The city has finally come to their senses and decided to start pursuing other sites. In a 13-2 vote, the city has moved forward in looking at the possibility of the McMaster Innovation Park as a possible location for the new stadium. It is the best news we've heard in months.
Should they continue development and remediation at the West Harbour site? Of course they should and perhaps the Ti-Cats can provide a little help in that way, although I kind of like the idea of putting in a 5000 seat soccer stadium in place of the ones lost in Burlington. It could fit in alongside the velodrome. And it could be the solution that everyone goes home happy with.
But no so fast there Jack! We have another problem. It's the issue with "prime employment" lands at MIP. Some believe that putting a stadium over there will ruin that area. I'm not so sure because, with the right structure, it could really be something special. Then comes the revelation from Bob Bratina that the MIP site is currently underused and in some cases, it's not being used as it was meant to be. In fact businesses have moved from their downtown offices over to the MIP. If the stadium will have a retractible roof, it could even be used all year round, especially for trade shows and other great events. The potential is there. We just have to use it.
There is hope, allbeit a faint one, but there is hope.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The Unravelling Continues...
To be honest, it's not really a surprise that Mayor Fred decided not to divulge his discussion with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. Mayor Fred's modus operandi of late, until it can be proven otherwise, has been to pull all the stops to ensure that the West Harbour is the only site selected for the Pan-Am Stadium. How that works out for better or worse is anybody's guess.
But why has he gone full bore into this? It's tough to say why, but I have a good idea of why. In June, Cal DiFalco featured me in a segment called "10 Tough Questions". And one of those questions was "How would you size up Mayor Eisenberger's performance?" And this was my answer:
So as the Tiger-Cats continue to stay off the train, the light at the end of the tunnel fades and seems more distant than ever. And the WH proponents continue to savage Bob Young's character, the man who invested millions of dollars in upgrades at IWS and its facilities, almost as if the man hasn't paid his "debt to society".
Perhaps he could spend his money in better places. In light of this lunacy, I'm going to suggest that Mr. Young make a substantial donation to the St. Joseph's Healthcare Foundation and they could then change the Mental Health Centre on West 5th to the "Bob Young Mental Health Centre". Dedicated to a man who may have lost his mind in trying to do the one thing no other previous owner of the Tiger-Cats could do - get the city to build a new stadium for the team.
That being said, the ship has hit an iceberg, but not because they didn't see it coming. They didn't think that the ship could sink. Sound familiar? Now they have to do something to ensure that cooler heads can prevail and a stubborn mayor can't understand that if he builds it, nobody's coming.
And all the urbanists and city building/planning fetishists will probably be up in arms about it, while continously making Bob Young eat his own words taken out of context. You can't even put in a lucid factual argument to the contrary over at Raise the Hammer without someone trying to suppress it. I don't know if that was really how you envisioned it, Ryan, but don't expect me to make any more contributions if that's the kind of reception I'm going to get.
The city needs to stop imposing their decisions on their tenant, especially one made to its detriment, and start doing what they should have done in the first place. They should have allowed the Tiger-Cats to do their due diligence on the site and when they found out what they knew, they should have said, "okay, let's figure out the best location that will address both our concerns and maybe you can help us with the Rheem site." Was that so tough? When you bring a partner in on a deal you do what works for both partners otherwise it's not a partnership at all.
But why has he gone full bore into this? It's tough to say why, but I have a good idea of why. In June, Cal DiFalco featured me in a segment called "10 Tough Questions". And one of those questions was "How would you size up Mayor Eisenberger's performance?" And this was my answer:
Compared with Larry Di Ianni’s term, it has been a quiet one. However, I think Eisenberger has been too quiet. He leaves the impression that he has done little to attract new businesses to the city. He leaves an impression that he is content to leave things as they are. Simply put, he has done nothing. So now he is offering Hamiltonians another 4 years of nothing. And unless we have a good candidate to challenge him, that’s what we will get.
