Here’s the email that former City Manager Joyce Wilson sent to Mayor Oscar Leeser last week:
Even though I’ve been retired from city government for 10 years and spend some of my winter in FL, I’m still an El Pasoan and pay my taxes here. This latest idea for a performance center is a joke and represents the small pea-brain vision of recent El Paso leadership. This is total waste of money. It will net nothing in terms of a new venue. The site stinks. It’s isolated and an environmental hazard. Do you have any idea what it will cost to clean it up enough to build? Plus the noise and vibration from the railroad will undermine any performance.
If you want to be a do nothing city council, then do nothing – but don’t do harm. Stop listening to folks like Max Grossman who do nothing but destroy our city and undermine its progress. His vision is an out of town barbecue joint to compete with local businesses. Or a pile of rocks with a sign on it.
But an arena will compete with local businesses, also. El Paso only has so many entertainment dollars, and an arena will ship lots of that money out of town. That’s an inconvenient detail Ms. Wilson chose to ignore. Joyce is a logical contortionist.
Ten years ago the community envisioned a facility with minimum of 14,000 seats. Anything less is like flushing money down the toilet, which you guys have been good at frankly. How about collaborating with UTEP for a new and expanded Haskins Center with better accommodations, more seating and modern acoustics for performances. The multi-purpose center was intended to accommodate college and amateur sports as well as music. That’s why it’s called multi purpose! Duh!!!! Or look at convention site and block to south which could potentially address a multitude of issues. Brian Kennedy has a lot of experience in this field. There is no way he can justify this expense and be credible.
All the new hotels in downtown weren’t looking for a rinkydink outdoor facility on the railroad. They were looking at a signature project to bring in major attractions and heads in beds.
This is why it’s important to get new leadership at our next election, and leadership that will commit to a grander vision for El Paso. Small minds lead to small visions and mediocrity. Which is exactly what this bright idea is.
If you don’t have guts to do something grand, then just do nothing. This is pretty sad.
And so you know I’m not just being critical but also willing to help with better solutions, I’ll volunteer to help you do better due diligence. All I ask is you go back to original report that looked at the Tulsa center as the best model for EP back in 2012 and update that.
Joyce Wilson
ElPasoMatters.com felt they had to clean up Joyce’s language:
“This latest idea for a performance center is a joke and represents the small pea-brain vision of recent El Paso leadership. This is total waste of money,” became
“This latest idea for a performance center is a total waste of money.”
And this:
“The multi-purpose center was intended to accommodate college and amateur sports as well as music and other events. That’s why it’s called multi purpose!”
In the original email, this was appended: “Doh!!!!”
Curious, innit, that ElPasoMatters.com felt the need to censor Ms. Wilson?
The proposed MPC isn’t that different than what Gensler proposed for Duranguito. Why didn’t Ms. Wilson raise her arrogant voice about Gensler’s proposal? I mean, she’s not just bitching about the location. She also is whining about the proposed design, which isn’t that different from Gensler’s.
Former Mayor John Cook chimed in, too, with an email signed by him and former City Council Representative Steve Ortega. Now we’re hearing from the Ghosts of Budgets Past.
They don’t have any more credibility than the current crop of arena advocates.
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