In spite of the convoluted, contradictory word salad that 最新杏吧原创 County Council Chair Rita Heard Days offered Tuesday to justify a $40 million recreation center in her north county district, council members should hold firm on their demand to see something 鈥 anything 鈥 that outlines what her plan envisions. For months, Days has been asked repeatedly for basic details. Instead of providing backup material, she decided Tuesday to pull the race card 鈥 a cheap shot at council members who are simply trying to justify an extraordinarily expensive proposal.
最新杏吧原创 County Council Chair Rita Days on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, spoke about the status of the proposed North County rec center as she again delayed final action on convention center bonds. She鈥檚 seeking $40 million for the project.
Since last fall, Days has blocked a $105 million bond issue to fund the county鈥檚 share of costs to expand the downtown 最新杏吧原创 convention center. The county agreed in 2018 to finance half the project, but Days now is making it conditional on fulfilling an informal agreement between her 1st District predecessor, Hazel Erby, and convention center officials to build a recreation center in her majority Black district.
People are also reading…
Convention center officials insist the agreement was only to help fund it, not fully fund it as well as agree to design and build it. Days is holding up the convention center bond issue until recreation center funding is added to it.
Council members aren鈥檛 necessarily opposing the recreation center. All they鈥檙e asking for are more details 鈥 including at least a public hearing 鈥 before proceeding. That prompted a nearly five-minute tirade by Days on Tuesday that invoked 300 years of racism and an incorrect assertion that the council has asked 鈥渘ot one question up until this point鈥 scrutinizing the convention center funding.
鈥淲hen I鈥檓 requesting $40 million for something that will happen in the Black community, something that will happen in the First District, all of a sudden we鈥檝e got to jump through major hoops in order to get that done. ... That鈥檚 what you do when it comes to something in the African American community. I鈥檓 very offended by that,鈥 Days said.
The incomprehensible soliloquy that followed seemed to be arguing for greater planning and transparency at the same time she was arguing for less planning and no need for transparency; abide by county request-for-proposal procedures, but at the same time disregard them.
Republican Ernie Trakas, in fact, has asked lots of questions about the convention center funding and continues to raise concerns. 鈥淭his has nothing to do with race. This has to do with proper process and procedure,鈥 Trakas said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to approve $40 million in bonding without any idea where this facility is going to be.鈥
Days doesn鈥檛 seem to have a fight on her hands about getting her recreation center. But she鈥檚 intent on picking a fight anyway. It鈥檚 way out of line for her to suggest racism is behind a simple request for information that would accompany any other proposal of this magnitude.
Tod Robberson and Kevin McDermott discuss a heated exchange between Sen. Josh Hawley and Hawaii鈥檚 Brian Schatz over the war in Ukraine, and an equally heated exchange in the 最新杏吧原创 County Council amid accusations of racism over scrutiny of a proposed $40 million expenditure.
