The Way I See It!

Guest Blog - Watchful Cudahy Citizen

Posted by Randy Hollenbeck on Sept. 13, 2009

Cudahy, Guest Blog, Mayor, Development

Strike Two on Cudahy Economic Development

Randy:

First, we had the Walmart on the Ice Port site, shot down by the Mayor Ryan McCue.  He campaigned that he would not give Walmart a $12 million dollar subsidy.  They never ASKED for a $12 million dollars or one cent! 

(I hear the marketing survey shows a lack of big box retail in Cudahy!  Maybe that is why Ms. Fritts has not posted the results and is keeping it hush hush!  It didn’t go the way her nor Mayor McCue wanted it to!  I hear she is ever whining that the results don’t matter because the Comprehensive Master Plan says “NO BIG BOX RETAIL!”  What was it that you kept saying about the Comprehensive Master Plan?  Oh, yeah, it is flexible!) 

Let us not forget the consequences of actions -   We the taxpayers are now on the hook for the all the demolition and environmental clean up on the Ice Port site!!!  $200,000 +

STRIKE ONE....

Second, the City pledged over $525,000, including taking money away from bringing City Hall up to ADA compliance.  Who cares if disabled people can't get around, when they have a dinner movie theatre to go to, in our new entertainment district. 

Remember, then Supervisor Ryan McCue said he would review each development to make sure that they had the financing, and would not have the city make large contributions. 

I copied this news piece from Cudahynow, clipped below:

The complex, projected to open in November, will be operated by the owners of the Rosebud Cinema in Wauwatosa and The Times Cinema in Milwaukee.The developer is contributing $1.2 million and the city $525,000 toward the development.

City officials bill the complex as the keystone for a new entertainment district.

Even with now Mayor Ryan McCue supporting the project by 30%, of taxpayer money, the developer cannot get financing.  I hear there is a problem with a letter of credit and the bank wants to look at the paperwork again.

How much city time and money was wasted on this deal?  Will Mayor Ryan McCue account to the citizens and taxpayers how much city money was wasted, on something that was not going to happen?

STRIKE TWO...

If this falls through, what will the Cudahy Economic Development Department, aka Lara L. Fritts and company had brought in? 

Zero, “0”, Nada, nil, Zippo, zilch, absolutely nothing. 

However, she and her interns sucked dry $348,734 of Cudahy taxpayer’s money! 

Randy, thanks for getting her budget on-line, otherwise I would never have known what her budget was! 

Now I hear she wants flowerbaskets for Summer 2010.  And those banners we just had to have.  You know the ones where the American flag is represented wrong.  It is in the wrong direction.  Has Lara filled a claim to get money back or have them remade?  Nope!

Hey, maybe...

Strike Three, and he's out of here!!!

But, look on the bright side, there is an election coming up, and a candidate by the name of Tony Day, a pro business candidate running. 

I hear the Tony Day camp is really getting their ducks in a row, to pound the pants off of McCue.  I hope that this time, he truly gets from the voters what he deserves, a pink slip in the next election!