Just another liberal rant day so nothing out of the ordinary
I'll admit I have my own biases. I love infrastructure projects ie long-term investments. I'm a Big Fan of the Denver Zoo, for example, but although I care less about other cultural facilities I've always supported them b/c cultural facilities are important for many reasons.
Proposed $450M bond ordinance passes key Denver City Council vote over objections
Aug 17, 2021 By Ed Sealover – Senior Reporter, Denver Business Journal
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Despite objections from a number of the members of the community around it, the bond initiative to fund a proposed 10,000-seat arena at the National Western Center campus — as well as four companion questions — appears firmly on its way to the 2021 Denver ballot.
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It turns out there's a Full-On campaign to defeat the $160 million arena for the National Western Center. Representing the opposition from the Elyria Swansea neighborhood is a gentleman named Alfonso Espino aka Poncho Espino. Whether he has an MBA is immaterial I suppose but if you read
his opinion piece in the Denver Post it reads like an MBA level recitation of talking points that badly miss the mark IMO.
This campaign doesn't pass the smell test; it's pretty stinky. There are various ways how building the arena would benefit the Elyria Swansea neighborhood which have been pointed out to them but they're not buying. BTW, $160 million is not half of $450 million (one of the talking points) it's only 35%. What gives? To copy my own quote elsewhere:
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Hmm, I had wondered why the residents of Elyria Swansea would be against the new arena that would directly and indirectly benefit them? Now I know. It's the myopic, short-sighted and selfish urban liberal elites.
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Hmm, never heard this before....
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But Hancock and his council supporters since then have battled a chorus of complaints from neighborhood residents that they don’t want the arena and would prefer investment in housing, parks and grocery stores instead — a call several repeated Monday. CdeBaca accused city staffers and fellow council members of refusing to listen to residents who showed up to ask for rejection of the ballot proposal, and Swansea resident Carol Briggs went so far as to call the plan “a pattern of white supremacy in the city’s process” because the largely minority community is being told by powerful developers how it will be improved economically.
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I don't think these people understand how government works. This bond issue doesn't target $160 million to each of Denver's 78 neighborhoods; that would be a whopping $12+ billion. This bond proposal is for $450 million. If the arena isn't built there is no substitutes and no benefits. To again copy what I've stated elsewhere:
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Building a new arena is exactly the type of investment that governments do. 1st of all, it does happen to be a critical piece for the new National Western Center. 2nd, it would be a boon to all schools throughout the city. It could accommodate not only concerts but all manner of events that residents throughout the city as well as those that live in the city center could enjoy.
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One good idea is that once the new arena is built to then use the (renovated) Denver Coliseum for Public/Farmer's Markets. But the city can't just hand those benefits to only one neighborhood exclusively although in all likelihood Elyria Swansea would be ideally positioned to hold and benefit from such events.
Summary
While a new arena could be enjoyed by residents throughout the city, there's only one neighborhood, Elyria Swansea, that is likely to see direct and indirect economic benefits. But somehow or perhaps someone has convinced them otherwise and it makes NO sense.
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