The city needs someone with great creative energy ready to take the city into the future. Our city needs a visible leader who can challenge the next generation to initiate a brand new process of growth. Our city needs a face who can sell the city, not just run it. Above all our city needs someone who can commit the next 10 years to realizing a great vision for the future of our city. Fred doesn’t do radical. He’s hardly inspiring. He just doesn’t excite anyone at all. If he is re-elected, I am concerned that this city could be more rudderless than ever.That was what I said. Co-incidence? Yeah, I know better, but sometimes things happen for a reason. But I digress...
So as the Tiger-Cats continue to stay off the train, the light at the end of the tunnel fades and seems more distant than ever. And the WH proponents continue to savage Bob Young's character, the man who invested millions of dollars in upgrades at IWS and its facilities, almost as if the man hasn't paid his "debt to society".
Perhaps he could spend his money in better places. In light of this lunacy, I'm going to suggest that Mr. Young make a substantial donation to the St. Joseph's Healthcare Foundation and they could then change the Mental Health Centre on West 5th to the "Bob Young Mental Health Centre". Dedicated to a man who may have lost his mind in trying to do the one thing no other previous owner of the Tiger-Cats could do - get the city to build a new stadium for the team.
That being said, the ship has hit an iceberg, but not because they didn't see it coming. They didn't think that the ship could sink. Sound familiar? Now they have to do something to ensure that cooler heads can prevail and a stubborn mayor can't understand that if he builds it, nobody's coming.
And all the urbanists and city building/planning fetishists will probably be up in arms about it, while continously making Bob Young eat his own words taken out of context. You can't even put in a lucid factual argument to the contrary over at Raise the Hammer without someone trying to suppress it. I don't know if that was really how you envisioned it, Ryan, but don't expect me to make any more contributions if that's the kind of reception I'm going to get.
The city needs to stop imposing their decisions on their tenant, especially one made to its detriment, and start doing what they should have done in the first place. They should have allowed the Tiger-Cats to do their due diligence on the site and when they found out what they knew, they should have said, "okay, let's figure out the best location that will address both our concerns and maybe you can help us with the Rheem site." Was that so tough? When you bring a partner in on a deal you do what works for both partners otherwise it's not a partnership at all.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Why do the Tiger-Cats Matter?
Mayoral candidate Edward Graydon made some interesting remarks to me to the tone that he really doesn't care for football. Fair enough. This is a democracy and just as we stand with the people who support us, we also need to look to the people who didn't. After all, they vote too and conciliatory gestures go a long way for voters in general. It shows that you stand for everyone and not just those who support you.
That being said, Mr. Graydon does question the need to support the Tiger-Cats and is wondering why it is that Hamilton hasn't gone full bore into building the stadium now, concerned that the lingering of this issue is only making things worse. And yes, it's true. The lingering of this issue is really making things worse, people are more tense than ever and there is a lot of despair when faced with the prospect of losing the Tiger-Cats.
So why does this 141 year old institution matter? It is a good question and I will answer it for one of my regular readers.
That takes care of one question and the other question is why the delay in breaking the ground? The city hasn't received funding from the games hosting committee to begin the build and without that money, nothing's going to be built. The city is still required to partner with an anchor tenant to get the mandate for a new stadium and the city was hoping that the Ti-Cats would get involved. Because of their concerns, the Tiger-Cats have decided that they will not invest in a stadium that doesn't address their economic concerns and puts them in position that would make them dependent on the city to survive.
Mayor Fred is hoping Bob Young would sell the team before he officially moves. But I don't think Bob Young is interested in selling a business that has the same problems it had before he bought them. And that's where we are now. If Mayor Fred wants Young back to the table, he will need to give him the means to break-even and it could mean the city and the Ti-Cats would have to share parking revenues. It could mean Bob would get management rights to host events.
Either way, he needs to get another revenue stream so he is not completely dependent on ticket sales and television royalties. That's his economic concern. And that's why the West Harbour doesn't work for him. He wants to leave the franchise in better shape than when he got it in the first place. Is that wrong?
And now do you understand why the Tiger-Cats are important to this city?
That being said, Mr. Graydon does question the need to support the Tiger-Cats and is wondering why it is that Hamilton hasn't gone full bore into building the stadium now, concerned that the lingering of this issue is only making things worse. And yes, it's true. The lingering of this issue is really making things worse, people are more tense than ever and there is a lot of despair when faced with the prospect of losing the Tiger-Cats.
