We feel impelled to repeat a suggestion we made recently concerning the CIB "crisis."
If the financial situation of this profligate organization does in fact constitute a crisis, time must be taken to determine just how we got here, and then to create - and present to the public - a truly appropriate, long-term resolution.
The important word here is "time." Panic-driven, ill thought out proposals should never be an option. There is at least one way to prevent that from happening.
The mayor ought to call on the Colts (and the NFL?) to take over all maintenance and operating costs of the stadium for a period of not less than one year.
Hopefully, these pillars of civic pride would be willing to do so at their own expense, considering the sugary contracts they have. An acceptable, but unhappy, alternative would be that the funds be an interest-free loan to the city.
Refusal of these terms by the team owner would trigger the alternative of the city officially notifying both the team and the NFL that the CIB does not, in fact, have the money to operate the stadium. The Colts would then have the option of declaring this a breach of contact, and deciding to play their games elsewhere, temporarily or permanently.
There may well be better suggestions than this. We fervently hope so. But we will continue to believe that proposed solutions entangled in local and statewide political contention, and stampeded through a desperate special legislative session, will find us plowing this same ground again in a very few years.
Gee, ya don't suppose they took any cues from the feds, do you?
Posted by: Leslie Baker | June 17, 2009 at 02:45 PM
I agree with Leslie. It's hurry hurry before everyone figures out what's happening.
Posted by: Indy Patriot | June 17, 2009 at 03:27 PM
And let us not forget that the local news is exacerbating the problem by continually printing that nonsense that the 'deficit' is 47 million; keep the 15 million promised to the Pacers and the deficit is 32 million. We continue to be fed bad information in an attempt to convince us that the sky is indeed falling and we need to fix it now. Enough of the rhetoric and hyperbole, I don't need to hear any more of these catch phrases; we don't know if we will have enough money for next season, we are cutting to the bone, we will lose billions of dollars and thousands of job etc. etc.
Nothing should be done until there is a complete financial audit, that information is published for public purview and the old CIB board is replaced.
Posted by: Vox Populi | June 17, 2009 at 06:57 PM