the story really began to take root in the press.   If there really is nothing here…if this is really just a disgruntled ex-employee…why the strong early defense and campaign to shut down Eckersley?  I understand it’s politics but if you really have a slam dunk against someone to shut down their claims you don’t have to be that aggressive in your defense this quickly.

Now, I’m not ready to say Eckersley is telling the truth and there is corruption on this issue within the Blunt administration.  I’ve known many people that had secrets and kept them for a long time without anyone finding out about it.  It’s entirely possible the Blunt administration is getting a bum rap on this issue.

However, as much as those on the far left and far right don’t want to admit it, there’s nothing proven conclusively on this issue.   The questions raised are valid and need to be answered in a public way under oath.  An investigation is warranted and justified here.  It also needs to be done quickly as to effect the Governor’s race as little as possible should the charges prove to be unsubstantiated.  However, we’re past the point in statewide politics that we can just “take their word for it” and go on from there.

Now, if only we could get moving fast on the investigations into Jay Nixon’s use of state vehicles for private purposes to make sure he really did pay back everything he owed…

Go Magazine was trumpeting the fact Springfield is apparently a test market and posted this:

“Yes, we are corporate Guinea pigs. Bruce Swisshelm, Jr., whose family’s business owned the local Burger King franchises until last March, says Springfield’s size and socio-economic demographics make it attractive to chains looking to gauge the public’s opinion on certain items. For example, Swisshelm says Springfield was among the first to see BK’s cheesy tots and new style of fries.”

Personally, I’d like to see our Springfield area Burger Kings actually have the toys in their kids meals that are advertised on the television AND shown in their windows, doors and on countertops.  I’ve had my order wrong six of the last six times I’ve eaten at a Springfield area Burger King.  My kids have never received the proper toy in their kids’ meals.  I almost want to see them charged with false advertising because they have up the posters and signage for a toy that’s their current promotion but do not give the toys to the kids or put up a sign to inform parents before they order and pay that they do not have the advertised toy.

It’s as if the new owners of the Burger King franchises in Springfield could care less about the kids who come in and the parents who bring them.

Today’s News-Leader has a story about a group of students at Missouri State University that wanted to show their high level of intelligence and their concern for the community by holding up large signs with the “F” word.  The students say they were concerned about “censorship” and they took issue with the fact the University wanted to show some common courtesy for people passing by an open-air concert and not have them sing the “F” word where some people who could be offended by it would hear it.  This is simple, common courtesy for other people and apparently something that these students lack within themselves.

I’m against censorship in all ways.  This request by the University was not censorship.  The band was free to play, the band was free to express their angst or other thoughts and the band was free to use other profane words.  They asked they not use one word and suddenly these students want to come out and slam the University for advocating censorship.  It’s small-minded, short-sighted and unfortunately a hallmark of what’s happening in society today.

We have a large group of younger people who have been raised to hear they have the right to do whatever they want whenever they want and if someone stands in their way they should yell and scream like a two year old who’s been told he can’t watch Spongebob Squarepants.  They’ve seen the antics of activist groups over the last decade who when confronted with their bad behavior turn around and point the finger at someone else to say they have to do what they do because someone else is a homophobe/trying to censor them/not listening to them.  Respect for others is something that gets thrown out the window because these “spoiled children” are not getting their way.

Now, there’s a place for protest and it’s a vital part of our political system.  Protests through the years have raised awareness of vital issues and forced society to look at issues that it did not want to face.  However, the most effective protests are the ones that did not include violence and vulgar activity.  Dr. Martin Luther King would not be sitting around holding a sign with the F-word.  He would have found a way to get attention to even the most distasteful subject (in the eyes of the ruling majority) using language and ways that are like that of the majority.

Maybe we’ve reached the point where protesters are less concerned with making others believe what they want to believe than they are with offending people and calling attention to themselves.  These students certainly did the latter.  Other local activists like Code Pink act the same way.

My question is would these students been as open to come out and protest if a Christian group performed on campus and was told not to say “Jesus” because it might offend a Muslim?  We’re quickly reaching that point at Missouri State University.  Something tells me that students would be out yelling the F-word in front of elementary school children would also be the first to cheer those silencing someone yelling “Jesus” on the campus.

Free speech and lack of censorship is either universal or it’s not.  You can’t cry for open speech on one side and not the other.  However, does anyone really want that?  These days, I can’t see a protest like we saw at MSU and think we do.