So why does this 141 year old institution matter? It is a good question and I will answer it for one of my regular readers.
- Identity - Our city has embraced the Tiger as its symbol, because it is a part of our military and sporting history. We had the Hamilton Tigers of the NHL in the 20's, which we lost in 1925 due to a labour dispute just before the playoffs began. The irony of this one? The team of that season had the best record in the NHL and was a major Stanley Cup contender. Of course we had the Hamilton Tigers of football, which merged with the Hamilton Flying Wildcats to form, you guessed it, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. (if your NFL buddies want an equivalent, talk about the Steagles, a temporary merger between the Steelers and Eagles during WW II) And speaking of World War II, our training squadron at Mount Hope was called the Hamilton Tiger Squadron, whose name has been carried to an Air Cadet corps 150, based at the James Street Armoury.
- Community Services - Our players often go to hospitals to see children, sign autographs and encourage them to hang in there. They participate in athletic events and fundraisers for charities. They also make it possible to raise funds for other community groups through 50/50 draws at the stadiums.
- Jobs - The Tiger-Cats mean almost 300 jobs in the community. From hawkers in the stands to the president, there are jobs for these people who may not have another job for a while.
- Diversion - The time you spend in the stands cheering our team to victory is time spent away from your own troubles. Sometimes we need to forget about our troubles for a few hours so we can refresh, recalibrate and hopefully overcome that problem.
- Entertainment - A game isn't all gratification from a big touchdown or what not. There's dancing, singing and sometimes a band playing. The halftime show is a chance to watch our children in sport or even a moment to see something amazing like a magic show or concert.
- The Grey Cup - Hosting a Grey Cup game is big money. Everybody from everywhere in the country comes to town to celebrate the sport and all other things Canadian. It's our own Super Bowl and the one single annual event more people in Canada watch. And above all, it means money for local businesses and tourism.
- Argos (Suck!) - Yes the Argos, who do suck (did I just mention that?), come to town every Labour Day. It's the one great day in which Toronto bashing becomes a great pastime. Our football season is never complete without a win over the Argos on labour day.
- Tradition - We have been doing this over the last 140 years. Why not make it more special and see if we will have bicentennial to celebrate, after our sesquicentennial celebration, of course. It's been a part of our city since early in its mutual establishment.
That takes care of one question and the other question is why the delay in breaking the ground? The city hasn't received funding from the games hosting committee to begin the build and without that money, nothing's going to be built. The city is still required to partner with an anchor tenant to get the mandate for a new stadium and the city was hoping that the Ti-Cats would get involved. Because of their concerns, the Tiger-Cats have decided that they will not invest in a stadium that doesn't address their economic concerns and puts them in position that would make them dependent on the city to survive.
Mayor Fred is hoping Bob Young would sell the team before he officially moves. But I don't think Bob Young is interested in selling a business that has the same problems it had before he bought them. And that's where we are now. If Mayor Fred wants Young back to the table, he will need to give him the means to break-even and it could mean the city and the Ti-Cats would have to share parking revenues. It could mean Bob would get management rights to host events.
Either way, he needs to get another revenue stream so he is not completely dependent on ticket sales and television royalties. That's his economic concern. And that's why the West Harbour doesn't work for him. He wants to leave the franchise in better shape than when he got it in the first place. Is that wrong?
And now do you understand why the Tiger-Cats are important to this city?
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Nothing to See Here!
Mayor Fred says that talk about the Aberdeen/Longwood site possibly being an alternative is unfounded and such discussion is not helpful.
You know what also isn't helpful? Deciding to build a stadium at a site which makes no economical sense to your anchor tenant and needlessly driving him out of your town just because you're too pigheaded to understand the need for a compromise, because for some idiotic reason you think somehow that you are right and everyone else is wrong.
But the way, Fred, time's running out on you. I suppose you don't want to have the legacy as the guy who ran the Tiger-Cats out of town, right?
