To orchestrate an amazing comeback in the Super Bowl, as Tom Brady did, one doesn’t acquiesce to the rote. Quarterbacks have to call new plays on the spot, based on the information and defense they are seeing.
In Scottsdale, our quarterbacks are the City Council. And some time ago they made a decision to deconstruct the “Big Tent” at WestWorld used by Barrett-Jackson, Good Guys and numerous other shows because of one complaint by a significant contributor to Bob Littlefield’s mayoral campaign, and numbers provided by city staff that turn out to now be erroneous, to put it kindly.
Indeed, a City Council majority based its decision on representations that the Big Tent was actually costing Scottsdale money (lacking event revenue to cover its costs) and that decommissioning the structure would only cost $700,000.
Neither assertion turns out to be true, thanks to the persistence and due diligence of new Scottsdale City Manager Jim Thompson.
Indeed, the tent is actually making a chunk of change for the city and the charge to taxpayers wouldn’t be $700,000 as originally relayed but $2.6 million!
As one city insider put it, what firefighters, police officers or other cuts will be needed to accommodate this quixotic request?
And if math were not sufficient how about logic?
Scottsdale already paid for the tent so why wouldn’t it use the asset until it’s expiration, expected in another one or two years when the structure’s “skin” will likely be exhausted? That makes no sense. Neither does hurting the ability of WestWorld or Scottsdale tourism officials to lure new events to the city. Indeed, top city tourism officials were apparently stunned by the abrupt decision to dismantle what they see as an asset.
Finally, if these arguments are not sufficient it will be interesting to ask those who still want to offend taxpayers and harm tourism this question: If you could not or would not find the $1 million to bury power lines now under construction that will mar the entrance to WestWorld, how are you magically able to find almost three times that amount now to say toodle-oo to the tent?
Just like Tom Brady saw in the fourth quarter against the Falcons, it’s time to call new plays based on what the defense (or staff) gives you.