Good Bye Civic Center

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by TulsaSooner

quote:Originally posted by Double A

That and he pulled himself up by his own bootstraps instead of marrying into money.

If you're referring to Mayor Taylor, my recollection is that she did the exact same in going from poverty to a law degree.....long before she married anybody.

I could be wrong on that but I seem to recall having read that story somewhere.

Well that was the card her campaign ads played.  She also referred to herself as a "single mother" in her ads, which at the time of the ads was patently false.  She conveniently skirted the issue of being married to Lobeck all along, at least in her public advertisements.

Too bad they throw away the signature registers after elections, she'd have never been mayor if they saved them for ten years.  There again, we'd likely still have Mayor Bill, I'm not sure that would have been much better.

[TulsaSooner]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

Well that was the card her campaign ads played.  She also referred to herself as a "single mother" in her ads, which at the time of the ads was patently false.  She conveniently skirted the issue of being married to Lobeck all along, at least in her public advertisements.

I believe that was in reference to her much younger days as a single mother, prior to her marriage to Bill Lobeck.

[Wilbur]

quote:Originally posted by Hometown

I for one am disappointed that our mayor did not seek public input, has not been forthcoming about all the details of the deal, and has asked the city to bypass competitive bidding.

I also found it strange the Mayor was requesting sole source on the banking surrounding the new city hall purchase.  Why?  The deal is too complex?  What does that mean?  Only one banker in town knows how to deal with what's cooking?  Then that ought to tell you something.  And who is the sole source going to?  Can you say F&M?  

quote:My first impression of Taylor was that she governs by consensus and that she would routinely seek public input.  I thought we had a mayor that believed in transparency.  I hope this episode was an aberration.  

Like what else has been transparent?  Perhaps the search for a new police chief?  All those citizen committees that were formed?  Oh, that's right.  No one allowed imput.  Even hired an outside firm so as to avoid open records.  Even hired an outside attorney to avoid open records.

quote:I am also disappointed that the Tulsa World didn’t print any criticism of the deal until today, the day of the council vote.  They need to add some weight to their claim of being balanced.

The Tulsa World has given her a free ride since she got in office.  And who ever claimed the Tulsa World was balanced?  Surely you jest?

[RecycleMichael]

I think the council is going to vote 7 to 2 to approve the motion to buy this building and move city hall.

I could be wrong, but most of the councilors seem to have found enough reasons to vote yes.

They did their due diligence, and voted accordingly.

[RecycleMichael]

I was wrong. It was an eight to one vote.

It shows I don't know nothing.

[Double A]

quote:Originally posted by recyclemichael

I think the council is going to vote 7 to 2 to approve the motion to buy this building and move city hall.

I could be wrong, but most of the councilors seem to have found enough reasons to vote yes.

They did their due diligence, and voted accordingly.

They all seem to still have misgivings and concerns about this, but decided to throw caution to the wind. It makes me wonder about the extortion and arm twisting going on behind the scenes.

[Rico]

^

You mean you twisted arms and bribed people and still lost...?

bummer man...!

Better luck next time.

[}:)]

[ifsandbuts]

Ahh, now that's good TV...
Well, the motley crew speaking in opposition had to be a big boost to the mayor's cause, especially when you compared it to the impressive and diverse group speaking in favor. Mike Bates was definitely the only voice of reason in the group (and man, I sure never thought I'd be typing THAT!), and he ended up giving more reasons for the move than against it. I figured James Alexander sealed the deal when he told them he might not be able to come to the council meetings if parking was more expensive...you could almost see the little wheels spinning as they weighed the prospect of City Council meetings without all of the resident whackos who speak every week -- since most of them are unemployed, they won't be able to pay for parking! Woot! (Ignoring the fact that parking is mostly free at night.)
And it was hysterical that every councilor who referenced the speakers made a point of praising "those who came down here to speak in favor."

[Double A]

quote:Originally posted by Rico

^

You mean you twisted arms and bribed people and still lost...?

bummer man...!

Better luck next time.

[}:)]

C'mon, a poor greaser like me? The best I can do is piss & moan and hope something gets through.

[Wilbur]

It's funny.  Bill Christiansen on Wednesday night news was saying "...I'm a conservative business man....." and how this purchase didn't make sense.  I guess he is no longer a conservative business man.

[Hometown]

I sincerely hope this is a positive development for Tulsa.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by recyclemichael

I was wrong. It was an eight to one vote.

It shows I don't know nothing.

Ahhh, but you were right.  Christiansen retracted his "no".  I think he retracted just so you would be wrong.

Aside from my other mis-givings about certain bonuses to consultants and the haste in making this happen, my biggest rub was the speculative financing with the whole leasing deal.  Since they are now required to find a third-party master lessee (sp?) in order to close the deal, I'm satisfied about the financing.

Our other options were to figure out how to renovate the present dump or to build another city hall.  We would have to deal with old city hall at one point or another.

If nothing else I'll get pleasure out of it by listening to Hometown cry about the loss of "old" City Hall.

[TulsaSooner]

A comment on the "bonus" to Staubach if the deal goes through.  That isn't a bonus but rather their "commission" on the sale since they are some type of broker, right?  Is that how that is supposed to work?

If so, I still don't automatically jump to the shady, conspiracy theory side but I can see how those two function should not be done by the same company.  I'd like to know a little more about that part of it.  Not that it will change anything, but to satisfy my curiosity.

[cannon_fodder]

Funny that they all had trepidations with the deal and nearly all vote yes anyway.  The requirement they put on it is an enormous joke.  Then again, as with most things in this city, what the good ole' boys propose usually comes through in the end.

I really hope this turns out well.  If they do not get something done with the old city hall by the next election everyone who voted YES should be kicked to the curb.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur

It's funny.  Bill Christiansen on Wednesday night news was saying "...I'm a conservative business man....." and how this purchase didn't make sense.  I guess he is no longer a conservative business man.

I should run against him next round. Of course I need to get a successful business that could benefit from my position in office first.