Carty on Westgate

Mayor Carty released his position on Westgate yesterday in a written statement to the Op-Ed section of the Blade. His position seems to be in protecting this city from Urban Blight 10-15 years down the road by evidence here:

"Most of the nation's mayors have learned the hard way that suburban retailers tend to be predatory by definition. The vast majority of big-box outlets, warehouses, and other shopping centers are built not to meet unmet demand, but to steal shoppers from existing retailers.

Thus, the owners of the mall, or shopping center, know that it will not be open for all that long,as it is being built. In other words, the lifetime of big-box stores, like Costco, is about 10 to 15 years. Then you have an abandoned warehouse and a large vacant parking lot. Travel the short distance to such sites in Toledo, and the proof of this statement is readily available."

While I am in agreement that empty Big Box stores are a blight on the city (see my Pet Peeve post) and dread the thought of more, can we afford not to have a major retailer like Costco and the 180 or so "living wage" jobs take roots in Toledo. Is the Mayor's concern really about the flight risk in 10 or so years as he indicated in the letter? Is it in his belief of the 20/20 plan(which he helped author in 2000)? Could it be that his belief in 20/20 is a clever muse to cover up his discontent with the Jack Ford Administration for trumping his vision of Westgate (as outlined in the 20/20 plan) when Ford negotiated with Liz Holland and Costco? Is Mayor Finkbeiner really just playing A Team vs. B Team politics?

According to some facts I have uncovered which were reported by the Blade back in 02/2000, despite spending $275,000 on 20/20, a group of City and University of Toledo officials (including the Mayor and then president of the Lucas County commissioners, Sandy Isenberg ) presented an alternative projection of what life might be like in northwest Ohio 25 years from now in a plan called Vision 2000 which was closely tied to 20/20 but contained potential conflicts with it as well. The result was that either plan was given little hope of succeeding.

If the mayor is really concerned about "Big Box Flight", maybe he should negotiate some type of penalty in the tune of $2.5 million assessed against Costco and the owners of Westgate ( equal to the amount of tax abatement) in the event that they pull out early in violation of any lease agreement. If that were to occur, the city could then use the settlement for luring other retailers into the city to fill the void left behind.

If it is determine that the current plan (as it stands) is in violation of the 20/20 plan by rule of law, then it is the Strong Mayors responsibility and obligation granted to him when he took the oath of office, to see that the plan is amended to resolve any conflicts. It is not the mayors responsibility or even in his forte to design a new architectural schema to fit his own personal taste. Leave that up to the professionals.

If the mayor [by his actions] feels slighted and is projecting a personal vendetta against the Ford administration and in the end wishes to receive full credit for a revitalized Westgate, SHAME ON HIM! He was elected to serve in the interest of his constituents, not his own personal ego trip.

Your thoughts......