I live in the city and county. I have a home on the internet too.
I'm against the TIF. I'm sure you'll hear a number of good reasons why from some of the others.
But tonight, on a rainy January evening, it would be great if we had this meeting put on governement telivsion. It would be great to have the speakers recorded and put on the internet. I'd love to stay at home and watch what the others say. Or, be out at swim practice with my kids or even going to a Pitt basketball game. The county could do more to open up the meetings for access of information at other times.
FYI: County council didn't support the idea of putting together a deal to save the city's cable tv department in December 2004. The county council meetings are not telivised. They should be. The members on council knew of the point I made.
FYI 2: I worked a bit of guesswork on the line-up for the speakers. I called to get my slot in the middle of the agenda as I knew of the swim practice time crunch. But, when I rushed to Grant Street, the doors to the building were locked. Then after opening, the scanner equipment was shut down. I rused to the meeting and slipped to the podium just two speakers out of order. Thanks John M and Wayne F (chair) for that extra lattitude.
I'm against the TIF as I want to see the Free Market work. And, TIFs are proven to be failures locally. Lord & Taylor and Lazarus are closed.
As a candidate for PA Senate, I'll work to go to Harrisburg and try to amend the TIF laws to prevent such deals from happening. Perhaps we can rewrite state law or just make it more clear as to what should occur.
FYI 3: This TIF isn't legal under state law. The law was made to allow TIFs for the sake of urban areas and blight. This proposed deal isn't urban and it isn't blighted in the slightest. Other speakers at the hearing drove home those points much better than myself.
If we don't change the state law, perhaps it makes good sense to issue a 10-year moratorium on all TIFs in Western Pennsylvania.
When I ran for Mayor of Pittsburgh in 2001, one of my big points that was very well received was the call for the elimination of all TIFs. I expect you'll be hearing more and more of these concepts. The people like that approach.
FYI 4: The speakers are given five minutes in County Council. I took less than two minutes.
FYI 5: I was suprised to see the number of people in the audience who were in favor of the TIF. They had signs. Someone mentioned to me that they were Walmart shoppers. After me the Texas developer of the project spoke. He was vilainized by some others.
FYI 6: Mr. Liller spoke on behalf of the poor people of the region who are getting screwed by this deal. (His words) Mr. L is always colorful. He talked about the lack of any black faces in the entire room, the union busting, the poor. Then a guy in favor of the TIF became a little heckler while Mr. L had the microphone at the podium. Bad idea. Rude too. "Stay on the topic," was shouted. Mr. L turned and said, "I am on the topic." He rattled off the three or four points he made -- all very reasonable to me in terms of the target of the discussion. Then he called anyone else to prove him wrong. Silence.
FYI 7: One other gentleman on my side, really I'm on his side, spoke well of the typical frustrations. The public hearing wasn't called with a public announcement. The public hearing was rushed onto the agenda without the plan being available. Some sections of the plan are still missing as the public hearing unfolded. The ones in power used a lot of the tricks in the book. Council members were even in and out of the meeting, talking in the hallway, working angles and advising supporters throughout.
What was said, is still be be posted. But how I looked as I said it is here. Click the image for a larger view and to get a look of the intent listening on that second photo.
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