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SEDC Recognition
I would like to congratulate you on your excellent article regarding the role that the Southeastern Economic Development Corp. should play in Downtown redevelopment activities. (Publisher's Column, September 1998)
As a commercial real estate broker who has worked in that area for many years, it is refreshing to see recognition of both the accomplishments to date of SEDC and its expertise to make future contributions to a comprehensive effort to expand revitalization activities linking Downtown and Southeastern San Diego.
Linda Greenberg
La Jolla
Carolyn Smith is a San Diego treasure and provides visionary leadership for a redevelopment agency in the area adjacent to the proposed Downtown ballpark in East Village.
I’m hopeful that the Padres have seized upon your encouragement to include Ms. Smith in serious discussion regarding the ballpark.
The redevelopment opportunities to the east of the ballpark site along the Commercial Street trolley corridor will provide positive economic impacts; long hoped for but never realized. The strategic and political implications of such impending investment should energize the Padre organization and the city to act.
Michel Anderson
San Diego
Political Thinking
I guess ex-politicians continue to think like politicians. John Witt (Sept.) blames the voters, not the political leadership of San Diego, for the attitude that financing of things like the convention center expansion and the Padres ballpark should be self-supporting.
After the stupid Chargers contract, the voters are justifiably skeptical of city politicians' ability to handle these projects without disastrous mistakes. Nevertheless, it was Mayor Golding, not the libertarian gadflies or the public at large, who suddenly announced that all future projects costing over $50 million should be subject to a public vote. The rest of the council obligingly went long.
The city council came up with the "painless" scheme for paying for both the convention center and the ballpark with a cornucopia of new hotel tax revenues. The bond rating services are so unimpressed with this scheme they are muttering about downgrading the city's credit rating.
At the Aug. 4 council meeting, I raised concerns about the city going it alone on the ballpark and questioned the wisdom of encumbering the city for 30 years of $21 million annual new debt to be serviced by taxes on hotels not yet built. I suggested instead a 1/4 cent county-wide sales tax override for a few years like Phoenix had. Their new ballpark is now free and clear. The mayor and Councilman Wear gave me the "no new taxes" speech and cut off discussion.
Mr. Witt should look to his former colleagues, not the public, for the origin of the free lunch attitude on public projects.
William Bradshaw
San Diego
Tunnel Trolley, Too
I enjoyed "A Tunnel for the Train" in your September issue. I think that building a tunnel for Amtrak and the Coaster would be a very good idea and it would improve transit access to La Jolla. However, I think that for just a little more expense, the tunnel could be built twice as wide, and the trolley could be run through it. The trolley does not run as fast as Amtrak, but it runs much more often, costs less and is a useful alternative to Amtrak and the Coaster. It seems that many of the freeways here are at capacity, and I believe that over the next few years there will not be much money available to widen them. If we make the transit system better, more people will be able to get around without having to drive. I also think that cities which have good transit systems are nicer to live in.
Chris Flescher
San Diego
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