Be wary of a mayor, City Council member or Chamber of Commerce president who puts lipstick on a pig to avoid the hard realities facing the city of St. Paul.
To call the closing of the downtown Macy's store an "opportunity" amounts to deception, especially in light of the long downward trajectory of businesses exiting the capital city. Citizens should demand that elected officials speak the truth -- and they should be able to expect local newspapers to examine the veracity of officials' statements, especially on the editorial page ("St. Paul can handle its Macy's challenge," Jan. 5).
Two observable trends are at work in St. Paul -- taxpayer-subsidized development and corporate departures. Recent development in the downtown area has been financed almost entirely by government.
The $246 million Union Depot; the $25 million Saints ballpark; the Xcel Energy Center and River Centre convention venue; light rail between the cities; the Lawson building; numerous government office buildings; the Metro State and Saint Paul College expansions, the lofts near the Farmers Market; the Hwy. 52 bridge, and even restaurants like Cossetta's -- all are taxpayer projects funded from local, state and federal sources.
Granted, the transportation and educational investments will have some broader impact on the economy, but the others were authorized with the promise of rejuvenating the once-glorious city of St. Paul. One means of measuring success would be the return on investment in terms of job creation or increased tax base. But you cannot get an answer about the private-sector jobs created or whether the tax base is growing.
The other trend is the exodus of companies from the city. The Macy's departure (after the retailer received a $6.3 million grant from the city to stick around for 10 years) only continues the downward spiral of the past five decades.
Recall the once-grand headquarters of the Great Northern and Northern Pacific railroads, which J.J. Hill promised would create the Inland Empire, starting here! Remember that 3M once thrived on St. Paul's feisty East Side, and that West Publishing was in the heart of the city. And the oldest corporate citizen, The St. Paul Companies, was headquartered here.
There were breweries, like Hamm's and Schmidt's. Northwest Airlines was based on St. Paul land granted to build the airport. Weyerhauser, American Hoist, the Ford assembly plant -- all are gone.
