The Victoria City Council met Friday afternoon for a workshop session to consider the potential funding of a film festival here in our fair city. The workshop was open to the public, but poorly attended, perhaps due to the 4:00 time. Besides most of the usually city folks, it was me and Lewis Neitsch. Nonetheless, it was interesting. The Victoria Advocate has a nice story, although there is a mistake in the story. The council was divided, and when polled as to their support, we saw some interesting protests and some interesting alliances.
Well, this 45 minute meeting yielded quite a bit of discussion. The mayor spent over ten minutes talking about how wonderful downtown is, about how it is this huge tax base. He was buttering the council up for the kill by saying that the Welder Center was the only thing that drew folks downtown after 5:00 p.m. in the evening. I hope the Oak Room, Huvar’s, 77901 Wine Bar and the Golden Gecko don’t hear this. They may wonder why they bothered.
The mayor also expounded on the state of our hotels and the availability of rooms. Ground will be broken on a new hotel in February here in Victoria, and he mentioned that there are new motels being built in Gonzales, Cuero and Hallettsville. And it’s true, there are new motels being built in those other towns. It’s great for them, but it does Victoria absolutely no good. What does Victoria very ‘good’ is the amount of Hotel/Motel Occupancy Tax (HOT) that is collected. The mayor said this past year has been better than expected, and it was. Of course it is going to be good when rooms at the Holiday Inn Express are $250.00 a night. No restaurant, no valet parking, yet $250.00 a night! For purposes of comparison, a room at the Holiday Inn Express in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a true tourist city and the state capitol, is $89.00 a night. I’ll save the discussion on that for another blog.
But, back to the subject at hand—the workshop meeting on the proposed film festival. Anthony Pedone has come to the council asking for $43,150.00, about 43% of his proposed budget for his film festival. This festival will take place on March 22, 23 and 24, 2012. This is a Thursday, Friday and a Saturday. Pedone has already discovered that hotel rooms at this time are scarce and practically non-existent. That little fact is not deterring him,though. He plans, in all, to screen seven feature films and five to seven one-hour short films over the three days. Some of these will be children-oriented. Pedone said his plans for the $43,150.00 include providing airfare and lodging for the film makers as well as screening fees for the films. He hopes to have at least one actor from each film present, and there will be hors d’oeuvres for the VIP Sponsors.
Now, the best I can figure—it was all the politicians talking—Pedone came to the city council about six months ago asking for the city’s financial support for the creation of a Film Commission here in Victoria. That request was turned down. Subsequent to that request, the city announced that they would be taking applications for HOT funding from eligible applicants. There was a deadline and an allocations committee was formed. That committee had been formed by the city council to make the decision as to how these requests would be funded. Pedone did not submit an application to that committee.
Instead, Pedone retooled his original proposal and contacted someone on city council who then requested this workshop meeting. According to the mayor, it was necessary to have this meeting Friday because the public needed this information so they could come speak for, or against, this at the next city council meeting on Tuesday. Forget that on January 3, 2012, the mayor said the council was not going to second guess the decisions made by this committee. That is all, apparently, irrelevant now. Now they are going to second guess the committee.
That’s right—the mayor was pushing for this because it stands to be the best thing to ever happen to downtown Victoria. Where have we heard that before? New sidewalks with brick pavers? Parking for the zoo? Main Street funding? You now, if I was one of those other folks, I’d be highly offended right about now. I would be feeling kind of used. “I thought MY project was the one that was going to save downtown!” [Let me digress here for just a moment. I thought this repetition was a matter of certain folks thinking the rest of us were not paying attention to what was happening, but now I’m not so sure. I am now wondering if it is a memory issue for some…]
Anyway, this brings me back to the question of fairness that Councilman Tom Halepaska raised. Halepaska questioned whether the council should allow this request to be considered since it was not submitted in a timely fashion. Councilwoman Denise Rangel insisted that it had been, but there was no evidence of that. It seems Rangel is willing to consider Pedone's original request of months ago as ‘good enough’ to merit consideration after the fact. Halepaska disagreed.
Councilman Paul Polasek, in what seems to be a continued effort to distinguish himself as different from the rest of the Good Old Boys, stated, essentially, that the allocations committee was a great idea and that their meetings should be open to the public. He mentioned the word transparency. Later in the meeting, though, he launched into a little speech about how the council did not have to listen to the committee, that they had not been given any authority, that they were not elected and that the council could do what they wanted. Really? Well, I am sure the folks that served on that allocations committee YOU voted for will be glad to know that while you say you appreciate what they did, their hard work appears to be of no significance to you.
Do some of these folks stop to think before they open their mouths?
So, where does this leave the matter? The mayor polled the council as to their position on considering Pedone’s proposal. He put two questions to them—
1. Could you support funding this project as is, i.e., disregarding the recommendations of the committee, considering this project separately from all the others?
2. Could you support funding this project if it was put back in with all correctly submitted projects and considered on an equal basis?
