Winston-Salem City Council members Vivian Burke and Robert Clark questioned proposed funding to renovate the Southeast Plaza Shopping Center.
But Burke and Clark gave different reasons for questioning the proposal. Burke –who made the no consideration motion that prevented the proposal from going to a vote —wants more city money for the Ogburn Station Shopping Center, which is in Burke’s Ward.
Clark had a different reason for questioning Southeast owner Jose Isasi’s $1.34 million request:
Clark said earlier in the meeting he could not support Isasi’s request, saying that it conjured memories of the city’s experience with BB&T Ball Park, where initial investments in the millions of dollars had to be followed by millions more in 2009 to keep the project going.
“I am concerned if we have a true understanding of what we have gotten into,” Clark said, noting that he expects Isasi to come back to the city for even more money, since the amount proposed was less than what Isasi requested.
Good for Clark—seems to me councils rarely know what they’re getting into while handing out taxpayers’ money just for the asking.
But then what does Clark and his fellow council members do? Unanimously approve a $2.5 million loan to Winston-Salem Business Inc. for construction of a shell building at Union Cross Business Park, with the money to be repaid when the building sells. Apparently they know what they’re getting into there.