Desdinova and Strannix both tagged me with a “meme.”  I’m not a big fan of these kinds of things but I’m guessing it’s some kind of rite of passage for blogging so I’ll take a crack at it.

You can leave them exactly as is.

You can delete any one question.

You can mutate either the genre, medium, or subgenre of any one question. For instance, you could change “The best time travel novel in SF/Fantasy is…” to “The best time travel novel in Westerns is…”, or “The best time travel movie in SF/Fantasy is…”, or “The best romance novel in SF/Fantasy is…”.

You can add a completely new question of your choice to the end of the list, as long as it is still in the form “The best [subgenre] [medium] in [genre] is…”.

You must have at least one question in your set, or you’ve gone extinct, and you must be able to answer it yourself, or you’re not viable.

Then answer your possibly mutant set of questions. Please do include a link back to the blog you got them from, to simplify tracing the ancestry, and include these instructions.

Here is the ancestry of the meme, as it is traced back from me:

My great-great-great-great-great-grandparent is Flying Trilobite and the Hellfire Club.
My great-great-great-great-grandparent is A Blog Around the Clock.
My great-great-great-grandparent is archy.
My great-great-grandparent is Why Now?
My great-grandparent Rook’s Rant.
My grandparent is Blue Girl, Red State.
My parents are Desdinova and Welcome To The Revolution.

And, here be my submission/admission:

The best “bad” movie in action/adventure is Under Siege.

The best heavy metal cover of a non-heavy metal song is Bob Seger’s “Turn The Page” by Metallica.The best “bad” movie in horror: Cube

Best “electric” Dylan song: ““Like A Rolling Stone.”  

Best TV Show parody on a sketch comedy show: Jeopardy! on SNL

I’ve been taking in the fallout of the Arena Site situation with the City Council and I’ve really begun to wonder about some pockets of our community and their continual negative comments toward John Q. Hammons.  I really didn’t know much about the man before the situation other than the things you would hear on talk radio or read in the newspaper but it seems to be that John Q. Hammons is not a man that really should be held up for the level of scorn that is coming his direction.

Here is John Q. Hammons…a man that didn’t grow up rich.   He went to junior college and then Southwest Missouri Teacher’s College (now MSU) and  taught for a few years before World War II changed his life as it did so many others.  He took a job with a construction company and saved his money to invest in the stock market and began to amass his fortune.  He went on to develop his very successful company and in the process helped bring things to our community like Hammons Field, the new arena at MSU and many other landmarks.  The hospitals have all benefited from his donations.  There is a solid track record showing that John Q. Hammons has given back a lot to his community.

I hear critics insulting him for the statue of himself along John Q. Hammons Parkway.  They’ll deride the fact his name is on buildings or streets.  What’s so wrong with that?  The man has earned the right to do it through his business acumen and wisdom.  If he wants to name a building after himself or his wife or the Easter Bunny he’s earned the right to do it.

Critics will say that John Q. Hammons gets unfair advantages in projects in the City of Springfield and southwest Missouri because of his money and influence.  Again, I ask, what’s so wrong with that?  If the man built his business and did so in a way that he set himself up for other business advantages then that’s just simply good business.   He was smart enough to look a year, five years, ten years down the road when those around him was focused only on the here and now.  I don’t think a man should be held up for scorn because he simply knows business better than many others in his field.

His critics almost remind me of kids in junior high school who always pick on and make fun of the “smart kids.”  They do whatever they can to socially ostracize those children into being less “smart” and not work as hard to excel so that it doesn’t make the other kids look as bad when they don’t work hard for good grades.   In this case, it’s the guy who made himself a millionaire many times over who is having flaming arrows shot in his direction because he dares to use his business sense to the best of his ability and he’s succeeding in ways that many people can only dream.

Finally, the part that confuses me the most about John Q. Hammons critics is that the majority seem to be self-identifying as “conservative” or “Republicans.”  Isn’t the core of the conservative Republican belief system that we as a people should take personal responsibility for our actions and how we go through life and work hard to make our lives better for ourselves, our families and ultimately our communities?  Doesn’t a true conservative think that a businessman playing with the rules given to him by the governmental officials should do whatever they can to be successful?  Of course!  The goal of all of us is that better life for our families while doing things to make the community better for everyone.  You cannot say that John Q. Hammons hasn’t done exactly that.   Maybe that’s why he’s receiving so much scorn from some pockets of our community…he’s doing what they want to be doing but can’t do it themselves.

