On Thursday, the council deliberated over the final roll of tax payers in the new downtown assessment which will be used to pay for the new baseball stadium and surrounding stadium improvement district. Almost a year ago, the council voted to approve this new assessment of 6.5 cents per square foot for all owners in the IDL.
Fortunately, as it turns out this assessment is probably a violation of state law, because the assessment charges at a flat rate without regard to the benefit to the property owner. One can imagine that a bar across the street from the ballpark, might receive more benefit, than the warehouse on the other end if the IDL. Another thing we found out over the last year was that the process for protesting the assessment or appealing the amount of the assessment was made difficult and confusing because of the seemingly deliberate misinformation out of the Mayor’s office. Now, the only place a property owner can go to protest this assessment is district court.
Recently I have been pretty heard on Bill Christiansen because he was one of the 6 councilors that originally approved the assessment. I think this entire situation is a fiasco, and as one of the 6 who helped us arrive where we are today, I hold him partly responsible. However, every time I think, “Man, I think I might have been a little harsh, Christiansen didn’t deserve that…maybe I’m being to hard on him,” he opens his mouth and confirms my suspicions that he is an ineffectual leader.
Here are some quotes from Councilor Bill Christiansen at Thursday’s Council meeting. He is explaining why he voted for the assessment in the first place, and why he is now voting against approving the final makeup of that assessment.
"I took two trips to Memphis, I took a trip to Baltimore, um, I went with Stan (Lybarger), and Chuck (Lamson), and you know, we really…it was just so exciting to me that we had the potential to bring a baseball stadium to Downtown Tulsa..."
"Chuck even let me, you know in his generosity, he let me wear the Hornsby Costume one game for about five innings..."
“I was one of the six that voted for it (the assessment) enthusiastically.”
Christiansen allowed himself to sit on a plane with Stan Lybarger, and Chuck Lamson on their way to the look at ballparks all over the country. One can reasonably assume that they spent the entire time lobbying him to vote their way. Did Bill spend that same amount of quality time with people as ardently against this assessment, or with those who were opposed to public money being spent in such a manner? I doubt it very seriously.
So in the end what did it take to make Bill blind to his duty to flush out the details of the assessment; blind to the fact that the OSU medical center would be hit so hard by the new assessment, or blind to the fact that the petition process was deeply flawed and without adequate protection to property owners? All it took was a few hours in a plane with the proponents the ball park, and a few innings pretending to be Hornsby, the Drillers Mascot. That’s all it took to make him an vote yes, “enthusiastically”
“Well Steve,” you say, “that is a bit harsh, how do know he was blind to those details?” We know that he did not understand these ramifications because he has continued to inform us of his incompetence for the past few weeks. He has provided plenty of evidence on the radio, in the paper, and in the Council chambers.
Well all I can say is thank God for the Attorney General who informed Christiansen, via written opinion, that his previous vote was probably illegal and voting yes again would probably get him in trouble. And thank God for the Mayor and her attempt to mislead downtown property owners so that the only way to get justice is to go to court.
Bill was not too concerned that a massive increase to the downtown assessment would burden the small business owner. However, Christiansen started to get upset at the thought that a small businessman might have to go to court, and that was enough to make Hornsby change his mind.
“I’m voting no for this tonight.” Well wonderful Bill! Welcome to the light side of the force. Is there anyway you can sum up my entire problem with you, in some deliciously ironic way? That would be so great.
“I’m just disappointed that it’s come down to this because it doesn’t, it shouldn’t come down to this. It should have been handled properly in the first place, and it hasn’t been.” DING DING DING! Ohh great Councilor Christiansen, you hit the nail right on the head…
The assessment roll passed 5 – 4 Councilors Christiansen, Eagleton, Martinson and Westcott voted against it.
[UPDATE] here is the video of Christiansen's comments...
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