DONE DEAL. Flaherty-Collins' low-capital-investment, let-the-city-take-risk Ramp Wrap-around rental thing will happen.

It will be done to us.

The politicians will say "for us."

You heard it here first.

Any questions?

* * *

Here are the details. The basic deal of the city putting bond money at risk in a favored private capital venture where more city money is at risk than the adverturers' money, Mr. Flaherty's and Mr. Collins', should go unaltered, although expect token movement.

Ditto for their bank, putting a bit more into the first position.

My best guess, the city will still be at risk for more than Flaherty and Collins put together, at commercially unreasonable terms as to default and security, with a multi-million second lien behind a substantially larger first lien being basically an unreasonable box to put a city in from the get-go.

There will be a televised HRA three-ring circus, in the tradition of P.T. Barnum, this Tuesday, with the politicians knowing as Barnum knew, a circus impresses most if all rings are coordinated.

The real show will be untelevised, an open Monday 7 pm meeting where the next day's showtime will be scripted and rehearsed. It will be where Backous and Tossey will be pitched to on a let's make it unanimous for the folks at home watching, let's show patriotic solidarity for "Our Ramsey," etc., that being the effort required for the aim of keeping all circus rings coordinated.

I hope Backous and Tossey hold tough, and don't cave in to being pressured. The justification speeches will be rehearsed Monday, and if you show up, Lake Itasca Room, 7 pm Monday, again being the real theater, you can then watch Tuesday at home and hear the same politician-speak, perhaps in some instances verbatim.

How Backous and Tossey handle the Monday meeting, and then explain themselves on Tuesday after the regular Council Meeting boredom has chased away many viewers and the HRA show starts, will be an interesting aspect of the entire exercise.

I expect Mr. Flaherty and Mr. Collins and Mr. Cronk and Mr. Lazan all see that four of the politicians have not spit the hook, and will enjoy showtime.

Basic script: We hung tough, it might have flipped, [gasp!], but all sides remained in contact and in reasonable hard-fought negotiations, and we in that process gained tremendous concessions of great importance, to wit [here it will be token adjustments but with the basic deal of the city being at great risk with citizens being the ones at risk, and the provisions at play if Mr. Flaherty and Mr. Collins do not perform on servicing terms re the second lien position the city takes being ill-secured, and with the performance terms being lax as was the case from the start]. This will be characterized as a major breakthrough a city equivalent of D-Day. And it will be less. But propaganda is the package where often truth needs to be ferreted out. It will be theater.

CAVEAT: I may be wrong but I doubt it. There could be substantial change. But I doubt it. Most certainly, (as certain as I can guess not having an infallible crystal ball), is that it will be insubstantial change, mischaracterized for political purposes.

Installing Elvig as new chair of the HRA and giving him a part of a conference call between the players, was an interesting step in holding tight a four-vote coalition.


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One of the few Republicans with whom I exchange email, Gary Gross who publishes the Let Freedom Ring Blog out of the St. Cloud area, used a term once with which I was unfamiliar, "weapons grad stupid," and something last night at the work session meetings or afterward triggered my recollection of it. It is a fine term, which readers can remember and apply as they like.


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One interesting aspect of the HRA in work session, for the first I ever heard him acknowledge it, Jeff Wise wanted guidance from others on council/HRA over a conflicted situation. Given that his store will at its present location be kaput, (due to Armstrong relocation where he will be bought out by the public), and given that he now publicly tells others that he wants to relocate into a new Clown Center spot when/if it ever materializes; with that conflict of interest - he had asked his colleagues should he participate at the televised session. They gave no answer at the public work session where few from the public were then present.

Little and late. Now that Dave Jeffrey is off council and the seat vacant, a 3-2 vote can carry things so that Wise becomes unnecessary to holding a majority, and he now shows concern for not appearing to have a conflicted position.

Politicians do as politicians are, and belated acknowledgement after changed circumstances has a hollow ring to me, a bell of dross not fine metal.