"Tom!" Said Willis, a note of panic in his voice, "What is that? The Truth? Protect me!"

"Not to worry," said Tom. "It wouldn't touch us with a 10 meter cattle prod."

Maybe it's time to fight fire with fire...

Every time Leppert speaks at a church event regarding the hotel, we need to pick up the phone and drop a dime on the IRS' Non-Profit and Tax Exempt division and ask them to review that church's tax status.

You start threatening to pull a few Non-Profit Certificates from these churches, and next thing you know Tom will spend time at home with his family instead of in South Dallas trying to pass out walking money.

"Yes Sirrrr!" to what Adleman stated.

The black community in Dallas should be tired of being used in this way. Thank God some new leadership is on the way.

How do you keep getting such priceless photos of Mayor Tom? This one would be perfect for a photo caption contest.

Señora Knottygirl, I believe it is what Señor Willis is doing with his right hand, searching for the gruesome lair of El Conejo Diablo perhaps, that has El Gato Grande assuming such a bracing pose.

Emilio

I would be supportive of this damn hotel if Leppert was to support affordable housing in the core of dowtown Dallas. We are in a depression Leppert, and we need affordable options for housing in downtown Dallas, where we work.......so get with it and start backing it up with actions versus just these so called stated intiatives. Time to back up the talk.

Willis Johnson has taken the position of the late S.M Wright to deliver the black vote to the power structure for pay, and to find any preacher that is to sell his congregations vote for money or position with the power to be.If in Dallas Black Preacher's would stand together and stop trying to build new buildings and calling them Churches, not understanding that a real Church should be about doing God will and not over looking the needs of the black seniors, and youth that is in desperate need of it support.

P.S This is a message that God will respect.

Bob Bedell, president and chief executive of the Convention & Visitors Commission: "The point of the convention hotel is not bigger conventions, it's more conventions," he said. "Instead of us having 30 to 35 every year, we'll end up with 50 to 55. Because of the hotel, we'll be able to get 20 more major conventions a year plus all the other business that's attracted to the hotel." About 500,000 room nights a year are generated by the city's convention center, Bedell said. The new convention center hotel is expected to boost that number to 800,000.

Bedell was prez & CEO of the ST LOUIS Convention & Visitors Commission. He made this statement back in 2000, quoting from his PKF Feasibility Study which recommended the convention hotel development adjoining the St. Louis Convention Center.

Now, fast forward to present day: “Here in St. Louis, we now know the folly of listening to consultants who promise that a big new hotel will attract more convention business. Our downtown Renaissance Hotel, built on the basis of such projections, has just defaulted on its debt payments. ” St. Louis Post-Dispatch January 7, 2009.

Metro St. Louis is the same size as Metro Dallas.

The dirty details, which were already argued over by the citizens of St. Louis, beginning in the year 2000:

St. Louis Industrial Development Authority issued $98 million in hotel revenue bonds in 2000, for the construction of the Renaissance Grand and the Renaissance Suites, which together make up the convention center hotel. City Comptroller Darlene Green said an underwriting group led by Salomon Smith Barney and Paine Webber led the sale of $98 million in senior lien revenue empowerment zone bonds. The bonds will be the first mortgage on the hotel. The city will contribute an additional $80.7 million to the project, including $47.7 million of HUD 108 loan net proceeds, and $33 million of convention center leasehold revenue bond net proceeds. The city adopted tax increment financing (TIF) as security for the HUD 108 loan. Under terms of the deal, the city will benefit from the project, by receiving a portion of the economic activity taxes generated by the hotel. The city also will share in proceeds if the hotel is sold. The price tag on the proposed convention center hotel has jumped $17 million to a total of $260 million.

Monday, February 9, 2009: Bondholders of the Renaissance Grand Hotel & Suites took ownership of the hotel at a public auction Monday. More than a dozen people attended the auction held at the Civil Courts building for St. Louis' largest hotel, the 1,100-room Renaissance, located in the 800 block of Washington Ave. The sole bid for the hotel was made by the bondholders trustee, UMB Bank, for $98 million, the amount of debt on the hotel. Bondholders for the $277 million hotel that opened in 2003 foreclosed on the hotel after its owners, Kimberly-Clark subsidiary Housing Horizons and HRI Properties, the hotel's developer, defaulted on a $3.5 million interest payment due Dec. 15. Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark has since transferred its ownership stake in the hotel to New Orleans-based HRI. The hotel will remain open and be managed by Marriott Corp. Ownership of the hotel has been transferred to a designee of the trustee. The next bondholders conference call is scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 19. Jones Lang LaSalle will submit its summary on the hotel’s operations and recommendations for improvement at the meeting.

