You're Being Fooled - Why the Arena Will Not Work

What has been written below is all my opinion and should not be taken seriously in any way shape or form.  Consider none of it to be anything other than my personal opinion on matters of public policy and public figures. 

Theme:  We are NOT Oklahoma City!

The big sales pitch being put on the by the Paso Del Norte Group (PDNG) is an almost unstoppable avalanche of media favoritism purchased through advertising dollars and good ol' fashioned cronyism.  Just check out the El Paso Times' editorial today where they all but call Rick Horrow (outside consultant whose expertise is feeding taxpayers shit sandwiches and convincing them that they like it - in my opinion) Jesus Christ.  You can read it HERE.  This blog is the only place you'll see any true, un-conflicted facts about what's going on. All press outlets have been bought up and told to shut up about any negative talk about this project.  You will be told what to do and you will not hear one dissenting opinion save for this blog.  You're being told the earth is flat and you can't do a damn thing about it.

You may remember last week when I told you about PDNG's desparate move to sure up YOUR TAX DOLLARS for a boondoggle that will only enrich the members of PDNG.  They had to part with some cash to bring in an "expert" who would do two things:

1. Give some validity to their scheme.  A scheme we've not even seen one artist rendering of or a plan of any kind.

2. Provide cover for the politicians who have been bought and paid for (you know who you are and if you don't stop this fleecing of taxpayers, I'll tell the world everything I know that I have kept secret - I will metaphorically set you on fire and push into the lake of gas and watch your careers burn into nothing - try me, I dare you. I will match your donations up to PDNG members along with every single one of your other connections to them and we'll let the FBI sort those out) .  The politicians need some cover so that they can ram this sneaky transfer of tax dollars to private bank accounts up taxpayers asses without them noticing.  The elected officials, who have already been briefed on what their duties are on this project, need to have a guy like Mr. Horrow to point to when questions are asked.  He's a slick out-of-towner - the kind of guy who has been making asses out of El Pasoans for generations. 

Mr. Horrow brings a sense of professionalism to what so far has been a backroom dash for taxpayer cash.  And don't you worry your little heads one bit - Mr. Horrow is a God damned bona fide lobbying savant when it comes to these deals.  A commenter provided us with the a PDF Download Horrow.  Take a gander at the portfolio of one the best in the business.  Most all of his "greatest hits" are taxpayer funded boondoggles where private businessmen used the public coffers as a draw account on their capital improvements.  Frankly, El Paso doesn't stand a chance against a guy like Horrow.  It reminds me of the ass kicking the Tiguas took from Abramoff.  You're about to get into an expensive little game that the taxpayer (you) can't win.

I told you before that the PDNG is a gathering of private citizens who want to use your tax dollars to build themselves an arena downtown.  The money is to be made in the designing and building of this arena, not the long-term operation of it.  More than $100,000,000 will be given to this private group to split up among their already handpicked architects, engineers, contractors, suppliers, insurers, bonders and a plethora of others who are all dues paying members of the PDNG.  YOU won't see a red cent of that money because you're not a member of PDNG.  When the thing is built and all the PDNG members have been paid, they'll let the city have the building back in exchange for forgiving any money owed.  It's a de facto $100,000,000 no bid construction contract dreamt up by, and given to, a group of people with powerful influence over the local government.  Talk about voting themselves generous gifts from the public treasury!

All of this is going to be wrapped up into a "quality of life" bond issue in 2012.  Literally millions of dollars will be spent to convince you to vote for this no bid construction contract even though it's not in your best interest.  Again, you'll have no dissenting voices because they've already all been purchased along with all of the politicians.  It's a top to bottom, fully homogenized operation at this point. 

In a perfect world they would have pulled this off using a "certificate of obligation" or some variation of that legislative tool, but the County Commissioner's Court balked on PDNG's request to have all Hotel Occupancy Taxes go directly to them.  This put the spotlight on the plan and the city had to abandon plans to just give private citizens $100,000,000 of your dollars in an up or down vote in front of council - without any of your input!  Now they have fast tracked a bond issue for next November... a presidential election year.  That's advantageous to PDNG because anyone will tell you that off year election turnout is usually bad for bond elections.  Slipping the bond by the voters who only show up to vote once every four years is a lot easier - they dillute the negative ninny voters who vote in every election and always against spending increases.   Had this vote been slated for may of 2012... it would have been surely defeated. 

