Quote:
Originally Posted by Tornado
Thank you for taking the time to go and speak. I don't think there is as much opposition to this as the media/usual detractors would make you think. Did you get that feeling in the room yesterday?
The Mayor just seems in over head at these meetings. She appears to take things personally too often and doesn't come across as a uniter in any sense. Her military style approach doesn't work.
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I probably should've been counting heads because I was there for over five hours (and I didn't eat lunch plus no snacks allowed LOL), but it felt to me there was a decent amount more of those who spoke for Project Marvel over those who are against. There was Chef Johnny Hernandez (who has two restaurants in the current arena) who said that the Spurs always interact with local businesses and they've been great partners, but also a unionized lady who said she has worked at the Hyatt Regency since it opened and was against PM. There was also a lady named Susan Strawn who lost to Dr. Sukh Kaur in the runoff who spoke for several minutes against it as she did in the campaign debates, and it kind of went back and forth between supporters speaking and opponents speaking. And then those who said they were not against the Spurs and growth, just using public monies for private development. So ultimately a lot of different voices and different opinions, but it was a packed house.
I left by around 5pm and watched some of the session at home which kept going into public comment 'till 8. Two councilwomen, Phyllis Viagran and Misty Spears indicated support for the vote, but by that point I started drinking with my dinner and fell asleep so I can't say how anybody else felt LOL.
I think Mayor Jones is just trying to do her part in making an equitable deal out of this. It's a big reason why she won. She opened by asking some of the council who had the "community sessions" if they went and one I believe said she wasn't notified in advance and she had a prior arrangement (wouldn't it be the due diligence to touch base with the district rep to get them at the meeting?). I believe Mayor Jones posed that query prior to the Spurs team explaining the proposal. At one point in the Spurs pitch they mention a potential of 1,900 apartments for the area and she asked how did they figure that number.. I did however, and I'm not making this up, hear at one point when her and Marc Whyte were talking someone sitting across the aisle from me call her a 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 which prompted some head turns, so she definitely has her opponents already. And if you read social media comments...well, say no more. This is the first time a San Antonio mayor who wasn't previously a City Council has been elected since nearly twenty years ago (Hardberger). Feathers will be ruffled.
Ultimately, being a San Antonio politician is a thankless job besides perhaps the free breakfast tacos. But the Spurs are giving a compelling offer; they are responsible for cost overruns and would be responsible for upkeep of the arena. Put that into contrast with the City owned Alamodome and County owned AT&T/Frost Bank/Bill Miller Center and that already is an interesting selling point. If something breaks, the Spurs are paying for it.
And, once again, property taxes are not being pulled to pay for this. It is hotel and car rental taxes. Hotels...and car rentals. Car rentals and hotels. Is it true some people experiencing homelessness rent hotels (more likely to be motels, as my family did for some time), and locals who's car breaks down may need to rent a car? Absolutely. But that isn't a majority of the time, in my opinion not even a slim majority of the time. It's people from Dallas or Houston, or Chicago or San Francisco. They're coming here, and if we were going over there we'd be paying their equivalent tourist taxes, too. San Japan is in a few weeks and they book guests all the way from Tokyo to fly out here, plus the expected 25 thousand plus attendees and workers in the area of HBGCC. If there is that willingness to visit a place, or any place, there are certain costs to budget in travel. And taxes are the price a guest pays. Hell, me taking vacations in Houston (because Go Spurs and Go Astros) there's all kinds of taxes in the last invoice I'm looking at; sports authority tax, downtown district fee, state tax, city tax, county tax...
But that's just how it works. They say there's two guarantees in life.
UPDATE:
Mayor Jones is going live with TPR's The Source and is saying it should be delayed.
UPDATE 2:
City Council majority rejects Mayor Jones call for delay and tells City Manager Erik Walsh to continue negotiations.
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