Interesting to see former Tampa morning anchor Ellen McNamara reporting on a proposed trolley system in Minneapolis/St. Paul for KTSP-TV. City leaders there are quick to point to a successful model in Portland...while ignoring the struggling streetcar in Tampa.
McNamara even interviews Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who admits "there was mismanagement and misperceptions about how financially secure it would be...they've all come to fruition."
Reminds me a bit of the "if you build it, they will come" mantra Downtown Tampa Rays stadium proponents have been chanting for years. But would a new stadium be "the next Coors Field?" Or would it be "the next Marlins Park?"
Sure, it's easy to make excuses for why it wouldn't be the latter, but let the trolley story be a lesson on keeping those "dream projects" in perspective.
And that's why - whether its a stadium, a Clearwater aquarium, Channelside redevelopment, or any other large municipal project - it's imperative to ask all the important questions now (and why there's a need for watchdog blogs!).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Lol, "tooting our own horns, huh"? Though saying "it's imperative to ask all the important questions now", and NOT find'em out as a "investigative reporter", THEN try to toot your horn is kind of like a "oxymoron"! Maybe when you start asking better questions like "what ways can the Rays save money moving to Channelside", and "what will Tampa be like in 2030", then maybe you'll start getting better answers, opposed to chasing your tail w/ assumptions & comparisons...
ReplyDeleteActually, all the answers to those questions have been addressed in this blog before.
DeleteLol, no they haven't!
Delete