Bass Pro – are we being lied to?

Yesterday, Jim Ostrowski’s Free Buffalo held a press conference regarding two items – Buffalo Geek has the rundown:

1. Bass Pro ain’t spending the $57 million everyone said they would; and
2. The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation ain’t locally controlled.

WNYMedia.net has video.

When I researched the Bass Pro deal, everyone – and I mean EVERYONE – guaranteed and repeated that Bass Pro was going to spend $57 million on its store. I knew that Ostrowski alleged that it would be $22 million, so I specifically sought to verify which number was true. Bass Pro itself assured me that it was spending close to $60 million of its own money on the project.

That, to me, was the biggest counterpoint to the fear people had about whether other Bass Pro openings in neighboring states would erode the draw of a Bass Pro in Buffalo. Bass Pro wouldn’t spend $57 million of its own cash on a losing proposition.

Ostrowski had an email exchange with an Empire State Development Corporation rep, who appears to confirm Ostrowski’s allegation – that Bass Pro is coming to town with $22 million.

I don’t appreciate being lied to by my Governor, by local politicians, nor by some ass in safety orange down in Missouri. So, color me pissed off. $35 million in public money to rehab the aud is a good $20 million higher than the very poorly drafted MOU indicated.

Ultimately, the fact that Memphis, TN’s Bass Pro rehab of an old sports arena deal was finalized in 4 months (you’ll note from that article that Memphis, in that low-tax promised land that is the South, has a 9.25% sales tax), while Buffalo’s takes 4 years is indicative of how idiotic and backwards our government(s) is/are. Buffalo isn’t exactly a retail mecca. If Bass Pro wants to come to town, fucking roll out the red carpet and get something done. Otherwise, shut up and move along – don’t bring the governor to town and tout a done deal.

While I’m still not philosophically opposed to spending public money on infrastructure improvements to ensure that a Bass Pro in the Aud is workable, this revelation (assuming it to be true) had me gobsmacked.

So, Mr. Mayor? Mr. Governor? ESDC? EHDC? Mr. Whiteley?

Hold. A. Press. Conference. And. Tell. Us. What’s. Going. On.

If you don’t do it in the next week or so, public support – such a was – will begin to disappear.