This video clip of the commission meeting on June 21, 2010 is worth studying.
We saw how Mayor Deke tried to prevent Commissioner Alvin Mason from moving to fire Administrator Fred Russell earlier this week
. Here is an example of how chatty and helpful he can be when it's a motion he likes (or maybe even wished into existence).
Watch Commissioner Joe Jackson make his prepared motion to task Administrator Russell to come up with a financial plan with Ripken Baseball for the building of a new stadium. It's kinda cute how he ends with "and I put that into the form of a motion." Reminds me of grade school book report endings, "and that's my book report."
Commissioner Johnson comes in with his idea to make it not site specific. He says his constituents don't want it downtown and how about making it not site specific and how about making it not a financial plan? Sounds costly. This is interesting to me for these reasons:
1. Johnson's district is partly downtown and poor so why would they prefer a stadium on Riverwatch which isn't even on the bus route?
2. Making the plan not site-specific seems to me to take away the possibility of this report from the administrator leading into a bond referendum which would be a popular vote by taxpayers on whether or not to fund this venture.
3. Johnson also voted this week not to fire Administrator Russell, which allowed Commissioner Aitken, a Dream Team member, friend of Deke's, and white commissioner of another poor black district who is up for reelection, to vote to fire Russell and escape the wrath of his constituents while keeping Russell safe. (Aitken when asked before the administrator vote how he would vote said was unable to decide until he had some discussions.)
4. It doesn't seem genuine for him to think it wouldn't be a financial talk. What else would it be? I predict it will have financial bits to it.
Now Deke steps in with an ad for Ripken baseball. Then he goes to Commissioner Bill Lockett.
Lockett mentions the suggested possibility that the stadium would be in his district at Regency Mall, but that he knows that would never happen. He also mentions that inner city kids, one of Ripken Baseball's concerns, wouldn't be able to get to a game on Riverwatch. Also, that "there's no way that this is someting that is not going to be a cost to the taxpayer. If it wasn't going to be a cost to the taxpayer, the Ripken people could go out and buy the property and build without consultation from us. All they'd need to do is go to zoning and make sure it's zoned properly."
Now Jackson says he wants to amend the wording (he mentions not being sold on bonding which would be the popular vote). He doesn't manage to get the wording out, but Deke jumps right in to help and writes the motion before our very eyes. Jackson says, "correct." But Jackson didn't realize that he wasn't quite there yet, I guess. Deke continues to write the motion. Jackson says, "correct," again.
Now Deke says they have a motion and a second. Not sure if that was a statement or a question. Lockett asks to hear the motion again since it was never really heard in its entirety yet.
The clerk reads it back. Deke goes for the vote. Mason asks to speak. He talks about needs versus wants and the fact that the city is nine million dollars in the hole. Also he throws in a pretty sweet mixed metaphor about a horse and a throat. He mentions that Ripken could come to the commission rather than us going to them offering land or money while we're slicing services such as fire and police protection along with teacher furloughs. He ends with the very popular stance that Ripken is more than welcome to build a new stadium with his own money, which wouldn't require special talks with our busy, or should be busy, administrator. (After all, he's managing the city single-handedly according to those who voted to keep him although he's messing up because no one, including his two highly-paid deputy administrators, can manage it.)
Commissioner Grady Smith also throws in the idea that Ripken should come to the commission to talk rather than us send our man out to him.
Deke breaks in somewhat agitated that no one complained about using tax money on Costco. (Another tell. Hello, Augusta journalists. This is going to cost us.) Mason counters with, "I did." Deke chuckles.
Now Commissioner Guilfoyle pipes in that his constituents do not want to pay for a new stadium. He agrees with Mason that it should go on a ballot for the people to vote on.
Guilfoyle says, "it's the people's choice. We're just representing the people." Sounds reasonable, right? Not to Deke. Deke very intriguingly doesn't seem to see that concept as a principle, but as an obstacle to be overcome. He answers that statement with, "well, and as you look at different financing options, public finance, if you did a bond issue, the people would have to vote on it. Tax Allocation District financing which we did with Costco was a different animal in and of itself," and on about how the Laney-Walker money wasn't approved by voters and could have built the stadium. "We did creative financing," and "there's not only one avenue to public financing." That may be true, Deke, but Guilfoyle was saying the people SHOULD vote, not how can we get around letting them vote. (Any time the people are asked about it, we get about 70-80% saying we don't want to pay for it.)
Lockett mentions that Costcos generally make money and stadiums don't, and that he's "not willing to gamble with the taxpayers' money."
Hatney said it was "unfortunate" that the mayor mentioned Laney-Walker because "that was a sell-off for the TEE Center." Deke said, "ok, if there's no further discussion, commissioners will now vote."
Again a repeat is asked for. The motion up on the screen has not even been adjusted as the motion has been. Grady Smith seems confused about it. Deke paraphrases in the sweetest way. Mason says, "that's not what's up there." The clerk says, "that's not what it says." Mason: "well, let's hear what is up there because it sounded a little different from what the mayor said."
Grady Smith still can't see the point and still thinks Ripken should come to the commission. Deke keeps selling along with Commissioner Joe Bowles. Deke says we're tasking Fred to talk. Smith says, "to talk. I'd vote for that."
The motion carries 6-3-1 with Aitken, Bowles, Jackson, Brigham, Guilfoyle, and Smith voting yes and Johnson, Mason, Lockett voting no, and Hatney abstaining.
Mason in closing wants to clarify that the motion he made weeks ago to get the vote on a stadium onto the general election ballot in 2012 was not illegal. And the wording left up to the attorney hasn't been arranged yet. It's not a dead issue. (In a presentation I made to the commission, I seconded Mason's desire to let these talks bring back the information needed to put this question on the ballot
, as a bond referendum if that's how it needs to be.)
Meeting adjourned.
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