Now, I can see the nasty e-mails and comments already coming from some corners of the town.  I’ll be vilified as blind or naive or a puppet of Hammons and the city.   I’ve never met John Q. Hammons and likely never will because I don’t see “John Q. Hammons Local Blogger Day” happening at University Plaza any time soon.  I am just trying to take an objective look at the situation, step back from the heated rhetoric and see what has solid ground and what’s just built on shaking sand.  I just can’t see any basis for the anti-Hammons attitude that many are displaying around the community right now.  It’s just not there.  I’m sorry if that makes some of you mad but until I see proof that John Q. Hammons isn’t a major asset to this community I can’t sit there and pretend the bashers of him have valid points.

Tonight’s blog entry on the Springfield City Council is coming live from the council chamber itself. I will be posting updates throughout the meeting on events that happen in close to real time. The names will not be changed to protect the innocent…or the guilty.

First two things I’ve noticed. 1. The pornographic graffiti is still in the men’s room here at City Hall. 2. The city’s web filter blocks the Daily Audio Bible website. Apparently a daily podcast of someone doing nothing but reading the Bible is so offensive that it had to be blocked from being accessed like a pornographic site. So it’s funny…porn on the bathroom walls is fine, listening to a Bible podcast on the city WiFi is not. Forgive me if I think that’s a little backward. OK, a lot backwards.

I’ll continue to update throughout the evening so just stay tuned for updates.

Urgent first update….6:11pm. I talked with Rick Baier of BC Developments. He told me that Becky Spence is NOT part of BC Developments and did not speak for them when she addressed the council. Becky Spence was someone that BC Developments was looking to make a partnership with to do the deal in Springfield. Mr. Baier also said that the Springfield News-Leader’s quotes from him were accurate in that he did not get told by city employees that the fix was in and it was a “done deal for John Q. Hammons.” Mr. Baier said the city made a wise deal in going with John Q. Hammons’ offer and that once BKD backed out of the building proposal the risk became too great for development.

This does not bode well for a certain handful of people.

6:27pm Update: Local talk show host Vincent David Jericho shows up in a very neatly tailored suit and looking very dapper.

6:35pm Update: Denny Whayne arrives with Doug Burlison and John Wylie moments later. Had a chance to shake hands and meet Councilman Wylie but didn’t really get a chance to talk with him at length. Said “hi” to Councilman Burlison whom I’d met at the last meeting.

6:45pm Update: Found out that Anita from the City Clerk’s office…whom we gave mucho props in this blog two weeks ago…is blowing off the meeting now that she’s an underground internet icon. However, I was told she was ribbed soundly by co-workers so not all was lost. Gary Deaver arrives.

6:49pm Update: Cindy Rushefsky and Mary Collette arrive.

6:54pm Update: Had a nice chat with Councilman Wylie. He seems like a decent enough guy.

6:57pm Update: Talked with Councilman Chiles about taking him up on using the WiFi to blog live. Was able to meet Mayor Carlson for the first time.

7:00pm Update: Meeting called to order. Ralph Manley out of town but all other members present.

7:03pm Update: Consent agenda changes. 2007-321 moved to council bills for second reading. Agenda passes with change unanimously.

7:05pm Update: Jack Hembree and James Owen were sworn in as members of the Springfield/Greene County Environmental Advisory Board. Michael Babcock sworn in as member of the Landmarks board. Mayor Carlson thanks the men for their willingness to serve and praised the volunteers on all boards for giving back to the community. “This city was founded on the spirit of volunteerism and community,” Carlson said.

7:07pm Update: Bob Cumley responds with updates. Mr. Cumley reports he has no updates to a request from Councilwoman Collette regarding annexation issues.

7:08pm Update: Council Bill 2007-334. An increase in cap amounts for sewer tax bills and Sewer Extension Cost Recovery Fees. Councilwoman Collette asked if the reason the final 1% of the city that is not sewered is because of rocky and hard to manage land. Explanation: the cap was set for the standard size of a parcel of land. There has been an increase in the cost for the sewer for an average size lot in terms of construction and materials. Councilman Chiles asked about the success level of the program. Answer: the quality of water has increased and general health conditions have improved as well. Over 3,000 tracts has no swear and now less than 1,000 remain. Councilman Wylie asked if the low interest loans were available. Answer: The loans and cap limits are both available for people in need by contacting the Planning Department. Councilman Deaver asked how many citizens have taken advantage of the program since inception. No answer was given because they didn’t have that information available. Comment was added that in some older areas of the city some citizens have not taken advantage of the sewer system and are using septic tanks. Voted on in two weeks.

