Talking About Politics > Talking About Politics

Meeker’s Folly

Less than a month after he was reelected with no real opposition, Mayor Charles Meeker is giving Republicans an issue to run against him – and other Democrats – on in the next election.

Tomorrow, the City Council is going to vote on building a new Marriott Hotel downtown. Mayor Meeker wants to build that hotel. And he wants taxpayers to give the Marriott a $20 million subsidy to build it.

At the same meeting the Council is going to vote on a second hotel – a Westin Hotel businessmen want to build at Crabtree Valley. That hotel will not cost taxpayers a cent. Not one penny. There is no subsidy. In fact, that hotel will pay the City $1.5 million in taxes and create 150 new jobs. And, according to press, it has the support of neighborhood leaders.

Now, you might think given a choice between voting for a hotel that will cost taxpayers nothing versus a hotel that will cost them $20 million – the Mayor of Raleigh would support the one that’s free. You’d be wrong.
Mayor Meeker is all for the hotel that is going to cost $20 million – and dead-set against the hotel that will cost nothing.

There are two City Council Districts held by Republicans and three held by Democrats in Raleigh. The three also at-large seats, all held by Democrats. My guess is a majority of the voters in every one of these electorates oppose spending $20 million to subsidize a hotel – rather than spending it to build roads or schools. And my guess is that most voters also have no idea where their council members stand on this issue. Republicans’ responsibility – as the loyal opposition – is to have a debate and tell them.

I helped Tom Fetzer when he first ran for Mayor. Back then – just like today – most of the voters in Raleigh were Democrats. A lot of Democrats had to vote for Tom for him to win. They did because he opposed spending $90 million to build a new Convention Center. Not long ago, when Mayor Meeker and the Democrats on the City Council proposed spending $190 million to build a new Convention Center –Republicans, by and large, went along. They didn’t offer voters a choice.

Now the holes dug (according to the News and Observer 16,000 truckloads of dirt have already been hauled away) and construction has started and even though the costs of steel and concrete are already $4.5 million over budget there doesn’t seem to be much way to stop it.

That Marriott Hotel Mayor Meeker wants taxpayers to pay for downtown is going to use steel and concrete too and it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that means its costs are going up too. And it’s a good bet that higher costs mean sooner or later Mayor Meeker may be asking for a bigger subsidy. More than $20 million.

It’s time for Republicans on the City Council to draw the line and offer voters a choice. They should say Yes to the Westin and they should say to the Marriott Hotel folks – if you want to build a new hotel that’s fine – but taxpayers aren’t going to pay for it. No subsidy. Not one penny. If businessmen can build a Westin with no subsidy, you can build a Marriott with no subsidy too. Then the Republican members of the council should make a motion to spend that $20 million on roads, or schools or to hold down taxes and see if Mayor Meeker wants to vote against it.

That’s what the ‘loyal opposition’ is supposed to do. Not go along to get along – but speak out on issues. Republicans can create a real debate on City spending by saying to taxpayers here’s where we stand and here’s where Mayor Meeker stands and here’s what the difference means to you.

Let Mayor Meeker defend spending this $20 million on a hotel – instead of schools or roads – to voters. If he can win that debate, then more power to him. If Republicans win it they may stop that subsidy and save taxpayers $20 million.

Or if Mayor Meeker – and the Democrats – ignore public opinion and pass it anyway, then Republicans have given voters a good reason to vote for change for Mayor and on the City Council in the next election.

posted @ Friday, March 31, 2006 5:15 PM by Carter Wrenn

A Tale of Two Hotels And $20 million of Taxpayers’ Money

Sometimes, something so peculiar happens in politics you just have to stop and ask yourself, “What was that?” Well, something like that has happened in Raleigh.

The Marriott Hotels want a subsidy from taxpayers - $20 million – to build a hotel downtown. At the same time a group of businessmen propose to build a Westin hotel –Raleigh’s first Four-Star Hotel – at Crabtree Valley. The Westin won’t cost taxpayers a penny. In fact, it will pay the city $1.5 million in taxes and create 150 jobs.

You might ask, ‘Do we need both? If businessmen will build a new Westin with their own money is it necessary for taxpayers to spend $20 million to build a Marriott too?’ Or you might ask, ‘Why do we have to subsidize a Marriott at all? If businessmen can build a Westin without a subsidy – why can’t the Marriott?’

Taxpayers subsidizing a hotel is odd. Here’s what’s odder.

Mayor Meeker also says Raleigh needs more money to build roads – the City says it needs $374 million – and if I read the signs right he may be floating a trial balloon about raising taxes or fees or both. There’s no doubt Raleigh needs roads. So, why not just build the Four-Star Westin Hotel at Crabtree Valley and use the $20 million for the hotel downtown to build roads?

For that matter, which is more important, building roads or building a $192 million Convention Center? That $192 million would have paid for half the roads the City needs.

If it sounds like someone has their spending priorities backwards – well, maybe they do.

I would imagine – and this is just a guess – the City Council will be happy to approve building the Westin; there’s not much to be said against a hotel that will pay $1.5 million in taxes a year, create 150 new jobs and which the Dean of the NC State School of Design says is an architectural wonder. And in addition, it’s supported by neighborhood activists.

But here’s a suggestion for the Republicans on the City Council – and Democrats too if they don’t mind an idea offered by a Republican. If the Marriotts (or Paris Hilton either for that matter) want to build a hotel in downtown Raleigh tell them, ‘That’s wonderful.’ But if they ask for a subsidy from taxpayers tell then no.

Taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for all – or part – of their hotel. In other words, vote yes to the hotel and no to the subsidy.

posted @ Wednesday, March 29, 2006 6:32 PM by Carter Wrenn

And Gary Responds

Carter, you got it partly right. But that’s as far as I’ll go. And I’ll resort to the oldest trick in politics: change the subject.

Because the Convention Center is a done deal. (Even though these stories about cost overruns don’t help the cause.)

And I’m not going to try to defend a $20 million subsidy to build a hotel downtown. I’ll invite somebody else to take on that challenge.

I will venture to guess that if the City Council approves the 42-story Glen-Tree project – which is a spectacular building – you’ll see competition from somebody (maybe RBC Centura?) to build a bigger building downtown. And that’s good for Raleigh.

What I would advise Democrats in Raleigh to do is take a page from Jim Hunt’s old playbook and do an end-around.

You say use the money for the $20 million hotel subsidy to build roads. I’m all for roads. But what people in the City of Raleigh really want is for an elected official to stand up and say our city schools are overcrowded and it’s time the city did more to solve that problem.

Apparently some schools are being built on city parkland. That’s a good start. But the city can do more.
Maybe that’s a good reason to approve the Glen-Tree project: It will generate tax revenues that could go to schools.

I know school construction is historically not the city’s responsibility. But it’s a serious problem, so it should become one of the city’s responsibilities. And it would be good politics for the Democrats who have a majority on the City Council today.

posted @ Wednesday, March 29, 2006 6:09 PM by Gary Pearce