tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7481330.post6793959489944463184..comments2023-10-24T11:05:25.288-04:00Comments on Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates ponder current events: DesMoinesRegister.com reports on Tom Murphy's latest anticsMark Rauterkushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157914569686528007noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7481330.post-5278712526204698442007-07-01T07:16:00.000-04:002007-07-01T07:16:00.000-04:00The day after this post about Tom Murphy in Iowa, ...The day after this post about Tom Murphy in Iowa, the Trib editors wrote in whispers:<BR/><BR/><I>QUITE THE UNITER, ALL RIGHT. Not too long ago we questioned the wisdom of the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation inviting former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy to speak at one of its forums.<BR/><BR/>The Des Moines Register did the same thing in a prelude to Murphy's address last Tuesday, in which he attempted to help sell a proposed three-county sales tax increase in Iowa to promote economic development.<BR/><BR/>In inviting Murphy, the foundation noted that he "successfully leveraged regional cooperation" to reshape Pittsburgh. The newspaper, bless it, did a little digging and discovered the city's situation isn't quite so rosy.<BR/><BR/>"We're basically in a Chapter 11 situation," City Council President Doug Shields is quoted in the story. "I wouldn't call that successful."<BR/><BR/>City Council budget director Bill Urbanic was quoted as saying that Murphy thought public investment with sales-tax money would draw new businesses and residents. But the strategy, he said, caused "a fiasco with our downtown retail section."<BR/><BR/>That's how we remember things, too. </I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7481330.post-72863530158360621222007-06-30T22:57:00.000-04:002007-06-30T22:57:00.000-04:00Ex-Pittsburgh mayor pushes for 'Destiny'A tax incr...Ex-Pittsburgh mayor pushes for 'Destiny'<BR/>A tax increase would help cultural attractions flourish and would keeps jobs filled with young Iowans, he says.<BR/><BR/>By MELISSA WALKER<BR/>REGISTER STAFF WRITER<BR/><BR/>June 27, 2007<BR/> 9 Comments<BR/><BR/><BR/>The Des Moines area faces a slow economic decline if it doesn't filter more money into arts, cultural and regional attractions, the former mayor of Pittsburgh, Pa., said Tuesday.<BR/><BR/>Tom Murphy visited Des Moines to lend support for the proposed "Yes to Destiny" sales tax that will be considered by voters in Dallas, Polk and Warren counties on July 10.<BR/><BR/>He said that Des Moines has a good base of quality jobs, and a sales tax increase and regional cooperation are investments to keep those jobs and fill them with young Iowans.<BR/><BR/>"If you don't understand that, you're not going to win in the competition," he said at a meeting with Des Moines Register editors and reporters.<BR/><BR/>The Des Moines area has enjoyed a run of success over the past few months, highlighted by the Hy-Vee World Cup Triathlon. New restaurants and entertainment venues have popped up along Court Avenue downtown. Wells Fargo and Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield have expanded or announced growth plans, and Money Magazine named West Des Moines among the best places to live in the country last year.<BR/><BR/>Sales-tax supporters say Yes to Destiny would sow the seeds for sustained success.<BR/><BR/>The plan is modeled in part on Pittsburgh's. It would raise an estimated $750 million over 10 years.<BR/><BR/>About one-third of the money would be distributed by a 15-member panel to trails, cultural events and regional attractions such as Blank Park Zoo and the Science Center of Iowa.<BR/><BR/>The remainder would go toward property-tax reduction and to boost city budgets, which theoretically could further reduce property taxes.<BR/><BR/>But a sales tax increase and expanded recreational trail system did little to prevent Pittsburgh's slide to the brink of bankruptcy, which caused hundreds of employees to be laid off while Murphy was at the helm.<BR/><BR/>The city's downtown area did not flourish as promised after the sales tax went into effect, said Bill Urbanic, budget director for the Pittsburgh City Council.<BR/><BR/>He said Murphy's strategy caused "a fiasco with our downtown retail section" and contributed tax money to retail projects that failed.<BR/><BR/>Murphy, who now advocates for "smart growth" for the Urban Land Institute, said Pittsburgh's money problems, which included the city's need to ask the state for a $40 million line of credit to pay its bills, had nothing to do with the sales tax and were instead a result of the state's tax system.<BR/><BR/>He said the sales tax created a pool of money for trails, libraries, a zoo and other cultural efforts, and spread some of the cost of those attractions to neighboring cities.<BR/><BR/>Murphy said sales-tax money has been used to build about six new venues in Pittsburgh, including a convention center and professional sports stadiums, which draw millions of people each year.<BR/><BR/>"This funding has acted as a real catalyst for us," he said.<BR/><BR/>Reporter Melissa Walker can be reached at (515) 284-8451 or mewalker@dmreg.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com