7:13pm Update: Council Bill 2007-335. The term sheet between the city and John Q. Hammons for the “Arena Site.” Mary Lilly Smith put on a presentation to the Council and those present regarding the business points of the deal. Ms. Smith provided a time line of the process for the deal starting with the October 30, 2006 deal with Missouri State that freed up the site.

December 7, 2006: Property disposition approved by Planning and Zoning commission

January 10, 2007: TIF Commission authorized First Request for Proposals

February 20, 2007: First Request for Proposals Due

March 13, 2007: City Council establishes Selection Criteria

April 9, 2007: TIF Commission sends out requests based on Criteria

June 5-6, 2007: City Meets with Developers

June 21, 2007: Developers respond to first request

July 2, 2007: TIF sends all four proposals to City Council

July 20, 2007: Three developers respond to second request for information.

August 3, 2007: Began to negotiate with John Q. Hammons and HCW

All four proposals had office building, three of four had a hotel (Opus did not.) BKD found an alternative site on John Q. Hammons’ land and that really swayed the deal toward John Q. Hammons.

Hotel 150-200 Embassy Suites, 7-10 stores, full service wrestaurant with room service, fitness center, indoor pool and indoor connection between Expo Center and Jordan Valley Car Park.

Construction begins in late 2008 and done in 24 months.

Deal is $7 million by September 2008. Requires to add 15,000 sq. ft of meeting space added to the Expo center.

If Hammons fails to come through with contruction by September 30, 2008, the tax abatement will be removed, the city can buy back the land for one dollar and the 90 foot strip of land that JQH controlled between expo center and arena site returns to city.

Criteria met according to city staff: No additional city debt, reduces car park debt by $7 million, retains high paying jobs downtown, enhances use of expo center and provides weather protected connection between car park and expo center.

Scott Tarwater from JQH, Opus Northwest and BC Development reps are there to answer questions.

Councilman Deaver asked about the tax abatements and asked for clarification. Answer: because the land is owned by the city, there is no property tax coming to the city. The developer will be paying tax on the arena site and car park under the TIF and will off-set debt on the Car Park. Councilman Deaver asked if Ms. Smith thought they could sell the car park and said one of the proposals had asked for free parking in the car park so it was a surprise that it was sold. Councilman Deaver asked about the shortfall on the debt. In 2007, the city had income of about $170,000 on the parking deck but the expenses were over $750,000 dollars. The city won’t be getting the income but they won’t be paying debt service on $9 million.

Councilwoman Collette asked about the $2 million debt on the car park and asked about federal grants that might be forgiven and asked for explanation. Ms. Smith said they’re working with MODOT and the US Economic Development Association to get a credit for other work done in the community or get their agreement that they’ve met the intent of the grant. She said they’re still working on that. Councilwoman Collette asked if that means the debt might not be as large and Ms. Smith said yes. Councilwoman Collette asked when the construction period ends and taxes on those items are abated. Ms. Smith said the time frame is two years and they might tie it to a certificate of occupancy.

Councilman Chiles said the land was taken via eminent domain and used for a greater public purpose and asked how this is meeting that goal. Ms. Smith deferred to an attorney. The attorney who answered said the purpose for eminent domain during the actual eminent domain process was public use and that once the arena fell through the reason for public use doesn’t even factor into the situation. Councilman Chiles asked Ms. Smith to address the News-Leader editorial about the process. Ms. Smith said when she did official requests for proposals she said they asked for best proposals with no anticipation as to the proposals. She said they had it became clear keeping BKD downtown and a hotel to enhance the Expo center and said they were “community priorities.” (How is an office building and a hotel really a priority for the average Springfield resident? I don’t see where it is. It seems the citizens really lost out on this deal because the average Springfield resident doesn’t get anything from this other than lower debt on the city. Will we get lower taxes out of it? I guess if the hotel actually pays decent wages a very small part of the community gains something.)

Councilman Chiles asked if they didn’t do a two part TIF process would the deal be different and Ms. Smith said yes. She said we would either have a hotel or office building (which we have a hotel!) Ms. Smith says the city is better off now than if they had gone forward with the first TIF process. She says we went from tax abatements and free parking in the deck to $7 million coming into the city. Basically, the second opening of the TIF commission was because they knew the second time what they really wanted from the developers.

Councilman Chiles wants Ms. Smith to reassure the public this was done in an above board manner despite the complexities. Ms. Smith said all the information of the process will be made available to the public at a point in the future after either the deal is approved or the money is transfered. Ms. Smith said that it’s standard that you do not do your negotiating in public because it would be cumbersome and would result in unfair bidding practices to the developers.

