Published by: artie.see(at)gmail.com
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Rick Gray's speech to the LCCCA Board
Here is a word-for-word transcript of Mayor Rick Gray's presentation to the board of the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority, at the Farm and Home Center on Wednesday January 4th, 2006. This speech was made one day after Rick Gray's inauguration as mayor of Lancaster. I've omitted the many "uh's" for the sake of readability.
Thank you. I thank you for the opportunity to come here tonight. Just to reflect on a few things that have been said already: Randy wanted to know about a building that’s used 52 days a year. I go to Lincoln Financial Field, that’s used ten times a year, and cost about three or four hundred million dollars in Philadelphia to build. They don’t seem to want to turn down public money in Philadelphia when the State comes in and wants to expend it to promote the area. Ron Harper, where are you Ron? We can’t move the money; we can either take it or leave it. But if we leave it, it’s not going to stay here. If we had $130 million to spend, and we could use it however we wanted to, would we spend it on a convention center and hotel? Probably not. But that’s not the choice we have, so let’s not fantasize about choices. Really.
I hear some people here that in my opinion just want to do everything they can to frustrate this project, and then complain because the project isn’t happening. I see people here who litigate against the project, and then complain about the cost of litigation, and how much money we’ve spent.
You know, we can delay it, you can delay it, if that’s the way you want to be; you can just use diliatory tactics, drive the cost up enough, and then declare yourself successful when we can’t afford to do it, if that’s what you want to engage in. I don’t think that’s a proper decision, and I submit this feasibility is just another attempt to delay, and delay, and to drive costs up.
(Audience boos loudly)
Go right ahead. Go right ahead. You want to compare apples and oranges, compare Altoona and Lancaster, please. I talk to people from all over the country, unlike the previous mayor I travel a lot. When you talk about Lancaster, people want to come to Lancaster. They’re interested in Lancaster. Talk to somebody in Philadelphia, and ask them if they’d want to go to Altoona. Come on.
Now we’re at a point here where we can pull together, or we can pull apart. I hope when you all took a position on the Convention Center Authority board, you didn’t take it just to delay implementation. And you say you don’t, and I’ll take it at your word. But you’re committed to a convention center in the city of Lancaster, that’s what the convention center authority board is there for. And I’m assuming when you took a position, that’s what you were in favor of.
Now we in the City of Lancaster, we’re willing to assume a risk. I appreciate everyone’s concern for us as taxpayers, but we’re willing to assume a risk. We have vital economic development which could be fostered by this project, five hundred prevailing wage jobs over two years in construction, an estimated two hundred jobs thereafter, and the opportunity for people to achieve economic independence in the city.
We see an opportunity here. So my question is to you: I’d ask you, what are you going to do to answer the needs of the people of the city of Lancaster? And I don’t want people telling me well we’ll do retail; there’s plenty of retail downtown, and it’s empty. I don’t want people telling me, we’re rent you office spaces, we’ll make you office spaces, there’s plenty of office spaces in downtown Lancaster. Believe me, even though the County Commissioners took that big building off the market, there’s still plenty of office spaces.
I want to ask you, how do you as an authority board member bring jobs and economic revitalization to our City and County? I don’t want you to speak in hypotheticals. What do you have on the table? Where are the people, where is the money, and how are you going to do it?
Thank you. I thank you for the opportunity to come here tonight. Just to reflect on a few things that have been said already: Randy wanted to know about a building that’s used 52 days a year. I go to Lincoln Financial Field, that’s used ten times a year, and cost about three or four hundred million dollars in Philadelphia to build. They don’t seem to want to turn down public money in Philadelphia when the State comes in and wants to expend it to promote the area. Ron Harper, where are you Ron? We can’t move the money; we can either take it or leave it. But if we leave it, it’s not going to stay here. If we had $130 million to spend, and we could use it however we wanted to, would we spend it on a convention center and hotel? Probably not. But that’s not the choice we have, so let’s not fantasize about choices. Really.
I hear some people here that in my opinion just want to do everything they can to frustrate this project, and then complain because the project isn’t happening. I see people here who litigate against the project, and then complain about the cost of litigation, and how much money we’ve spent.
You know, we can delay it, you can delay it, if that’s the way you want to be; you can just use diliatory tactics, drive the cost up enough, and then declare yourself successful when we can’t afford to do it, if that’s what you want to engage in. I don’t think that’s a proper decision, and I submit this feasibility is just another attempt to delay, and delay, and to drive costs up.
(Audience boos loudly)
Go right ahead. Go right ahead. You want to compare apples and oranges, compare Altoona and Lancaster, please. I talk to people from all over the country, unlike the previous mayor I travel a lot. When you talk about Lancaster, people want to come to Lancaster. They’re interested in Lancaster. Talk to somebody in Philadelphia, and ask them if they’d want to go to Altoona. Come on.
Now we’re at a point here where we can pull together, or we can pull apart. I hope when you all took a position on the Convention Center Authority board, you didn’t take it just to delay implementation. And you say you don’t, and I’ll take it at your word. But you’re committed to a convention center in the city of Lancaster, that’s what the convention center authority board is there for. And I’m assuming when you took a position, that’s what you were in favor of.
Now we in the City of Lancaster, we’re willing to assume a risk. I appreciate everyone’s concern for us as taxpayers, but we’re willing to assume a risk. We have vital economic development which could be fostered by this project, five hundred prevailing wage jobs over two years in construction, an estimated two hundred jobs thereafter, and the opportunity for people to achieve economic independence in the city.
We see an opportunity here. So my question is to you: I’d ask you, what are you going to do to answer the needs of the people of the city of Lancaster? And I don’t want people telling me well we’ll do retail; there’s plenty of retail downtown, and it’s empty. I don’t want people telling me, we’re rent you office spaces, we’ll make you office spaces, there’s plenty of office spaces in downtown Lancaster. Believe me, even though the County Commissioners took that big building off the market, there’s still plenty of office spaces.
I want to ask you, how do you as an authority board member bring jobs and economic revitalization to our City and County? I don’t want you to speak in hypotheticals. What do you have on the table? Where are the people, where is the money, and how are you going to do it?
