Who knows why Mayor William Stortz sat on this news for two days, but he decided today to let everyone else in on it:
Bristol, CT, September 9, 2007 – In prepared comments released today, Mayor William T. Stortz announced that the City of Bristol has received early notification that the Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled in the City’s favor in the matter of the City of Bristol versus Ocean State Job Lot.
Stortz said, “The City will now have the ability to move forward in concert with the Bristol Downtown Development Corporation to implement a plan for the revitalization of our downtown area. Our goal is to make the mall site as attractive as possible to potential developers. All along, it has been felt that the mall had to be demolished to attract the developers and work out the best plan for Bristol. The City has throughout this extended litigation process believed that Ocean State did not have a valid lease”.
Stortz continued, “While Ocean State has not been successful with an appeal, we are pleased that they will continue to be in town at their Bristol Plaza location.
I will work with the Corporation Counsel office and other departments in cooperation with Ocean State to work out the relocation process and smooth transition.”
Stortz added, “I have not yet received the complete formal decision, which will be released on Monday, September 10. I will then be available in the Mayor’s Office for additional comment, once the formal decision has been completely reviewed by myself and the Corporation Counsel’s office.”
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Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
16 comments:
Nice job, Bill.
Nice job Frank and Artie who voted against paying Job Lot that fat buy out that Bill wanted to give them.
so you want to give Art Ward credit for this? I'm surprised he didn't send the Supreme Court a letter asking them to wait until after the election to give their decision.
The real person to thank is probably Anne Baldwin, the city attorney who "advises" Nicastro and probably told him about the court date, causing the Council to vote against Stortz's buyout.
I give credit to Art and everyone else that didn't vote in favor of giving OSJL a ton of money to move out when all we needed to do was wait a couple more months to see that the courts would rule in our favor.
OK - so Atty Baldwin gets credit for doing her job? I'll go along with that lightly.
People, please hold your comment until after we see the FULL text of the decision on Monday. For all we know, the Court will give them 12 months to get out, or longer + relocation costs.
In the end of things, Mayor Stortz negotiated a great buyout that would have given FINALITY to this Centre Mall mess that the Dems CREATED... And let's be honest for a second, the only reason the dems shot down the deal was for political gain. Again sacrificing the greater good of Bristol for the glorification of their own personal agendas and egos. So Sad.
Art voted against the buy out as did Frank - Zoppo, Minor, McCauley & Bill voted to Pay job lot! ZOPPO ONCE AGAIN WOULD HAVE COST US $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!
Bill holds onto information as he has for the past 2 years - Why? Its a control issue with him. I bet her called the "Den Mother" and she told him to hold onto this information until after the primary - so it won't make her look bad, afterall Ellen voted to buy out Job Lot!!
William
Actually, Zoppo voted along with every other city councilor NOT to take the deal that Mayor Stortz negotiated with Ocean State.
Here's the story, from March 2nd, to refresh failing memories:
BRISTOL - For months, Mayor William Stortz has haggled with the last remaining tenant in the downtown mall in hopes of working out a deal that would persuade Ocean State Job Lot to get out.
He finally put the finishing touches on a $507,000 deal with the discount retailer last week that he believed he could convince the City Council and Board of Finance to support.
But the mayor blew it.
When it came up for a vote Thursday, city councilors uniformly opposed the proposed settlement. Stortz cast the sole vote in favor.
"I'll be the Lone Ranger in this particular case," Stortz declared.
It was a stunning political defeat for the Republican mayor, with even Councilor Mike Rimcoski, the only GOP councilor, lining up with the Democrats who shot down the plan.
Ocean State's lawyer, Bridget Gallagher, expressed disappointment that the deal went down in flames.
It wasn't clear that there would even be a vote on the issue because councilors told Stortz during a half-hour, closed-door executive session that they would rather take their chances in court against Ocean State. Most of them figured the mayor would simply adjourn the meeting without a public vote after they returned to public session.