I hate that when it happens . . .

This monster in St. Louis wipes out every argument made for the Dallas version. It is a tale of two cities.

Or déjà vu all over again.

Reading about the convention center/hotel right after reading about the new board member of DFW airport is a depressing task.

Why do we really want this hotel? One more way to reward political contributions.

Awesome post Deep Ellum.

Wonder how much "walking around money" is changing hands. In Dallas, the scandal is not that the so-called Black Leadership is corrupt, its how cheaply they can be bought for.

Grumpy Demo you're dead on the mark. It's amazing to me just how cheaply the black ministers can be bought.

Looks like Willis is winding Tom up. I think there should be a caption contest for that photo. Ready, set, go.....

Instead of the Convention Center Hotel Why Not a Subway Loop?

New Yorks MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority) signed a contract in March 2007 for $337 million to build the first part of the new two track 2nd Ave Subway line. The first phase will see construction from 92nd st to 63rd st.

NEW YORK WOULD NOT BE THE GREAT CITY THAT IT IS WITHOUT ITS TUNNELS AND SUBWAY SYSTEM!

What's up with Dallas? Is Dallas jealous of New York? Is Dallas stupid? Does Dallas know better than New York?

What's up with Dallas is that we have an ARROGANT KING MAYOR AND A FASCIST, SPECIAL INTEREST GOVERNMENT!

We are now in the throws of another major Dallas controversary (EMBARASSING US AGAIN TO THE REST OF THE COUNTRY!) involving the planned Convention Center Hotel. Approximately %500 million (1/2 billion) will be spent on this 1000 room hotel. The "Establishment" says we must have it to be a competitive convention city because other cities have one.

Has anyone considered the construction of a subway loop which would take conventioneers from the convention center to most of the major downtown hotels for the same or less than the proposed $500 million?

What's the advantage of a downtown subway loop over a convention center hotel?

1. It will be used 365 days a year.
2. It will maximize the use of the major downtown hotels.
3. It can also take people to major venues like the AA Center, the JFK museum, Deep Ellum, etc.
4. It will be very appreciated by all tourists and residents during the very hot summer months.

So there you have it. We have a mayor with significant construction industry experience, and he and most of the Dallas Citizen's Council City Council have their heads up their A**es, or up the A**es of those who "pay" them off!

Rich Sheridan, P.E.
Professional Engineer, New York - Activist

p.s. Am I a bit miffed? You betcha! All I get is disrespect from Leppert, and the majority of the City Council, and I have been right more than the mayor, and the previous mayor on the major issues.

Instead of a Convention Center Hotel Why Not a Subway Looop?

New Yorks MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority) signed a contract in March 2007 for $337 million to build the first part of the new two track 2nd Ave Subway line. The first phase will see construction from 92nd st to 63rd st.

NEW YORK WOULD NOT BE THE GREAT CITY THAT IT IS WITHOUT ITS TUNNELS AND SUBWAY SYSTEM!

What's up with Dallas? Is Dallas jealous of New York? Is Dallas stupid? Does Dallas know better than New York?

What's up with Dallas is that we have an ARROGANT KING MAYOR AND A FASCIST, SPECIAL INTEREST GOVERNMENT!

We are now in the throws of another major Dallas controversary (EMBARASSING US AGAIN TO THE REST OF THE COUNTRY!) involving the planned Convention Center Hotel. Approximately %500 million (1/2 billion) will be spent on this 1000 room hotel. The "Establishment" says we must have it to be a competitive convention city because other cities have one.

Has anyone considered the construction of a subway loop which would take conventioneers from the convention center to most of the major downtown hotels for the same or less than the proposed $500 million?

What's the advantage of a downtown subway loop over a convention center hotel?

1. It will be used 365 days a year.
2. It will maximize the use of the major downtown hotels.
3. It can also take people to major venues like the AA Center, the JFK museum, Deep Ellum, etc.
4. It will be very appreciated by all tourists and residents during the very hot summer months.

So there you have it. We have a mayor with significant construction industry experience, and he and most of the Dallas Citizen's Council City Council have their heads up their A**es, or up the A**es of those who "pay" them off!

Rich Sheridan, P.E.
Professional Engineer, New York - Activist

p.s. Am I a bit miffed? You betcha! All I get is disrespect from Leppert, and the majority of the City Council, and I have been right more than the mayor, and the previous mayor on the major issues.

Thanks anonymous, you usually bad mouth me!