That’s what District 6 Representative Art Fierro was quoted as saying in this ElPasoTimes.com article.
Why? Have we been misbehaving?
“But a 14,000-seat venue would cost somewhere between $500 million and $600 million, well beyond what the city has on hand to see the project through,” the article continues.
“Even though the taxpayers were told they would get a 14,000-seat facility … it was never budgeted properly … so I think the taxpayers overwhelmingly approved an MPC which is a performing arts center and we do need to listen to the voters and do the will of the voters and do what they voted for,” Mayor Oscar Leeser said. “There has been a lot of talk back and forth for 11 years on what really that language was and what happened and what didn’t happen, but at the end of the day … we had $180 million.”
I deserve an Audi Q7, but I can afford a 20-year-old Honda.
That “El Paso deserves” rhetoric is reminiscent of the pitch that sold the 2012 Quality of Life bonds, but Joyce Wilson et al promised that the bonds would only raise our taxes a little bit.
I’m amazed that the people who got us into our financial pickle crawled back out of whatever rocks they’ve been hiding under.
Obviously, they have no shame.
In this week’s El Paso Inc there is an article about the arena with a diagram of how it fits into the Union Depot property. A parking ramp is evident and if you look closely (I needed a magnifying glass), it reads “Secure VIP Parking.” Now, who do you suppose that is for? Us?