Under the current proposal, $20 million of the $60 million projected total cost of the center is supposed to come from private donations, an amount backers say they have already met in pledges, but which they refuse to document in any fashion, such as the obvious — a list of donors.
The only leadership I've seen from city council on this matter has come from council persons Zack Matheny and Nancy Vaughan who refuse to dance the Ol' Greensboro Okee Doke™ and have insisted on some kind of substantiation or guarantee that the $20 million backers say they have really is in place. That's leadership.
If Mayor Perkins wishes to lead on this issue, as Vaughan and Matheny are, he will persuade the project manager for the performing arts center project, his former campaign manager, to provide some verifiable documentation that the project backers do, in fact, have $20 million lined up for the project. Otherwise, he can dance the Ol' Greensboro Okee Doke™ without us, thank you very much.
Twenty-some years ago, when the city was planning to expand the Coliseum arena and do a bunch of other renovations to the complex, the initial plan from the planning committee (which involved a bunch of non-government people, although still mostly insiders) called for $6 million in private money toward the arena expansion. Joe Koury, at the time of the announcement, publicly pledged $1 million. The rest of the city, then still home to the headquarters of something like 18 or 20 Fortune 500 companies? Crickets.
ReplyDeleteMayor Robbie Perkins is wagging his finger at his city council colleges for what he perceives to be "a lack of leadership" on the proposed performing arts center.
ReplyDeleteWhat Mayor Perkins is perceiving is "a lack of following". By not following, the other council members are showing true leadership. Looking at the real facts and listening to their constituents.
'Tis the way of the tyrant, Roch. And the reason the Tyrannicide has come to Greensboro. Perkins will fall.
ReplyDeleteCareful now, Perkins might think that image you posted is your representation of him and he'll go on a rant berating you with his proclamations of being "offended" by a blog post.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that a great painting?
ReplyDeleteRoch, it is Sam H-i-e-b. lol Just teasing you for correcting Billy on his spelling of Jim Kee.
ReplyDeleteBetty Almond
Thanks, Betty. I've corrected the misspelling.
ReplyDelete