You know what also isn't helpful? Deciding to build a stadium at a site which makes no economical sense to your anchor tenant and needlessly driving him out of your town just because you're too pigheaded to understand the need for a compromise, because for some idiotic reason you think somehow that you are right and everyone else is wrong.
But the way, Fred, time's running out on you. I suppose you don't want to have the legacy as the guy who ran the Tiger-Cats out of town, right?
The Eleventh Hour Approaches...
...and another option comes.
It's not the East Mountain so no urban sprawl to bitch and moan about. It's not the West Harbour so no one to complain about or debunk "myths" on lack of accesibility. It's situated right by the 403, the gateway to downtown, located close to a GO bus stop from the Toronto corridor and right beside a brand spanking new bridge! It's accessible by transit and currently served by several routes in the area (King/Delaware/Aberdeen/B-Line/University). It also will be adjacent to a possble LRT station. No homes have to be torn down. And above all, it's a brownfield ready for remediation.
So what is this great location, you ask? It's Chedoke! As reported in The Spec this morning, a location at Aberdeen and Longwood is to be brought before the city to look at. It has some of the ingredients the city was looking at and the Tiger-Cats have been looking for all along.
One thing is for sure, the Spec is buzzing with activity and a lot of it is feelgood. Could this be the compromise that brings everyone back to the table or is this just a false hope?
One can only hope that this is what keeps the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton, because nobody honestly wants the city to lose 250 jobs, and the community services that the team brings to the city, including the 50/50 draws that help fund our community groups.
It's not the East Mountain so no urban sprawl to bitch and moan about. It's not the West Harbour so no one to complain about or debunk "myths" on lack of accesibility. It's situated right by the 403, the gateway to downtown, located close to a GO bus stop from the Toronto corridor and right beside a brand spanking new bridge! It's accessible by transit and currently served by several routes in the area (King/Delaware/Aberdeen/B-Line/University). It also will be adjacent to a possble LRT station. No homes have to be torn down. And above all, it's a brownfield ready for remediation.
So what is this great location, you ask? It's Chedoke! As reported in The Spec this morning, a location at Aberdeen and Longwood is to be brought before the city to look at. It has some of the ingredients the city was looking at and the Tiger-Cats have been looking for all along.
One thing is for sure, the Spec is buzzing with activity and a lot of it is feelgood. Could this be the compromise that brings everyone back to the table or is this just a false hope?
One can only hope that this is what keeps the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton, because nobody honestly wants the city to lose 250 jobs, and the community services that the team brings to the city, including the 50/50 draws that help fund our community groups.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Still Stirring the Pot - Stadiums and Revitalization
Where do I start?
This brave commentator has been embroiled in the great stadium debate and I'm making a lot more enemies than friends these days. It seems to be the price I'm paying in trying to make reasonable arguments for trying to work with the Tiger Cats. People continuously think that the city can go it alone and that they will get some other sports franchise and that they will revitalize the downtown core. For the three weeks the complex is in use, it probably will. But what about after that?
How will a 15000 seat stadium attract any franchise? One debate I ran into during a Twitter duel was that one guy insisted that there would be a soccer team playing there. That's when I pointed out that there was one person who owned the rights to have a recognized franchise for the CONCACAF Champions League and that he also owned the Tiger-Cats, so when he leaves the prospect would be gone.
To that he replied asking, how can a league not take on such a city with the right business plan? That's when I pointed out that when he currently is a part owner in an existing NASL franchise so if the city disses him, how will they handle someone who did that to one of their own? I mean the NHL punished Hamilton again through Jim Balsillie. And who runs the NHL? The owners. So who runs the sports leagues all around us? The owners do. So if a city chases out a current owner, what makes you think they will not turn away that same city wanting the said franchise after what you already did?
I am not gaining friends with this, because for all the sentimentality that exists, people are denying the truth that the moving of the Tiger-Cats can and might happen. The city created this poisonous atmosphere and used the people of this city to try to shame Bob Young into returning to the table. There was no point in him doing so, because he was expecting a partnership and it turned into a proprietorship in the city's favour. But they are the landlords, you say?
