Say Anything

The Grand Forks Alerus Center

Financial Disaster on the Prairie
Yesterday I posted on the Alerus executive director’s claim that he couldn’t release the Britney Spears results because of the contractual obligation. Since he tried to prove that by reading a contract for the Larry the Cable Guy’s upcoming show I made that the focus of my post.
I just couldn’t let go of the bizarreness that he was reading from the wrong contract.
But there was actually a more significant development in that story. I pointed it out but as I think about it, it really shows just what’s wrong with the Alerus: Contempt for the taxpayers.
Here’s what the executive director of the Alerus and the secretary of the Alerus commission said referring to people that don’t buy their economic impact claims.

Hyman said an event’s economic impact should be easy to comprehend. “The bottom line is whatever the event might be, whether it’s the CPA event that’s in here right now or Britney, you’d have to be a complete moron not to understand that there were dollars left behind, significant dollars left behind in this community, as a result of those events,” he said.
Secretary David Evenson agreed. “There’s a group of people that are not going to change their minds,” he said. “They are morons.”

And just who in the hell is Steve Hyman to be calling us morons. This guy’s been here less than two years and his record is frankly awful. He’s lost us over a million dollar of our hard earned tax money. He’s told us the financial reports look “pretty good” when in fact they’ve been dismal.
Just because we don’t buy his con that an East Grand Forks resident that goes to an event or a UND student that goes to the Britney concert creates an humongous economic impact he calls us morons.
It’s time that Hyman resigns before his arrogance costs us another bundle of money. Where’d he learn his PR skills?
And what’s with this Evenson guy? Is there any evidence that he’s done anything that gives him the moral authority to insult us?
The heart of the problems lie with the arrogance and contempt that the Alerus people have shown us. That’s why when it was first being voted on that I pulled my support for the place. I could see that there was a need for GF to have an event center. (But not after the Ralph was built).
By paying attention to the original Alerus gang I figured out they were lying. They’d say anything to get their project passed so they didn’t have to feel inferior to Fargo.
Turns out I was right then.
And they’re still not telling us the whole truth. We should have known last week how much they lost of our money. Instead they’re cooking up a study (with our money again) to mislead us before they relate the dismal performance.
This Hyman works for us. He’s got no call to be insulting us. He’s proven to be an inept manager.
He needs to go. If we get the apology we deserve all the btter.