I think Tony is wrong.
Bether Gottstein doesn't look like her. Or her.
No. She's a dead wringer for her. (Ok. Hair not quite as good.)
Anyway, at the end of tonight's candidate forum in South KC, during the closing statement, Beth worked in a slam on her opponent, Doug Gamble. One minute she was laying out the usual platitudes, when all of a sudden she said, completely off subject, "You know, you learn a lot of things when you run for office. When I began, I never would've expected that my opponent got a $68 million TIF for a hotel on the Plaza."
Something like that. Anyway, t was so awkward, weird and nasty, that the audience groaned.
Afterward, I heard a number of people saying it was such a gross distortion of the truth that it's pretty much a lie. In reality, from what I understand, Gamble owns 5 percent interest in a property that could get a TIF.
Who knows?
But still. Even if it were true, it backfired.
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From what I know, The Holiday Inn was approved for a $30mill TIF for it to be torn down and become an office tower. Gamble owns 5% of the HI but his management company runs the hotel. I also have heard the majority owners are under contract to sell the hotel and Gamble will likely continue to manage it for the new owners.
My cousin was at that forum and and she also commented that Gottstein looked desperate.
Desperate because while her opponent has developed some real plans for what he'll do when in office, she's still worried about gloating over her war chest and making sure everyone knows that she won't drink a drop until election day. She's just annoying - but unfortunately, KC politics is shaping up to be like a high school Homecoming Court - and the popular girl is going to win - no matter what she lacks in substance.
Was at the NAACP event. Gottstein IS desperate. Although the questions were pretty soft, the candidate struggled for answers. I witnessed a performance worthy of a gadfly's first forum, not a serious person who made it through the primary on her merit. How did she make it??? The real kicker for me was when asked about racism, sexism and ageism at city hall, how would "you" help the KCMO employees? Our Miss Beth clasped her hands and told the NAACP that she was the person they needed to address these wrongs. That she, as "a white woman from the fourth district", was in a "safe place" and it was up to people like her to speak out on their behalf. I felt comforted. As a Latina I just knew that I did not possess the skills needed to raise my voice and my ire. I knew that I needed Saint Beth to save my rear. Gottstein I dub thee the Great White Hope.
I checked out Beth's website the other night...I feel like from the forums, and her website, that I have a decent feel for how much substance there is to her platform. Her page is a static page, with about 2/3 of it conisisting of a Vote4Beth logo.
It's sad...but it seems pretty accurate. For the life of me I can't figure out how she has gotten the support she's generated. I'm not in love with Gamble (he was 3rd on my list heading in to the primary), but this one isn't even close IMO...
Gamble owned a 5% stake in a property approved for TIFF. Of course a property that has TIF approval is more valuable. Just think how much more you could sell your house for if you told prospective buyers they would get a $2,000 tax break every year for 20 years.
So Gamble loves making a quick buck on flipping TIF property. Not the kind of guy I want on the city council. On the other hand Beth seems to be a complete loon, so go figure.
the HI is already abated and the tax bill (actually paid) goes up if the TIF actually happens. Your reasoning has holes. Considering he has never signed an application for a TIF doesnt qualify him as a "TIF" flipper in my eyes.
So what are the holes?
Is the plan approved for TIF or not?
Does tax abatement and TIF raise the value of the project?
Did Gamble sell the land?
Where is the hole?
Gamble is a greedy bastard making a quick buck on taxpayer's backs. Get over it.
you dont understand TIF do you? The holes are as follows:
you said---"Just think how much more you could sell your house for if you told prospective buyers they would get a $2,000 tax break every year for 20 years."
This not only doesnt apply to any TIF project but the hotel is already abated(done in the 90's) so the owners bill will INCREASE if the TIF takes place.
The tax abatement certainly raises the value thus the owners paid a premium hen the bought in in 2005.
Their is no land to sell. The hotel will be sold and continue to oeprate as a hotel.
Obviously you cant see the holes because you are in one.
Their is no land to sell.
Wow, so the hotel will float in mid-air! That sounds pretty cool.
Gamble's people have been trying to explain away his "TIF" problem since before he entered the race. They've mainly done it by relying on a technicality: the hotel isn't currently TIFed.
It is, however, subject to a big tax abatement -- similar to TIF, but a different mechanism. The upshot is that he's the part owner of a hotel that pays only a fraction of what it would pay in property taxes if those taxes weren't abated. The assessed value for tax purposes is fixed at its mid'90s value, prior to subsequent improvements valued at a few million bucks.
So TECHNICALLY Gamble doesn't get TIF for his property. However, the property is set for demolition. He will make out well if/when he sells his 5%, and will do so largely in part because the city's paid the hotel's property taxes for 10+ years.
I don't think that this makes him a bad person, but I have so many gripes about how tax abatements are abused that I don't much want a councilman who is currently making $ from one to tell me to trust him, he's gonna get it all under control.
The city blew its chance in this race by not getting the one excellent candidate past the primary. Now we're stuck with two candidates who are average at best.
yep...buying a building that was abated 12 years ago is a BAD thing...LOL
So guess who was sitting in the second row courtside
in Allen Fieldhouse with TIF funded Briarcliff
developer Charles Garney at the Texas-KU basketball
game Saturday, March 3? None other than KC City Manager
Wayne Cauthen--pretty nice seats, could they have been
TIF funded?
Do you have proof of the Garney/Cauthen get together at the KU game? If you have pictures, please send them to jmatthew@kc.rr.com
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