Ok, let's take that tack for a second. Let's say you are the prospective tenant of a unit and that you were expected to move in. Then you realize that you can't live in the conditions provided by your soon-to-be landlord. What do you do? You air your grievance to the landlord, who says "tough," and you are told to deal with it. Then what do you do? You don't move in and you tell the landlord that the deal's off. That's classic "Landlord/Tenant Act" stuff, kids. And that's exactly what Bob Young did. So what does he get for his trouble? Grief and lots if it! And for pointing that out, I'm the bad guy.
So then I get grief from an expert in city planning who is saying that this stadium will revitalize downtown, without knowing that the West Harbour location is away from the downtown core and that old tired argument of urban sprawl on the East Mountain, where it's happening whether one likes it or not. Some are congratulating Mr. Eisenberger's vision of city building, while either forgetting or being unaware of the fact that there were four buildings in trouble under his watch, namely Lister Block, a James Street North building almost condemned, a St. Joesph's Drive apartment building with its retaining wall and foundation faltering, and the now razed old Century Theatre on Mary St. And forget that other old argument that because I was against the city going it alone against the Tiger-Cats that I must be siding with the East Mountain crowd, which at best obfuscates the whole argument to begin with. As one of many sitting on the fence, there are people knocking us off.
My position is simple. The city cannot afford to go it alone on a new stadium without the Tiger Cats to occupy it. Without the economic spin-off associated with them, the stadium will just sit as a white elephant. It will be another Copps Coliseum, which is now on the road to losing the Bulldogs to another city in Quebec. With the Tiger-Cats moving out, 250 jobs leave town and several local community organizations lose the support that the 50/50 draws get for them. The community services provided by the players would be gone and the city will have lost its soul. And that's another unpopular argument.
And of course there are people claiming that the team will not move because they can't. They hold on to this one eventhough the CFL has said so while there were two franchises that faltered in the nations capital. The original was there since the inception of the CFL and the other was the expansion in its place. The CFL let them go as surely as they allow will this team to go to greener pastures.
People are willing to let our team go away so they can have a stadium on the waterfront that will not attract anything more than high school sports and other obscure events. So they satisfy the city building and urban planning crowd, while alienating those passionate fans who are livid about losing their team, who are being told to let it go and that they are not worth it.
So it's turning into a hot summer, boiling with passions in both the downtown revitalization and the Tiger Cat fans camps. And it is dividing this city in such a horrible way. If this is the leadership of Fred Eisenberger, who would rather divide than unite, who would rather alienate than reconcile, and who would rather obfuscate than reason, then I will take someone else.
I don't know how this will all unravel, but there remains one more week to bring the Tiger-Cats back to the table or lose them, possibly along with the stadium, forever. And I am not feeling very optimistic right now.
This brave commentator has been embroiled in the great stadium debate and I'm making a lot more enemies than friends these days. It seems to be the price I'm paying in trying to make reasonable arguments for trying to work with the Tiger Cats. People continuously think that the city can go it alone and that they will get some other sports franchise and that they will revitalize the downtown core. For the three weeks the complex is in use, it probably will. But what about after that?
How will a 15000 seat stadium attract any franchise? One debate I ran into during a Twitter duel was that one guy insisted that there would be a soccer team playing there. That's when I pointed out that there was one person who owned the rights to have a recognized franchise for the CONCACAF Champions League and that he also owned the Tiger-Cats, so when he leaves the prospect would be gone.
To that he replied asking, how can a league not take on such a city with the right business plan? That's when I pointed out that when he currently is a part owner in an existing NASL franchise so if the city disses him, how will they handle someone who did that to one of their own? I mean the NHL punished Hamilton again through Jim Balsillie. And who runs the NHL? The owners. So who runs the sports leagues all around us? The owners do. So if a city chases out a current owner, what makes you think they will not turn away that same city wanting the said franchise after what you already did?
I am not gaining friends with this, because for all the sentimentality that exists, people are denying the truth that the moving of the Tiger-Cats can and might happen. The city created this poisonous atmosphere and used the people of this city to try to shame Bob Young into returning to the table. There was no point in him doing so, because he was expecting a partnership and it turned into a proprietorship in the city's favour. But they are the landlords, you say?