Mayor Carlson asked the city’s outside attorney to explain the process of sealed bids and why it’s worked for decades. That way developers make their best offer and don’t try to just inch up the other developers. The attorney said it was a three way transaction. It involved private participants, BKD and the city at first. The situation being awkward they put everyone on equal footing and asked for a dollars and sense proposal. After these were received the city was able to narrow down that hotel was realistic for the site and went back to all four and said they needed your absolutely best highest price for the land. In that process, the bids came in with Hammons at $7 million (which was $600,000 over the next lower deal.) The attorney said the price was increased in the second time around because of the closed bid process. The process was known to the parties. The Mayor asked if the attorney believed the city would get that price if the competition wasn’t there and the attorney said the city would not have had a hotel and still would have been saddled with debt on the car park along with ongoing costs on the car park.

Update 7:46pm: Mr. Scott Tarwater from John Q. Hammons’ development spoke to talk about building the all-suite hotel and restaurant. He said they are the largest developer and operator of upscale hotels. They operate 11 of the top 20 Embassy Suites hotels in the world. They are in the process of designing how to make the indoor connection between the Expo center and the car park. Mayor Carlson asked about total square feet. Mr. Tarwater said it could be upwards of a $40 million development with roughly 250,000 square feet. Mayor asked about the BKD square footage and Mr. Tarwater guessed it was between 100-120,000 sq. feet for the BKD building.

Update 7:50pm: Mr. Rick Baier of BC Developments reads his letter that I referenced earlier in this blog. Mr. Baier said it was a great development and that BKD is going to be extremely pleased with their facility from Opus Developments. Mr. Baier said he’s worked with Opus in the past and believes it will be a quality project. Mr. Baier said the city and the TIF commission should be commended for their efforts over the last two years. He said “a lot of media wanted me to reveal what sources I had that indicated to me that Opus and John Q. Hammons had the inside lane on this project. The city doesn’t have to be concerned about that. I complete all my own research and when it came time for the second response and felt we had answered 95% of the questions without responding which is why I did not take the time to go through that process again. We don’t feel that we’ve been mistreated in any way, shape or fashion on this process. We would have liked to be the developer but we’re not and we’re prepared to move on, sit on the sidelines until the extent or opportunity arises for projects in Springfield. We’re definitely interested in working with the city to those opportunities.”

Mayor Carlson thanked Mr. Baier for coming down to answer the questions and clearing things up. The Mayor also thanked him for being a part of the process and said that his participation probably drove the price up for the taxpayers. The Mayor said hoped BC Developments will still be interested in the community.

Update 7:55pm: Rusty Worley came to speak on behalf of the Urban Districts Alliance. Mr. Worley said the UDA was very supportive of the proposal. Councilman Wylie asked about creation of high paying job and retaining the ones we have downtown. Mr. Worley said that he didn’t have the numbers regarding how important office tenants are downtown. He believes this will create many new jobs downtown and will be a trigger to develop the downtown area and bring new technologies to the center city area. Councilman Deaver said many times communities they’ve visited build parking to use as a catalyst for downtown redevelopment and asked if Mr. Worley could have seen our downtown getting to where it is without previous Councils taking the risk to build the parking. Mr. Worley said that when you’re developing an urban area parking is the number one area of concern to patrons and business owners.

Update 7:58pm: Vincent David Jericho and his supporters quietly leave the Council chambers. Becky Spence had no comment to reporters at all after Mr. Baier’s comments.

Update 8:02pm: Carl Hurd speaks to speak critically of the deal. He commented how he’s not surprised the city is throwing away $2 million since they’re throwing away $1 million on the square. He brought up how much has been given away because of Wonders of Wildlife. He brought up how much the city miscalculated on the potential attendance for Wonders of Wildlife. Mr. Hurd said that OTC is asking for an 85% increase in taxes. Mr. Hurd said the library was asking for money next spring. He said the jail was overcrowded and the firefighters and police have needs and the city is eroding the tax base. Mr. Hurd asked if the city would stop using 23,812 R-12 students as pawns in deals with special interests. (What is this guy talking about? The city is doing nothing like that.) Mr. Hurd wants the deal tabled and a better deal for the taxpayers. Councilman Whayne said in 1975 John Q. Hammons started the University Plaza and all the development down there came because of tax abatements. He said thirty years later the process hasn’t changed. He said all developers ask for abatements. Councilman Whayne said they had taken nothing away from the schoolchildren.

