City officials at the PGA

[Townsend]

I'm sure this is common but it still chaps my butt when they can't name a business it attracted and the city officials had guests.

Please verbally beat me down if I'm being petty.

http://www.fox23.com/content/solvingproblems/story.aspx?content_id=3e08cb26-fba6-4a01-a636-61ee7233d820

TULSA, Okla.) September 4- If you didn't go to the PGA last month you might be shocked to know, you probably still paid for a ticket.  In fact, you paid for a rather pricey, VIP ticket.

In a special Solving Problems investigation, FOX23 uncovers details you should know about how the city is spending your tax dollars.

The cheapest tickets cost about $100 for just one day of PGA golf at Southern Hills. And while you may have been trying save money by staying home, the city was spending it.

Sure, it was hot at the PGA Championship.

One golf fan says, "real hot, real hot. You just continuously sweat.  Even standing in one spot you just sweat."

But on the course, close to the action, is where true golf fans want to be, right?

One fan says, "we found a shade tree and it is very good."

Well what if you found out about a spot on the course that's air-conditioned and catered?

Golf fans we talked to never heard of it and most of you didn't see it even though part of it was paid for with your tax dollars.

It's the VIP tent the city bought to host potential new businesses.  But it wasn't cheap.  

Our Solving Problems team uncovered an invoice showing the city paid the Convention and Visitors Bureau $80,000 in tax dollars for part of the luxury tent.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau says it all pays off in the long run.

Suzann Stewart with the CVB says, "the economic impact is extraordinary. (It helps in) increasing jobs, increasing revenues and providing high paying jobs."

But those pricey tickets weren't just for business execs. Tax dollars also paid for city officials and their personal guests to attend.

Our Solving Problems team also discovered an email, between the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the city. It explains that twenty tickets every day went toward city officials and their personal guests.

When we requested a guest list, the mayor's office gave us a list of ten names each day. But a spokesperson for the mayor's office couldn't identify some of the names or why those people were invited.

The mayor said city officials needed to be close by to answer questions and talk business.

The city spent thousands of tax dollars before at the U.S. Open in 2001 and at the LPGA tournaments during the past few years.  

But the question is where is the payoff officials are talking about when in the past year alone businesses like Dollar-Thrifty, Citgo and American Airlines left Tulsa or cut jobs?  

We asked the mayor to point to one specific example of new business that's come to Tulsa because of deals made at the golf course.  A spokesperson for the mayor did not return our calls or emails.  

Some golf fans wanted to know why the city officials were benefiting from tax dollars.

The city also purchased a similar tent for the LPGA tournament earlier this year.  We discovered invoices for about $40,000 to pay for a private suite, VIP tickets, food and drinks. A spokeswoman for the mayor's office told me she couldn't provide us with a guest list for that event.

Meantime the Tulsa Metro Chamber says hosting the PGA has long-term economic impact. It expects $100 million in new business from new conventions and sports events.

[cannon_fodder]

First, I love the BS numbers thrown around about economic impact.  Where the hell do those numbers come from anyway?

Second, it was a wise move to invite and fund potential business interests to attend the event in Tulsa.  If just one of them decides to do business in Tulsa or mention it to someone who does ("Yeah I was there for the PGA a few years back, nice town...) it pays off quickly.  However, I question the need for city officials to bring personal guests and I would be interested to see what city officials needed to be close for questions.  

When government gives out such perks, they should be so very crystal clear of what they are doing that people are annoyed by their transparency ("We get it already!"), not uncovered by a media outlet looking at receipts.

[sgrizzle]

Why wasn't the chamber paying for the tent?

[YoungTulsan]

Hobnobbing and kissing donkey of rich folks costs money.  Asking what deals were made in a VIP tent at the PGA is silly, because it is not like they were THERE brokering a deal and signing papers.  This is just networking and getting Tulsa's image out there to potential influentual people.