Ok, let's take that tack for a second. Let's say you are the prospective tenant of a unit and that you were expected to move in. Then you realize that you can't live in the conditions provided by your soon-to-be landlord. What do you do? You air your grievance to the landlord, who says "tough," and you are told to deal with it. Then what do you do? You don't move in and you tell the landlord that the deal's off. That's classic "Landlord/Tenant Act" stuff, kids. And that's exactly what Bob Young did. So what does he get for his trouble? Grief and lots if it! And for pointing that out, I'm the bad guy.
So then I get grief from an expert in city planning who is saying that this stadium will revitalize downtown, without knowing that the West Harbour location is away from the downtown core and that old tired argument of urban sprawl on the East Mountain, where it's happening whether one likes it or not. Some are congratulating Mr. Eisenberger's vision of city building, while either forgetting or being unaware of the fact that there were four buildings in trouble under his watch, namely Lister Block, a James Street North building almost condemned, a St. Joesph's Drive apartment building with its retaining wall and foundation faltering, and the now razed old Century Theatre on Mary St. And forget that other old argument that because I was against the city going it alone against the Tiger-Cats that I must be siding with the East Mountain crowd, which at best obfuscates the whole argument to begin with. As one of many sitting on the fence, there are people knocking us off.
My position is simple. The city cannot afford to go it alone on a new stadium without the Tiger Cats to occupy it. Without the economic spin-off associated with them, the stadium will just sit as a white elephant. It will be another Copps Coliseum, which is now on the road to losing the Bulldogs to another city in Quebec. With the Tiger-Cats moving out, 250 jobs leave town and several local community organizations lose the support that the 50/50 draws get for them. The community services provided by the players would be gone and the city will have lost its soul. And that's another unpopular argument.
And of course there are people claiming that the team will not move because they can't. They hold on to this one eventhough the CFL has said so while there were two franchises that faltered in the nations capital. The original was there since the inception of the CFL and the other was the expansion in its place. The CFL let them go as surely as they allow will this team to go to greener pastures.
People are willing to let our team go away so they can have a stadium on the waterfront that will not attract anything more than high school sports and other obscure events. So they satisfy the city building and urban planning crowd, while alienating those passionate fans who are livid about losing their team, who are being told to let it go and that they are not worth it.
So it's turning into a hot summer, boiling with passions in both the downtown revitalization and the Tiger Cat fans camps. And it is dividing this city in such a horrible way. If this is the leadership of Fred Eisenberger, who would rather divide than unite, who would rather alienate than reconcile, and who would rather obfuscate than reason, then I will take someone else.
I don't know how this will all unravel, but there remains one more week to bring the Tiger-Cats back to the table or lose them, possibly along with the stadium, forever. And I am not feeling very optimistic right now.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
What Were They Expecting?
Our city has become the laughing stock of this country, because our city made an esthetic decision rather than a business one. They voted with their hearts instead of their heads. And they will have to see Mr. Troop alone.
They reached out to Bob Young to come back to the table after shutting him out of the discussion, ignoring his concerns, telling him that the location has been decided and that he has no say in where it goes. Oh yeah, and they want his money too. So I understand where our Caretaker is coming from.
Our city is more divided than ever. We are split down the middle between a site that has limited access, requires updated roads and could potentially drive away homeowners in the North End, doing little other than "beautifying the harbour," and choosing a site that makes more sense like Confederation Park or East Mountain. We know why Chad Collins voted the way he did. He is the one who pulled the CP option. But why Pearson, Ferguson and Duvall voted for this I don't know. But this could have reprecussions as they try to reach out to an already battered and bruised, not to mention millions short, Bob Young, who has wrongfully been called everything in the book.
Bob Young didn't want another Ivor Wynne Stadium, but that's what he's being offered and unless they stop clenching their fists and start holding their hand out to him, Hamilton will have lost its soul while holding on to its heart.
The Toronto Sun quoted legend Angelo Mosca, "I bleed black and gold, and this mayor is full of shit". When the heart of the team you want back to the table says stuff like this, you know it's going to be a long couple of weeks. And it will cost the taxpayers dearly.
