Will Cogen do the right thing?
It's baaaaaaaaack -- the utterly senseless Portland Convention Center hotel project.
This zombie just won't die. Tom Potter and Ted Wheeler laid it to rest when they were mayor and county chair, respectively. But now the developers' puppet, Mayor Creepy, will be bringing it back strong on the city side. Will the new county chair, Jeff Cogen, follow in his predecessor's footsteps and wisely, firmly say no to this colossal waste of scarce money? We're hoping so, but not betting on it.
| Posted at 4:02 PM | Permalink |
|
Comments (7)
Here's a surefire way to stop it dead: tell Sam and his sycophants that Dallas already did this. Don't tell them about how the city's going to be paying for this fiasco for years, because they won't care. All they'll hear is "Dallas," and the hipster whining will carry all the way out here.
Posted by Texas Triffid Ranch | February 10, 2011 4:21 PM
I do not believe Cogen will intervene he likes to spend taxpayer money on frivolous projects.
Posted by Benjamin Kerensa | February 10, 2011 4:26 PM
With the new streetcar tracks going right in front of the Convention Center and the Metro Worldwide Headquarters of Smart Growth, Urban Planning, Streetcar Design, and All Things Green and EcoFriendly, tourists and conventioneers from all over the universe are bound to descend onto Portland as an example of how to plan for smart growth. Just feet from the Hotel entrance, they'll be able to ride a Streetcar right across the street to the Convention Center, or down M.L.K. Boulevard to gaze over at a one-time major thoroughfare, turned into a traffic nightmare. Then they'll cut across the Willamette on the new "Bridge for Everybody...except the 85% of Portlanders who drive themseves" into downtown Portland and be amazed at all the growth...that doesn't contribute a penny towards property taxes - thus the basic funding mechanism for the city and school system. Then they can continue north through the second-rate Portland State University campus and then onto downtown where the Galleria and Pioneer Place will beckon the shoppers to our sales-tax free...empty retail storefronts.
Posted by Erik H. | February 10, 2011 8:46 PM
I guess Len Bergstein is not as connected as he once was.
Posted by Portland Native on the road | February 10, 2011 9:13 PM
At least we know Sam's plan B for future employment, should he fail at getting reelected honestly.
Become a 'consultant' for a huge publicly funded project he was instrumental at passing.
Posted by Jasun Wurster | February 10, 2011 9:34 PM
Plan C: Become a bike consultant or open up a bike shop, business should be good for Sam if he keeps pushing the agenda.
Posted by clinamen | February 10, 2011 9:45 PM
Erik, well done!
Posted by Max | February 11, 2011 9:12 AM