It could be money down the crapper, or some multimillionaire exec might think "hmm, I kinda liked that place" some time in the future.  Thats the kind of thing that you can't directly attach a result to.  Of course, that fact alone may make the whole idea seem wrong in some people's eyes.

[waterboy]

I guess that's a story. At least here where everything is a conspiracy by the local oligarchy and we pay a premium so women leaders may dominate us and force us to pay higher taxes and spend most of it on themselves.

Or it could be that many of our politicians are former business people who understand that golf is the universal language of business and thought that it would have benefit in running government to speak that language.

Honestly, what kind of politicians would we have if they couldn't swing a few tickets for their supporters when the PGA is in town. Every doctor in town expected their pharmaceutical reps to get them tickets didn't they?[]

[tulsa1603]

I have zero problems with this.  $80,000 is hardly a lot of money in the big scheme of things.

I'm glad to know that they're trying to attract business.  And to say: "We asked the mayor to point to one specific example of new business that's come to Tulsa because of deals made at the golf course. A spokesperson for the mayor did not return our calls or emails."  Give me a break.  Like any deals were actually created right there on the course.  They're just presenting a face for the city.  If they hadn't been there doing this, the same people would complain that they didn't actively court the out of town visitors..

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by Townsend


"Our Solving Problems team also discovered an email, between the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the city. It explains that twenty tickets every day went toward city officials and their personal guests.

When we requested a guest list, the mayor's office gave us a list of ten names each day. But a spokesperson for the mayor's office couldn't identify some of the names or why those people were invited."

The video showed multiple instances of Randi Miller on the guest list, but as of this writing the video hasnt yet been posted to the FOX23 site.

[aoxamaxoa]

The city is the regions number one real estate developer....

[Conan71]

Okay, the thought of Mayor Taylor getting smashed at SoHills on mint juleps is mildly entertaining to me.

I laugh even harder when the CoC starts up with their inflated economic impact figures.  It keeps some people in cushy jobs I guess.

The city did what a lot of other local companies did:  they invited in people they are either doing business with or courting new business.  

Turning it into a "tax waste" or "where your money's going" story is kind of weak, but when you have an hour-long newscast to fill, the pole gets a little long when you are fishing for stories.

I can see where some people would take exception to the city spending $80K.  I can also see where it could be used to puff the city a little with prospective new business.  However, I don't think it's right to take and use that as a private perk for politicians and bureaucrats to host their personal friends and family members.

[aoxamaxoa]

^"I don't think it's right to take and use that as a private perk for politicians and bureaucrats to host their personal friends and family members."

It's systemic.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by YoungTulsan


It could be money down the crapper, or some multimillionaire exec might think "hmm, I kinda liked that place" some time in the future.  

hahahaha....no they are thinking "huhuhuh, I just conned these rubes into letting me shake hands with Tiger Woods FOR FREE, but no way am I ever coming back ot this hot hellhole!"

[bigdtottown]

I have no problem with this, assuming Tulsa entertained some decision makers. I also don't think those invited would necessarily want the city handing out their names to muckraking news stations trying to fabricate "we got yer back, Tulsa" type of story.  In fact, I can't think of a faster way to piss off a company executive than for the city to say "Joe Blow from XYX, Inc. attended the Golf Tournament at Southern Hills and thinks he may open a plant here...or move his company here".  
Now, if ALL they did was bring friends and family that's another story...although I could not care less if a few friends and family got in, as long as decision makers were there.  In fact, those VIP tents get a little boring with 5 people in them.  This was an excellent opportunity for Tulsa to promote itself and I hope they took advantage of it.
One more point...if anyone is naive enough to think a company it going to come to, say, a golf tournament, then announce a corporate relocation and tie it to attending a specific event then I feel sorry for you.  It's just marketing and it has to be done.

[aoxamaxoa]

It does not have to be done.

It's old school.

Maybe we should talk to the folks in Pryor about how it's really done.

[Breadburner]

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[aoxamaxoa]

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