So as the title says, what were they expecting?
They reached out to Bob Young to come back to the table after shutting him out of the discussion, ignoring his concerns, telling him that the location has been decided and that he has no say in where it goes. Oh yeah, and they want his money too. So I understand where our Caretaker is coming from.
Our city is more divided than ever. We are split down the middle between a site that has limited access, requires updated roads and could potentially drive away homeowners in the North End, doing little other than "beautifying the harbour," and choosing a site that makes more sense like Confederation Park or East Mountain. We know why Chad Collins voted the way he did. He is the one who pulled the CP option. But why Pearson, Ferguson and Duvall voted for this I don't know. But this could have reprecussions as they try to reach out to an already battered and bruised, not to mention millions short, Bob Young, who has wrongfully been called everything in the book.
Bob Young didn't want another Ivor Wynne Stadium, but that's what he's being offered and unless they stop clenching their fists and start holding their hand out to him, Hamilton will have lost its soul while holding on to its heart.
The Toronto Sun quoted legend Angelo Mosca, "I bleed black and gold, and this mayor is full of shit". When the heart of the team you want back to the table says stuff like this, you know it's going to be a long couple of weeks. And it will cost the taxpayers dearly.
So as the title says, what were they expecting?
WTF?!?
Where do I start on this roller coaster ride?
So now we know that the committee of the whole endorsed the West Harbour as the site of the "stadium". So the next step is to formally adopt the option in council during the next week. And we also know that there will not be an anchor tenant, as specified by the HostCo as condition for funding. And now a new allegation about fudged numbers to wrongly influence councillors on the committee of the whole was announced by Brad Clark on CHML?
Obviously Mayor Fred has some explaining to do. If building it will not have the Tiger-Cats there, what makes him think that it will be built in the first place? While my friends at Raise the Hammer are cheering as if this was some big victory, the euphoria should be wearing off soon, because the fact still is that this stadium may not be built at all.
There are also allegations of bad faith bargaining on both sides, but here's what I know:
And is Brad Clark's allegation a red herring? I can't say. I didn't see these reports, but it does bring a lot of questions to the table. We'd have to see all the numbers before we can say beyond a doubt that some deception to meet an end has been in the works.
And what about the lack of an anchor tenant? Does Fred actually think he can go it alone? Is a professional soccer team coming out of the blue? There is a person that has the right to put a decently levelled team in Hamilton and that's the guy Fred just dissed.
I keep hearing west harbour proponents calling Bob Young a bully and he's been bargaining in bad faith. So let's mash this one up. Who signalled a concern and was shoved away for it? Who took a compromise and tried to make the best of it? Who was shut out of the inital discussions? And who figured out that this never a conversation from the start and just decided to walk away? Wouldn't you? And after you just got slapped around some more and they ask you to come back and talk, would you?
This is where the problem lies. When one was trying to have a conversation, the other never listened and also decided to talk with someone else about managing the facility at the west harbour. There was never a conversation. There was never dialogue and Fred expects the Cats to come back to the table after giving them the Heisman?
Something stinks here and it isn't coming from Jarvis or Wake Forest.
And that's what bothers me here. There was no dialogue. And to bring this about on Raise the Hammer is just asking to get faded out by people who disagree with you despite the lucidity of the argument. I could Twitter about this all day and it wouldn't change a thing because first of all it's not a good place to have a debate on and it's the same garbage over again.
What I'm sure of, but I don't know, is that the majority of those who support the West Harbour are the same ones who don't care about the financial viability of the Tiger-Cats, the heart and soul of this city, and would rather see them leave, potentially losing the prospect of an NHL franchise and the Bulldogs with them. And with nothing substantial going on at the west harbour after the games, does Fred really want to be in this crowd?
Oh to be a fly on the wall when Mayor Fred and Ian Troop meet...
So now we know that the committee of the whole endorsed the West Harbour as the site of the "stadium". So the next step is to formally adopt the option in council during the next week. And we also know that there will not be an anchor tenant, as specified by the HostCo as condition for funding. And now a new allegation about fudged numbers to wrongly influence councillors on the committee of the whole was announced by Brad Clark on CHML?
