Read about the Bridges Authority’s scheduled public input meetings today and tomorrow
The Sherman Minton Bridge was closed on September 9. Since that time, Horseshoe Southern Indiana has recorded significant drops in patronage and revenues, so much so that the casino’s Horseshoe Foundation recently announced a huge cash reward to the contractor for early completion of bridge repair work.
Which is to say: A variable (in this case, traffic delays owing to the bridge closure) is providing the Kentucky market with an excuse not to come to Southern Indiana, and because this variable hurts the bottom line at Horseshoe Southern Indiana, it must be eliminated.
Here, in a nutshell, is welcomed corroborating evidence offered by a bigger area business to illustrate what we’ve been saying all along: As a variable, tolls to finance the ORBP boondoggle would have a negative impact on small businesses in Southern Indiana, because tolls would be discretionary for Kentuckians. Meanwhile, working Hoosiers would pay the equivalent of a tax to reach their jobs in Kentucky.
Again and again, we’ve asked the Bridges Authority to prove us wrong. We’ve asked the Authority to conduct a study of the economic impact of tolling on small businesses in Southern Indiana, but a coherent reply has never once come from them, apart from a vague assurance that once tolling has been approved as part of the latest inviolable plan, the body would look into it in its spare time.
In refusing to take such questions seriously, the Bridges Authority is flaunting its fundamental arrogance, but far worse, it is doing an apparently intentional disservice to Southern Indiana. Revealingly, the Horseshoe Foundation’s early-completion offer, as voiced by its head, Jerry Finn, is a tacit admission of what the Authority continues to publicly deny.
Deliciously, Finn is now in the splayed position of publicly advancing a de facto case against tolling while wearing his day-job cap at Horseshoe Foundation, while continuing to mouth the flawed reasons in favor of tolling when performing his role as Bridges Authority member. As Abraham Lincoln might have observed, an argument divided against itself cannot stand. In fact, it has not stood. The only question is whether Finn himself as yet grasps the untenable conceptual space he currently occupies. In my view, he has a choice to make. Will he?
Back on November 18, 2010, my newspaper column was titled, “The Bridges Authority has no clothes.” If there’s such a thing as being more naked than naked, that’s where the collective entity finds itself now … one member more than the rest. You can reread the column here.
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2 comments:
Given that Finn has thus far refused to acknowledge any evidence, subjective or objective, that doesn't neatly fit into his preconceived politicization of ORBP, the chances of him doing a 180 and deciding to actually represent the public as a member of the Bridges Authority probably aren't good.
There's little doubt he would face some grief from Kerry Stemler and crew but, for the sake of the region, I hope he finds the courage to prove me wrong. The same goes for Clere, Grooms, and Steve Stemler.
That said, it's interesting how the veneer of some of the lies, oft mouthed by those above as you mention, has cracked already.
"Jobs created" claims have gone from tens of thousands to thousands, mostly temporary. (In terms of permanent jobs, the economic study they actually did do - which didn't include the negative economic impact of tolls - suggests far fewer permanent jobs than is let on and only if calculated out over several decades.)
Likewise, claims that changing the plan at all would lead to another 20-30 years of delay have now been edited to say changing it too much may cause a 3-5 year delay-- all done while neither acknowledging nor apologizing for the egregiousness of the initial lies, mind you, but pressure-based progress nonetheless.
I we can now get them to change the fudged numbers input into the traffic model to more accurate ones, we'll be even further along,
It remains discouraging that regional mainstream media hasn't done more to press the issue of accuracy in claims made to date, but citizens are doing it for themselves, at least somewhat successfully.
Jeff, I will host a night at BSB for you if any of those people you mention change their view. Personally, I think my money will stay in my wallet, but it will be worth it if I'm wrong. You say Horseshoe, I say Horses--t!
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