As a part of the new pitch to sell you an arena you don't need, they're tying it to "downtown revitalization."  You may remember back in 2006 when the PDNG was shoving a "downtown revitalization" plan down our throats (I bought into it like an idiot).  Here we are five years later and the PDNG has done not a single thing to downtown.  And don't confuse Paul Foster's work downtown with the PDNG's plan - Foster acted alone and is still the only one to do anything downtown.  Too bad the city council is screwing themselves out of his charitable donation to redesign the park!

So, you're now supposed to believe that the PDNG really means it this time when they say they are going to "revitalize downtown."  I suppose you won't know if they're being honest this time since you have to "pass the bill to see what's in it" - if you don't mind me using Nancy Pelosi's words.  They could take your $100,000,000, build an arena that sits empty and not move a muscle on any other piece of property downtown... Oh wait - THEY DON'T OWN ANY DOWNTOWN PROPERTY, SO THEY CAN'T FREAKING REVITALIZE IT!!!!  Yep, there were several little problems with PDNG's plan back in 2006 - the Dipps and the Abrahams to name a couple.  Turns out they own most of the property downtown and didn't care for the plan and ignored it, just like they'll do when this plan gets approved.  You see, this only works when you own everything.  They don't own anything.  So, either they're dumb or they are lying - you pick.  Either way, they don't deserve your money.

Now let's get to this Oklahoma City comparison they keep making.  

We are not Oklahoma City.  We will never be Oklahoma City.  What happened in Oklahoma City with their professional basketball team was a fluke at best and would not have happened without the mixture of a lot of random elements including a hurricane. 

Read about El Paso and Oklahoma City from the latest census:

Oklahoma City HERE

El Paso HERE

Now, let's just say that we're not in fact in the worst period for semi-professional sports team in the history of our nation with more of them going out of business each month and nobody reopening teams to replace them... Let's say that's not happening and examine why someone might put a team in Oklahoma City and why they wouldn't in El Paso.

One factor - the first and only thing anyone looking to move consumer driven business to a new city is looking for - "median household income."

El Paso = $36,147

Oklahoma City = $42,181

GAME, SET - MATCH. 

Median household income for the United States as a whole is $50,221.  Oklahoma City doesn't get there, and El Paso can't even see that number from where they sit.

El Paso's median household income is the first, and best reason a consumer driven business like a semi-pro sports team will not move to El Paso.  You simply do not have enough people with the disposable income to make the math work.   Even if the team was really good at their sport and winning championships, their marketing was off the charts great and all other factors like location and transportation to the venue were perfect, there simply isn't the number of people with money in their pocket in El Paso to make a team profitable.  You need 50 eggs to fill the basket and El Paso only has 40.  I can not put it to you in a more concise, honest way.  I challenge Mr. Horrow or anyone else to debate me on this fact.

No team owner is going to ignore the facts on that census sheet and our median household income isn't even the biggest red flag on the sheet if you know how to read it correctly.

And let's not forget that the Diablos are a big fat money loser and the whole sports world knows it.  If El Paso won't go watch A level baseball where tickets are literally almost free, they aren't going to pay $25 a ticket to watch D-League basketball.  Hell, you guys won't watch the Miners even when they are winning.

If there was even a glimmer of a hope that any team in the world would be interested in moving their operation to El Paso they'd have at least one name to give you.  They'd be able to at least float the hope that the Johnsonville Wombats would start playing their badminton games in El Paso if you built an arena.  No names like the Wombats have been floated.  Probably because the only rumors going around the semi-pro sports world today are those of bankruptcy and contraction.   It's a bad time to re-test the "build it and they will come" theory made most popular by a movie.  All over the country there arenas sitting empty - what makes you think ours would be any different?

What about concerts?  You'd need 200 shows a year and they'd have to sell out to make the place profitable.  That is impossible on so many levels it's barely fathomable and pretty much just laughable.

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If all of that isn't bad enough, the bond issue will eat up funds that should be going to improving your free "quality of life" areas like parks and pools.  My friend Jim Tolbert has already been co-opted by this group and is pushing for "Proposition 7" which would basically take all the money away from parks and put it into special interests - special arena interests.  He trusts these people and they will make mockery of that trust.  Our precious few parks will turn to shit again, but we'll have shiny new arena downtown - even if it is empty year round. 