Obviously Mayor Fred has some explaining to do. If building it will not have the Tiger-Cats there, what makes him think that it will be built in the first place? While my friends at Raise the Hammer are cheering as if this was some big victory, the euphoria should be wearing off soon, because the fact still is that this stadium may not be built at all.
There are also allegations of bad faith bargaining on both sides, but here's what I know:
- Bob Young rightfully preferred Confederation Park as the site for the new stadium. And Chad Collins somehow got that option removed, despite the fact that the HCA has been calling for some commerical interest to develop there. Football is played in the summer and Confederation Park is always hopping with activity during the summer. It is a major meeting place in the city during the summer. So it does seem to be a logical place for the stadium. Now that's logic at work, folks. So why wasn't it one of the options? That's a question that Mr. Collins will need to answer while he still has the job.
- Fred Eisenberger took a hard line stance on the West Harbour since day one. And during mediation with Michael Fenn, he did an end-around and began talks with AEG to possibly manage the new facility. That's when Bob Young knew that he wasn't listening to anyone.
- Knowing that Bob's business case wouldn't even be looked at or even considered, he did the one thing he knew he could do - he pulled out of the discussion and with it his funding.
- Let's face facts here. Ivor Wynne Stadium never had the facilities to handle the number of people that go in and out of it. Parking in people's yards, walking 5, 10 even 15 minutes to and from parking if you're not lucky enough to get a spot at Scott Park. Let's stop pretending that this creates a great game experience, because to a lot of regional supporters, it doesn't.
- The East Mountain was a compromise. And people who are using words like "urban sprawl" and "big box" obviously haven't been up there lately.
- The West Harbour still has traffic management and mobility issues to contend with, along with indirect parking arrangements. Ivor Wynne Stadium all over again.
- Apparently there is more to lose with the East Mountain facility than the West Harbour in property taxes.
- Brad Clark, fresh from his Michael Buble concert began a new firestorm about fudged numbers to make the West Harbour the only viable choice, but that could have been to deflect his own problem with him not being there to vote on the stadium recommendation. Obviously, his vote wouldn't changed a thing anyway, but emotions are running high and the city is in a volatile state as it is.
And is Brad Clark's allegation a red herring? I can't say. I didn't see these reports, but it does bring a lot of questions to the table. We'd have to see all the numbers before we can say beyond a doubt that some deception to meet an end has been in the works.
And what about the lack of an anchor tenant? Does Fred actually think he can go it alone? Is a professional soccer team coming out of the blue? There is a person that has the right to put a decently levelled team in Hamilton and that's the guy Fred just dissed.
I keep hearing west harbour proponents calling Bob Young a bully and he's been bargaining in bad faith. So let's mash this one up. Who signalled a concern and was shoved away for it? Who took a compromise and tried to make the best of it? Who was shut out of the inital discussions? And who figured out that this never a conversation from the start and just decided to walk away? Wouldn't you? And after you just got slapped around some more and they ask you to come back and talk, would you?
This is where the problem lies. When one was trying to have a conversation, the other never listened and also decided to talk with someone else about managing the facility at the west harbour. There was never a conversation. There was never dialogue and Fred expects the Cats to come back to the table after giving them the Heisman?
Something stinks here and it isn't coming from Jarvis or Wake Forest.
And that's what bothers me here. There was no dialogue. And to bring this about on Raise the Hammer is just asking to get faded out by people who disagree with you despite the lucidity of the argument. I could Twitter about this all day and it wouldn't change a thing because first of all it's not a good place to have a debate on and it's the same garbage over again.
What I'm sure of, but I don't know, is that the majority of those who support the West Harbour are the same ones who don't care about the financial viability of the Tiger-Cats, the heart and soul of this city, and would rather see them leave, potentially losing the prospect of an NHL franchise and the Bulldogs with them. And with nothing substantial going on at the west harbour after the games, does Fred really want to be in this crowd?
Oh to be a fly on the wall when Mayor Fred and Ian Troop meet...
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