The sheer ignorance and audacity of this city council and mayor never ceases to amaze me for pursuing this nightmare of a downtown project. The hotel and arena will never cash flow. The arena they want to build in a mall they do not own and then rent from a shady NY developer will melt away once everybody who wants to use the toilet in there has had an opportunity to pee in the latrine.
Look out the window… there are not enough people living here to cash flow this drunken dream.
Just who on that council is in business or been in business that might understand the mere mechanics of such an operation? Obviously no one.
The Gateway guy told you there would be reunions, weddings, conferences every week. He went on to say that people will be lining up to have a banquets in there. Once you were sold that Jim Jones kool-aid, he asked you for $150,000.00. Your mayor and council gave it to him. Before he skipped town, he wanted another $110,000 and Mayor William W. Pickle almost forced city staff to write the check. When I heard that I ran out to my garage to look for my old aluminum siding sample case, but by the time I found it he was already in the wind… with our $150K.
The deal Eric Bookmeyer along with his band of conspirators put together back in 2013 will go down in history as the greatest scam in the annals of this city, one made worse by his successor William W. Pickle and the songbird John Lee. The deal has morphed numerous times over the years, no one knows what we voted for or against anymore. Let me try and explain it in simple terms, since many of you have comprehension problems. We have a Mall here that is defunct… about 95% empty, owned by someone who at various times has had arrest warrants filed against him. He owns several such properties all of which are in similar straights (See: Story City for example). Now our city officials approach him and ask him if our city can invest muliti-millions of dollars into this property and to sweeten the deal we will pay him thousands of dollars of rent each month. I mean after all he should get something for whatever inconvenience we might cause him while he’s in hiding.
There’s more!
Because Bookmeyer thought maybe he’d balk at the offer, this city and everyone on that council you voted for decided to throw in a multi-million dollar hotel that we will build… on his land… won’t cost him a penny… not a thin dime. Must be something in the water here.
Peter Children
Mason City, Iowa
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Shhhhh -gilbert ! Have you taken care of all the bribes ? Good thing we kept some of that cash money that was supposed to go to to Iran.!
Ask to see all competitive bids, demand full disclosure. Set up a clearance commission where every and all quotes are submitted. I minimum of three bids should be required on every aspect over $50,000.00
When you look closely at this cluster F, somebody needs to go to jail.
Whiny little lib bitches gone again.
I was informed the ground the hotel is built upon belongs to the city. Who then will be the owner of this money pit? Will they lease the ground? For how long? Who is the owner of record?
I keep telling Matt he needs a “monthly news letter” that voters can subscribe to and have delivered by mail.
While the Peter Children’s of Mason City do speak out, this information is just not getting into the hands of the taxpayers. The Glob doesn’t have that many subscribers and the information they do publish is nothing but propaganda.
Any publication should maintain a CITY GOVERNMENT section that provides all the information that will counteract the lies put out by City Hall and the Chamber of Crime. If elected officials want to use to explain their positions they could do that also.
This entire Renaissance project is a terrible waste of money and will do NOTHING to make Mason City a better place!
Good thoughts
Peter hit the nail on the head this time.
It’s sad that more tax payers in this town aren’t speaking out about how they have been misled, deceived, or lied to about this project. But it ain’t over yet! Now comes the really good part: The Mall owner’s agreement with the City. You can bet that slick willy from New York will demand forgiveness of all his back taxes, some upfront cash, and all proceeds from the hockey rink concession stands before he signs the 20-year rip-off lease agreement. SO, STAND BY FOR THE NEXT EPISODE OF HOW THE SNATCH AND RUN IN SUCKER CITY.
throw in a multi-million dollar hotel that we will build… on his land…
Sorry peter, agree with you but the statement above. The parking lot of the mall belongs to the city, not the mall
Thank you for the correction. I was not aware
Go to the council meeting, stand at The podium and tell your council person that if this continues you and more of your friends will not vote for anyone one of them again. Include the Mayor.
The citizens of this city stopped a nearly billion dollar pig plant. Orginize neighbors.
Hey Peter, what do you mean” will not vote for anyone one of them again. Include the Mayor”? You go to court and have them removed from office for misfeasance in office.
What you are saying is actually true; I have a particular fondness for the word “malfeasance “. I think proving it would be the easiest part.
Thank you Peter….I wish more citizen’s would stand up to these thieves running the city’s business and send them all packing! Mason City taxpayers and citizens deserve better! White collar thieves suck!
This time I agree with Peter.