RenSquare - Yo Maggie - cry me a river
Maggie must be on a PR offensive. Fresh off of a two article spread where Maggie plays the victim and almost drowns the public in a river of crocodile tears -
Article 3 this week says that RenSquare is 18 million dollars short in promised State aid.
OH MY GOD - The big bad state is screwing Monroe County again. That is how the lengthy article comes across or more specifically how Maggie comes across.
Well - how to respond.
I want my State government to help fund local projects. I want my state goverment to look at projects for some level of viability. Just because my local government says they are viable (Paetec park, Fast Ferry, Browns race and so on) does not mean the State should blindly trust local officials. The State should however, look basic things before committing our tax money - basic things like - um, a plan.
Maggie wants 18 million dollars for a project that basically has no plan. The fundamental structure of RenSquare has consistently changed - all - the - time. Seriously - is there a final plan for this project? She is getting called on it and now doesn’t like it. She expected the State to wait for her and this $230 million dollar project to get its act together. Get something like a plan. 2 years ago the State pledged $18 million. Given there is no plan - why would the State continue to maintain that pledge when it can spend that money for other projects? Actually the State spend that money locally - per the article monies went to the Eastman Theatre, Nazareth College, Dryden Theatre. Sounds like good government to me.
Snips from the D&C article. read the article and ask - why would the State fund something whose deep routed issues have not yet been worked out? Oh - check out Duffy’s quote bolded at the bottom - Yeah, Maggie cry me a river.
(February 1, 2008) — ALBANY — An $18 million state grant that Monroe County leaders believed was destined for Renaissance Square is being doled out to other local arts groups, leaving a larger-than-expected financial hole for the $230 million downtown project.
[snip]
Two years ago, the state Assembly secured $18 million as part of a $54 million package with the state Senate and governor’s office to help fund the project, which calls for a performing arts center, bus terminal and Monroe Community College campus off East Main Street.
[snip]
Morelle said there are still no firm plans on Renaissance Square. Meanwhile, other groups have pressing needs for theater space, he said.
He said he told Brooks, “I’m sitting here now looking at a number of projects to fund in the future, and you have a project you want, but there are some problems with it.”
[snip]
The Democratic mayor said his last official meeting on Renaissance Square was in the first week of October.
“What I’m waiting for is a meeting that we’ll have that will be a full discussion of where the project is, what the project will look like for the amount that is currently encumbered or pledged,” Duffy said.
Apparently Mayor Duffy didn’t get the memo - Maggie Brooks will tell him when she feels like it.
This is from an April 4, 2006 D&C article titled “Scope of downtown theaters in spotlight”:
“Assemblyman Joseph Morelle, D-Irondequoit, is warning that the Assembly’s piece, $ 18 million , would be held up unless Monroe County officials agree to use at least some of it on a broader plan that includes an additional theater nearby. ”
Perhaps Maggie is suffering from short term memory loss?
“Republican”
Etymology:
French république, from Middle French republique, from Latin respublica, from res thing, wealth + publica, feminine of publicus public
Question is, “wealth” for whom? Certainly not Monroe County and certainly not for the U.S.
Bush has put us in major debt, Ms. Brooks just did the equivalent. Both of them like to do things from the hip, NO plans, bully bravado, obstinately going forward with their fingers in their ears and their mouths wired shut. Kind of reminds me of Hannibal Lecter, right before he says he wants to eat the victim’s heart out with same fava beans and a nice Chianti. Problem is we didn’t agree to be Maggie’s dinner guests.
What a perfect title for this piece! Now we need to contact Kleenex and get Maggie on that new commercial they’re running “Let It Out” (www.letitout.com)…I think it’s time she get a box and sit down on the bench!
From the Kleenex site to Miss Maggie:
<blockquote Why do people keep things bottled up inside?
It makes no sense. Nothing good comes from that.
With that in mind, we invite and encourage you to let it out.
Let out your tears, your joy, your anger, your frustration, your laughter and even your snot.
Why?
Because you’ll feel better.
How do we know?
Because we recently went across America and watched all kinds of people let out all kinds of stuff.
Some of those moments ended up on tv.
Others are right here for your viewing pleasure.
So go ahead, check them out — then let it outâ„¢.
Like I posted on another website,
” Maggie the honeymoon is over”
First snubbed in Albany (boohoo) now this.
Don’t they know who I am?
Yea Maggie, we do, a newscaster that won the lottery
I am amazed that sometimes things work out the way they probably should have. I’m talking about the state’s $18 million in funding for the arts. Instead of going to Ren Square, the state is giving it directly to currently operating institutions such as Eastman Theater. Why is this a good thing?
Well, I once employed at an art museum. The museum received some state funding, but not too much. However, people are far too easily persuaded to pick up “the next best thing” as a cause and pour all their time, effort and money into it. That’s why I was laid off from my job at the museum.
Something like Ren Square came to town and dominated the arts/tourism community. Money poured into the new project and literally left all other projects behind. That could have easily happened here in Rochester. With limited money to go around, established venues such as Eastman Theater should get state money to continue what they are doing.
The signs are on the wall Maggie, Ren Square should probably fade to black, quietly.
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