[Re “Public should not be hostge to unfair PSP agreements”], I think we need some perspective here. Understand that I too believe the agreements are an aberration.
Why solicitor Esbenshade would have ever advised Chairmen Pickard and Darcus to railroad them through LCCCA approval is beyond comprehension. Far be it from me to suggest a conspiracy here but whose interests were being represented by that solicitor?
That said, what are we talking about? The LCCCA faces 2 financial hurdles:
1) the fact that their reserves are about to drop below the threshold which will require M&T to seize the PDCVB portion of the room tax and
2) a Q1 2013 debt payment, that can only be put off and refinanced so many times. While balanced agreements consistent with real partnerships, those that offer give and take on BOTH sides, might certainly right the ship enough to avoid hurdle #1, hurdle #2 looms much larger on the horizon.
The issue here is not an unfair agreement but a ridiculous project. CC’s fail almost everywhere. Ours will fail too. It should never have been built. There was no justification. There was no reason to believe in success. There were only sheep, being led to the slaughter with the promise of a free project and state dollars that could be used for this and for this alone.
The agreements are just a symptom, the disease is the project itself and it is a cancer that will not stop causing financial harm until it is cut away, just like any other cancer.
