The RFP, Part Two

Well, that didn't take long. The St. Petersburg City Council convened at 3 p.m. and was finished by about 4 -- and the first half of that was about matters unrelated to baseball stadiums.

By a vote of 7-1, with Herb Polson dissenting, the council approved the city's invitation to developers for proposals to redevelop the site of Tropicana Field. The Tropicana project is supposed to help pay for a new waterfront stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.

There weren't many folks from the public there, maybe in part because of the advance statements that there wouldn't be any public comment. Tax protester and City Hall critic David McKalip tried to speak, but was ruled out of order by council chairman James Bennett.

The next major step occurs on March 18, when the city will unseal the proposals that it gets in response to this invitation.

Comments

[guy]

I got the feeling I was watching an old movie that I had seen so many times that I knew just what everyone was going to say.
It was a good thing Polson didn't eat or drink anything they tried to give him before the meeting.

"The next major step occurs on March 18, when the city..."

... askes us "IF"... and I'm not saying we are... but "IF" we buy that blue car, what color upholstery would you want?

I need to go take a shower...

[Lawrence]

Well, Howard, the scoundrels, including two newly inducted members, did it again to the citizens of St. Petersburg. All in the name of "we are only gathering information." You know, I actually think they thrive on the criticism of their screw-ups and nose-thumbing to the voters of this city. I've never seen such a bunch of arrogant worthless clowns in my life. I am especially dissapointed in Councilman Dudley, who I expected to bring new life and reality to the council, turn into just another "yes man". And after only two weeks of being sworn in.

[Pro Economic Development]

People wouldn't have commented on the RFP constructively, they would have just complained about the ballpark. Plenty of time for comment when there is something to comment on....the responses to the RFP. As for the cart before the horse argument, find another excuse to oppose the project. In order to understand if there can even be a ballpark without using existing taxes, people need to understand the Trop's value based on the selected development program....all of which requires the RFP to be released!

Get back to work, Jamie... isn't there another secret land deal you can deny?

[guy]

Like I said before, the council meeting was like watching an old movie, that you’ve seen
100 times before.

Polson: (turning from Baker and looking at Musset)

“we still haven’t heard from your friend, over there”
Baker: “I wouldn’t mess with
Rick Musset, Polson”

Musset: “Don’t push it Polson”
Polson: “So your Rick Musset” “I’ve heard of you”

Musset: (standing) “What did you hear Polson”

Polson: “I Heard you were a low down Yankee Liar”

Lot’s of gunfire

[Kathleen Ford]

We are witnessing how the vast majority of city councils operate. They rely heavily on "staff" to guide them in both process and policy. Rarely does this City Council write
its own resolutions. Consequently, the City council resolutions are actually written by the staff saying exactly what the staff wants. Here, the staff RECOMMENDED approval of the resolution. Do not believe for a minute that Baker and Mussett are not behind approving this. Mussett could have resigned. Thus, far, the staff has not prepared a resolution authorizing the City Staff to spend tens of thousands of dollars to help the Devil Rays leverage their existing obligations into assets for the ownership group to sell later making a very significant profit at the taxpayers expense. This is really what this RFP process is all about. Gee, do you really think a reasonable council would have allowed the Devil Rays to play any series in Orlando if they had any idea the Rays were going to evaluate moving to other venues like Orlando or more importantly, use information gathered from that series in their anticipated upcoming threat to the City council that if the Rays do not get the new waterfront stadium (under their terms) the are going to move and the ensuing rallying cry from the Times that the City needs major league baseball (The Times that needs the sports section) to survive? Last year (without knowing that the Rays were thinking about moving) Council agreed (amendment to the City lease) to let the Devil Rays play in Orlando. Would a reasonable council have allowed this if the knew that the Rays were really exploring their options for how to leverage more money out of the taxpayers of St. Pete? Herb Polson knows exactly how the process should really work and this is not it. There is insufficient information and certainly no burning need for the City to rush the policy decision on whether the City council should sell off its current unpaid for city asset (Trop and surrounding land) and fork over all those millions of dollars to build new offices (and a stadium) for this baseball team blocking a significant portion of the City's spectacular and precious waterfront and importantly further obligating the City to subsidize this wealthy private corporation (major league baseball) even longer?

To Lawrence, (& kindred souls), a politician is a "yes man" when they disagree with you, and a statesman when they agree with you.

[Rose]

Forcing taxpayers to pay the freight for owners of MONOPOLY sport teams -- is unAmerican.
Sad that St. Pete and Tampa both fell for it.
These monopoly plutocrats then use their ill gotten gains to finance more lousy politicians to vote more rules to enrich the rich.
After 9/11 George W. had a solution -- shop and go to ball game to enrich his cronies who used being part owner of a ball team to pretend W. was a good "businessman." Poor JEB had to sell his part of a ball team. Charlie cut his legal teeth defending minor league baseball. They are bad sports in my opinion.
St. Pete should say -- go ahead and leave town -- after you PAY YOUR BILLS from the first sweetheart deals.

[Matthew Lawson]

To see how millionaire ball team owners line their pockets with money from the local taxpayers read two excellent books that expose the whole scam: Field of Dreams and, the other, Free Lunch
http://www.fieldofschemes.com/
this web site based on the book entitled "Field of Schemes"
How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money into Private Profit, Revised and Expanded Edition
Neil deMause and Joanna Cagan
"Field of Schemes" book publisher web site
http://nebraskapress.unl.edu/catalog/productinfo.aspx?id=673388&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
“Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (And Stick You with the Bill)”
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/18/free_lunch_how_the_wealthiest_americans