a view of the NASCAR bid fiasco from my soapbox

I'm relieved we lost. There, I said it. As Atlantans we either tend towards extreme and not-justified-by-reality boosterism or extreme (and I do hope) not-justified-by-reality pessimism about our city, and often our state. But today I'm relieved, because we had a close call with the NASCAR bid.

Based on what I've seen of the the site sketches, in many people's view including mine, the finished museum would have set back development in the Centennial Park area, rather than furthering it. The building design proposed actually LOOKED like a parking deck. Interesting twist on the concept of trying to make decks look like real building...and if you think people coming to visit the NASCAR musuem would not bring their cars with them, further clogging city streets, I've got a beautiful green in Piedmont Park to sell you.

News reports today suggest Mayor Franklin and certain favored members of Atlanta City Council offered public city funding for Atlanta's NASCAR museum bid, to the tune of $77 million. (The state of Georgia added another $25 million to the package.) This is the part that amazes me:

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin said putting the bid together shows that Atlanta, the state, and the business community can work well together on a common cause. (AJC)

Now, bear with me for a minute. Atlanta is the case study for the idea of Regime Politics (see book by Clarence Stone) in which a coalition formed by business leaders and politicians shifts but remains essentially dedicated to the same ideas despite the presence of racism and economic inequality.

From the end of Georgia's white primary in 1946 to the present, Atlanta has been a community of growing black electoral strength and stable white economic power. Yet the ballot box and investment money never became opposing weapons in a battle for domination. Instead, Atlanta experienced the emergence and evolution of a biracial coalition. Although beset by changing conditions and significant cost pressures, this coalition has remained intact. At critical junctures forces of cooperation overcame antagonisms of race and ideology. (from U Press of Kansas)

So where's the surprise in the business/politics cooperation in Atlanta?

To me, it's that it continues to happen out of sight. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution sued two business associations to retrieve public records of the city's bid, and won in court. Naturally, the case is pending appeal, and now it's a moot point.

The two lead groups, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and Central Atlanta Progress, refused to provide documents about the process, contending they were not subject to state open records law.

The delaying tactic. What is the point of open records laws if they can be circumvented so easily?

At a conference for economic developers at Georgia Tech last year, I was exposed to how people in the field view the media in general and the idea in particular that the public should have a say in the packages they offer in our names (with public funds) to companies to relocate, or stay put, or expand, or just because. They are not fans. I understand the impulse to keep these things secret, I truly do, but I believe it is one we must resist as a society.

Secrecy and the lack of information sharing facilitate bad and/or unpopular deals, whereas the light of day has killed more than one (toll lanes to Athens, anyone?) Of course, that one may have been canceled due to some shenanigans of its own - it's been suggested that the toll lanes were nixed because that would have added to the desire for commuter rail along the 316 corridor...the more expensive it gets to drive, the more likely people are to want alternatives.