A bunch of people talking around the elephant in the room, as if not there. Ramsey, McGlone and Wise expressed happiness with things as they are. McGlone said he would not change one single thing in how he conducts himself, indicating an opinion of his capability that perhaps is not widely shared.
Bond and spend. Borrow and spend. All it needs is to fail once when played and played again.
It is a roadmap to a failed rental project in the failed Town Center, one that nobody but a handful of zealots unwilling to have a referendum wants.
Go figure why they are disinclined to put the question of moving the city into bankrolling Ramsey Town Center stuff to a vote of the people.
However - Would any sane contractor touch the risk of that turkey without being "incentivized" and free money and eager and willing risk-shifting to the public from the private profit-seekers is as much of an incentive as paying a politician a bribe can incentivize the likes of, say, a Spiro Agnew. Spiro was incentivized by brown paper bags holding tens and twenties, not in serial number order.
Flaherty from Indiana played the walk-away game, perhaps not a game I cannot know what his personal thought processes are, yet, instead of being called on it about watch out for the door knob, we know what happened. The other side not only flinched, it went paralytic-ballistic, if you can imagine the combination.
Lazan, his words on camera last week were that he "was told in no uncertain terms" that keeping the ramp-wrap-rental on track was "the will of the council."
I do not believe David Elvig told him that.
I do not believe Strommen, running for the seat then, told him that.
I do not believe Tossey told him that.
I do not believe Backous told him that.
I believe he was honest in saying he had been told that.
I believe McGlone was being wholly honest when he says he will not change a single thing in how he sees and discharges his civic duty as one of seven, on council.
Nobody confronted the obvious, and some were too ready, far too ready, to say let's from now on all sing Kumbaya.
At least McGlone honestly said, "No, not my tune."
That tune very likely will not be sung.
Funniest thing said all evening - the mayor, roughly he said because we're the HRA, and then the council has to vote approval too, we have checks and balances. Something like that.
Really.