But Stortz instead announced there had been "an interesting discussion" in executive session and asked the council if anyone would read the motion to accept the deal, which offered to pay the Rhode Island-based retailer $225,000 in relocation costs and $47,000 a year for six years to reimburse it for higher rents it would pay elsewhere in town. In return for the money, Ocean State would leave the city-owned mall by May.
Stortz argued that the $507,000 payoff was the safe bet, ending a legal dispute that the city could still lose and hastening redevelopment of the 17-acre mall site that officials hope can be the centerpiece of a new downtown.
City Councilor Frank Nicastro, a Democrat and former mayor, wasted no time in declaring his opposition.
"What we're doing here is truly wrong," Nicastro said, arguing the deal would hurt the city and cost taxpayers too much.
He said it "turns my stomach" to think of giving Ocean State so much after defeating the store in court already.
But what sealed the deal's fate was Nicastro's announcement that the state Supreme Court plans to hear Ocean State's appeal of its first-round legal loss by April 20. A decision could be handed down before summer.
With the case likely to end so soon, said Councilor Craig Minor, "it just doesn't make sense financially" to settle for so much now.
"It's worth gambling" that the city will win the final round of the legal case, said Councilor Ellen Zoppo, rather than cutting a deal.
Stortz said he didn't know the court date was coming up so quickly. He said the early date "caught a few of us by surprise."
Councilor Art Ward, a Democrat running for mayor, said a settlement might have made sense but the early court date "sheds another light."
He said the bottom line is that in the deal Stortz negotiated "the concessions are all being given by us" and all Ocean State is doing in return is moving out a little sooner.
Rimcoski expressed doubt, too.
"We're gambling, no matter how you cut it," Rimcoski said. "I feel like I'm at a blackjack table wondering whether to hit a 17."
Rimcoski decided to play it safe.
Stortz, though, went for broke, and lost big.
This news solidifies the fact that Stortz would have lost the elction this year.
Now maybe he can stop being bitter and stop back-stabbing the Republican candidates.
Does anyone have the cost analyst of what the buyout would have cost the city back when the buyout was offered vs. the costs that have be occurred waiting for this decision?
I'm just curious as to if money was really saved by waiting for this decision?
Great idea! A risk/benefit analysis. My guess is that Mayor Stortz did one but in his usual proprietary fashion didn't share it with anyone. Even if he had, this current council wouldn't be able to grasp the concept. Remember their rule, "Politics first, taxpayers last."
It has cost us $1000 a day since May 1 to keep osjl at the mall..do the math. We will still ahve to pay relocation costs.
Thank you to Atty Nicastro and his merry men and woman on the city council for delaying the process.
In addition, ask Atty Nicastro, Minor, Zoppo, Ward, and McCauley how much we paid in atty costs to prep and argue the lawsuit before the Court, and add that to your $1000 a day figure.
Nice Job Dems..and you want to lead the city????
"Does anyone have the cost analyst of what the buyout would have cost the city back when the buyout was offered vs. the costs that have be occurred waiting for this decision? I'm just curious as to if money was really saved by waiting for this decision?"
The out-of-pocket cost is roughly a wash, since the small amount we're paying to heat and a/c the building is offset by the rent that Ocean State is paying. The better question is, how much would we have profited in the long run (i.e., get the property back on the tax roles, with new buildings) if we had paid Ocean State the half million bucks that Stortz offered them to vacate six months ago. That question, although better, is moot since the Bristol Downtown Development Corporation isn't ready to demolish anyway, so we couldn't have demo'd if we wanted to.
"It has cost us $1000 a day since May 1 to keep osjl at the mall..do the math. We will still ahve to pay relocation costs. Thank you to Atty Nicastro and his merry men and woman on the city council for delaying the process."
YOU do the math, Einstein: Stortz wanted to give Ocean State $500,000 in May to leave. Using your number of $1000 day that equates to roughly a year and a half. So exactly how do you figure it would have been cheaper to pay Ocean State to go away back in May?
Stortz 500K figure included relocation costs.
Since your a math qhiz why don't you tell the people what that will cost.
Remember we now have to apy for all the merchandise to be moved to another location.
OSJL can move it to east timbucktoo
on our dime.
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