Councilman Whayne said their first priority was alleviating the debt service. That “the city needs to be good stewards of the taxpayer’s money.” He said we cannot take a lesser deal just to get more developers into the city and eliminate the developer who played by the rules. He said if it wasn’t for John Q. Hammons that we wouldn’t have a lot of amenities that we have in the city today. He said he believes we’re doing the right thing and that the city shouldn’t be in the land development business. Councilman Whayne appreciated Mr. Hurd’s concern but said that this situation has no connection to OTC and to the library. He said these proposals would come up even if there was no arena deal. Mr. Hurd’s response was to ask why the city is building two more car parks after the issues with the first park.

Councilwoman Collette said that she hopes we can look back in five years and see a vibrant urban landscape. She said “we’re rebuilding our downtown” and thanked Mr. Carl for sharing his concerns and that she knew they would hear more from him. Mayor Carlson said for the record that the questions raised by Mr. Carl are valid and should be raised but that people on the TIF commission are on the library board and other boards so they know the impact upon them when making decisions. The mayor said “it’s a judgment call” but they have every opportunity to say “stop” but that it didn’t occur. He said the land isn’t generating tax revenue now but it will in the future.

Councilman Deaver asked Tracy Kimberlin from the Convention and Visitors’ Bureau for his thoughts and he said the CVB was hoping for a hotel on the site for a long time. He said that issues with the Expo center will be taken care of especially concerning the kitchen area at the Expo center. “It’s very difficult to do food at the Expo center when you have to cart it across St. Louis street,” Kimberlin said. Now, he said, we can offer quality hot food instead of box lunches.

Councilman Wylie asked about how a convention helps the overall tax base. Mr. Kimberlin said that there is no way that everyone could stay downtown for a big convention so it will help other hotels in the community and the increased traffic increases sales all over the city.

The Mayor quoted Shakespeare…”All’s well that ends well.” He believes the city is going to get north of $60-70 million more investment downtown. He says it will mean more business downtown and tourism into the local economy. He was glad the questions were asked and once the deal is signed that people can look into the process more closely if they wish. The Mayor said this is a very big part of what they’ve been able to accomplish downtown and a big part of the 20/20 program passed by the citizens. “With the culmination of the Heer’s building…the College Station…the filling in of this area site that Mr. Deaver said would be over $300 million dollars invested that we’ve accomplished what we set out to do downtown. If you saw what that area looked like ten years ago compared to now…I like to compare this to a dental office when there’s a big gaping hole in a missing tooth that’s now being filled in.” The Mayor also commended the city staff for making the deal happen and that it couldn’t happen without their efforts.

The vote on the Arena Deal passes 8-0.

Update 8:24pm: Council Bill 2oo7-295, Council Bill 2007-320 pass unanimously.

Update: 8:26pm.: Council Bill 2007-321. Councilman Burlison said the Wi-Fi downtown was not something the city should be involved in even though the pilot program was successful. He stated he was going to be voting no. Councilman Chiles said he respects Councilman Burlison’s position and says that public communications is part of the charter of City Utilities when it started. Councilman Chiles said that private business hasn’t stepped up to provide it and that it helps young people in Springfield and downtown business & that he would be voting yes. Vote passes 7-1 with Burlison the lone no vote.

Update 8:32pm: Council Bill 2007-323 passes unanimously.

Update 8:34pm: New business with appointments to city boards. You can read these on the city agenda at the city website.

Councilman Wylie said “everyone one of us is here because we care deeply for this community. We’re here to do the best job we can with the best information we can gain. We are here to give our time without getting paid but that’s fine because that’s what we are here for. I commend everyone involved because tonight we’ve seen democracy in action.”

The Mayor adjourned the meeting at 8:35pm.

OK…so the ratings….

Great: Dan Chiles
Good: Doug Burlison, Mary Collette, Gary Deaver, John Wylie, Tom Carlson
Neutral: Denny Whayne
Poor: Cindy Rushefsky, Ralph Manley
Bad: none

Councilman Burlison falls for his opposition to the WiFi issue. Mr. Deaver, Mr. Wylie and Mr. Carlson move up because of their comments on the Arena Site deal. Councilman Chiles moves up because of his excellent questioning throughout the meeting and his shout out to this blog.

I’m looking forward to hearing the comments tomorrow from people who were very critical of the city in regards to the Arena Deal. All the shoes have now dropped. It’s time for some apologies.