tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post6010753314010123633..comments2023-08-20T07:06:14.115-04:00Comments on Thurber's Thoughts: Hotel-Motel Tax - vote scheduledMaggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677808307727487766noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-62489205862405558902007-01-13T20:59:00.000-05:002007-01-13T20:59:00.000-05:00You know in a way it's funny, the selective blindn...You know in a way it's funny, the selective blindness that government has as to what works, when it involves lowering taxes. . .Hooda Thunkit (Dave Zawodny)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13176392380086227377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-12674813104380790882007-01-12T23:00:00.000-05:002007-01-12T23:00:00.000-05:00Karen - since you've lived here most of your life,...Karen - since you've lived here most of your life, you'll know that we operate under the 'build it and they will come' philosophy...<br /><br />Kate - thanks for keeping it clean.<br /><br />Lisa - guess that means that the hotel-motel owners need to get busy if they want to stop this...Maggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12677808307727487766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-8896919874822937182007-01-12T22:28:00.000-05:002007-01-12T22:28:00.000-05:00Thirty days to gather almost 15,000 signatures, th...Thirty days to gather almost 15,000 signatures, the only way it's going to happen is someone starts organizing the signature collection process.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00606533906583651054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-88499623662277642007-01-11T09:15:00.000-05:002007-01-11T09:15:00.000-05:00I have lived in the Toledo area most of my life, h...I have lived in the Toledo area most of my life, however, I did reside in the Cleveland area for 10 years during the mid-80s to mid-90s. Cleveland, under the appropriate leadership, resurrected itself -- especially it's downtown/warehouse district. They <b><i>didn't</i></b> do that by making it an inhospitable place to do business. Raising the cost of doing business discourages the very activity you are trying to build. They also rebuilt that district by bringing in businesses that would keep people downtown - first bars and restaurants, then clubs, theaters and shops. Only after making it a place where people <b>wanted</b> to be did they renovate historic buildings as residences. Because of the abundance and diversity of activites, the downtown hotels were generally booked - both sleeping rooms and meeting rooms.<br /><br />There are few events/attractions that would bring folks to Toledo. There are fewer that require an overnight stay. An arena hosting a minor league team, the circus, an ice show, or a craft fair will likely not be pulling in many out-of-towners. If a company or function books an event in Toledo, say at Seagate, what do the participants do after the event concludes for the day? Where do they go? There's little to keep folks downtown after an event (does anyone remember Portside? The hotels within the Toledo city limits are, at best, tired. The type of events which will consider Toledo are limited because our lodging facilites are limited - both in quantity and quality. <br /><br />Toledo is a geographically small town. It doesn't take more than 15 minutes to get to an outlying area that has newer facilities in safer areas and that now will have lower rates for those who need lodging. <br /><br />This arena is destined to go the way of Portside. Icing on an unbaked cake. Toledo doesn't need an arena, it needs smart leadership.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17697998352288838251noreply@blogger.com