Somebody in El Paso needs to out in front of this, or you're going to have a huge tax increase that serves only to fatten the fat cats' wallets. 

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Or, the PDNG can hire me for $100,000 to make sure the bond issue passes.  Seeing as how I'm the only spike in the road, it's a small price to pay to have my help.  If these people won't stand up for themselves, they're just asking to be taken to the cleaners - I'll help you... for a price.

Comments

[marlon]

"i've seen Horrow, the Horrow you've seen !"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWLBljvEG-M&feature=related

[shaka con]

On your radio show you loved the PDNG and the downtown plan. What happened, did mommy and daddy miss payoff night?

[eileenk]

Mommy and daddy are not members of PDNG and never have been. David's opinions and observations are his own. It's a free country - everyone gets an opinion even shaka con.

[David K]

shaka con,

I admitted I was wrong about the downtown plan like three years ago. I was wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong wrong wrong wrong about the downtown plan.

I admitted again today.

[shaka con]

Yeah I know. I just wanted to point it out...again. You see David K...lots of folks...me included were against it from the beginning. My question is that as an intelligent and well informed person, how could you not know? It defies logic and makes me think that you THOUGHT the PDNG downtown plan had something in it for you or your family.

Please stop saying you are the ONLY one who recongizes or has discussed this issue in the public square. Plenty of people have and the powers that be are corrupt and will not listen.

I am glad you are on our side now, you are a good writer and have visibility. Keep it up....but keep in mind you were far from the first and in fact put down those of us who were against this boondoggle from early on.

[eileenk]

David never had "thoughts that the PDNG downtown plan had something in it for you or your family". Why would it have? Obviously PDNG doesn't fund projects nor do they own any buildings or land - so why in world would anyone think there was something in it for us? It's a high dollar Chamber of Commerce - that's all.

[David K]

shaka con,

I never figured there was a single thign for the family business 1. because we dont' do any of the kind of work they were talking about.

I did initially like some of the ideas - but couldn't stay with them beccause I saw what was unfolding.

I know plenty of people didn't like it. Lucky for them they never were able to execute those plans.

[i feel for you]

Chaka Khan, Hunt doesnt own land in the downtown area. David's family gets work from Hunt. Even though Hunt started the PDNG it seems to have been taken over by Beto, his father-in-law along with ex-PSB Ruben Guerra. Now the expansion and widening of trans-mountain is a whole other issue. Hunt owns the Cimarron development along with some other areas and so do some other developers. David's for that. Downtown gives them nothing, but if it did would he be for it ? That is the question. "Tell me something good."

[Texaswoman]

Sorry but I asked for the contract yesterday and questioned why it was being kept under wraps. Council members said it was a private contract yet it was paid for with tax dollars from the downtown management district and will require property tax, sales and other income that falls under the Texas open records law.

[WAYtooSMARTforTHIScrowd]

Given the fact that we already have: sun bowl, cohen, don haskin's, speaking rock, civic center, plaza theater, mckelligon canyon, abraham-chavez, coliseum and the convention center means that an expensive arena makes about as much sense as the McRib.

It makes about as much sense as these local "occupiers" - Flea Baggers doing whatever it is that they're doing. What are the Flea Baggers pissed off about, that Chico's isn't hiring because they already have enough fry cooks? We live in a town that recieves an unusually large amount of welfare and people are still bitching about other people's supposed greed. That is truly rich.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have this uncanny and sudden urge to listen and dance to synthesized '80s music.

[reality check]

http://www.elpasoinc.com/whatsup/columns/kappys_corner/article_f1f0629a-fffc-11e0-95e9-0019bb30f31a.html

Posted: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 10:24 am
By Steve Kaplowitz

Do not forget that declining attendance also was to blame for the sale of the El Paso Diablos to Springfield and the loss of affiliated baseball. When I spoke with Texas League President Tom Kayser a few months back about the chances of El Paso ever getting another affiliated team, he expressed his doubts because attendance at Cohen Stadium was so low those last few years. The loss of the El Paso Buzzards and failed arena league football teams are two more examples of El Paso's lack of commitment to local sports teams.