Halepaska and Councilman Gabriel Soliz said they could support question number 2. Councilman Joe Truman and Rangel said they wanted to fund the project right then, right now. Councilman David Hagan said he could not support this project under any condition. The mayor said he will support it under any condition. Lastly, the councilman who began by singing the praises of the allocations committee—and eventually talked himself out of that thinking—said he didn’t need a committee to tell him what to do! Wow! What arrogance! Are you listening Parks Commission? Planning Commission? Sales Tax Development Commission?
Okay, let me state for the record that I can support a film festival in Victoria. This is exactly the kind of thing that the HOT dollars are for. Read my lips: I HAVE NOT PROBLEM WITH A FILM FESTIVAL IN VICTORIA! I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH HOT DOLLARS BEING USED FOR THIS PROJECT!
What I have a problem with is the city council’s continued disregard for the parameters THEY set out! For once I agree with Halepaska—they established a method by which the money would be distributed to the requesting parties and in the blink of an eye are willing to completely disregard what THEY put in place! How could this possibly make any sense to them? I just keep having this thought in my head that some on the council have the attitude of “Yeah, so I’m not playing by the rules! What are you going to do about it?” I hope others are seeing this, too. And I hope those folks go vote and vote out a some of these folks come election time.
This coming Tuesday there will be the regularly scheduled meeting (the one where this really could have been brought up) and on the agenda will be the vote on this matter. I urge folks to attend. I plan to be there again. Who I really hope to see there are the folks who applied for this funding and were rejected, or who received less than they had hoped for. They need to be there looking each council member straight in the eye. I hear that bothers some of them…
Well, there it is, for what it’s worth. Oh, before I forget—the Victoria Advocate covered this, of course, and provided us with an editorial where they have gone on record as being in favor of showing Pedone special consideration, i.e., the breaking of the rules. They give their reasoning in the comments section. There is also a news story on this matter.
So, until next time,
Edith Ann
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air.”--William Shakespeare
7 hours ago
33 comments:
Did you see this EA? I thought the mayor said there was nothing downtown but the theater.
http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2012/jan/14/ym_am_downtown_011512_163924/?business&local-business
Good grief!
A TB test is being compared to funding the film festival by the editorial board.
Just take a look at whats what according to the city to receive funding.
http://www.victoriatx.org/council/2011/10042011/2011-163R.pdf
Great post Edith,
Here's what they removed after your post, made good sense to me.
Lyndon B. Johnson, grew up in the middle of nowhere next to a ranch in Johnson city, eating hardtack biscuits living on hardscrabble land, and as things progressed he became the biggest good ole boy of all time, and he did it all without an iPhone.4S
Gotta gets some better fiction than that to use as a talking point--lol.
Instead of hiring experts on the editorial board(hired guns) Edith Ann and Mzmizer woul be an excellent addition to your editorial board. I know the Advocate is greatly concerned with public opinion, and such a move would certainly enhance their stance.
But more likely the vote would run about the same percentages as city council's.
Suddenly it's really refreshing to relax the St.Louis rules of fiefdom and tout new found flexibility.
Rules are for nothing if they're bent.
But that's about flexibility, not consistency.
The only consistency is the trump card dealt time again from the bottom of the dealers deck'.
Always aces and eights when it doesn't suit the agenda and a royal flush when it does.
Gonna get me a deck of cards --
Next year file'em on time -- remember . . .rules are rules
January 15, 2012 at 4:20 p.m.
GS--
Thanks for that link Legion.
I am so confused with this ragtag flip flopping CC we have. Let see if I have this straight.
Pedone came to the city council about six months ago asking for the city’s financial support for the creation of a Film Commission here in Victoria. That request was turned down. Pedone did not submit an application for HOT funds for this venture, correct?
He now retools this to a "film festival" and ask for HOT funds after the deadline has passed. Councilwoman Denise Rangel insisted that it had been, but there was no evidence of that. It seems Rangel is willing to consider Pedone's original request of months ago as ‘good enough’ to merit consideration after the fact.
Does anyone know the approximate date when Pedone first went to CC for the "Film Commission"?? I'd like to go back and view that on the recorded CC meetings.
Why are you questioning the wise and all powerful OZ? Great idea? Great timing? This will make one h--- of a profit? "Hell, lets give it all away." Isn't that what Mr Armstrong said about our former cvb executive director's 2010-2011 budget? Amazing what a little boob or a little money can do to Will.
I really am for a "film festival" and I am ready to sign up and enter my film.
It will have featured clips of our very own City of Victoria Council, Honorable Mayor and the other Village Idiots straight from the recorded City Council meetings.
Oh what to call my film, "Victoria's Real Prophets of Doom", "The Mayor and his Minions", "Rules; We make'em, we can break'em", "Hurry Up!! It's a Wonderful Idea" or "Denise & da Good 'Ol Boyz"
Geez, what category should I enter it in?? Drama, Comedy or Horror.
If I hurry up & work real hard, I might be able to enter my other film, "Peaches Preaches Ethics"
Great Idea Mz Mizer! May I suggest a horror/mystery film? "Peaches duz over Paducah, Topeka, Greeley & Hicktoria".
Funny how Peaches always bans posters and deletes posts for NOT following VA rules.
BUT now the VA is condoning rule breaking because it's a "terrific idea"
What a crock of crap and office full of hypocrites @ 311 E. Constitution!
First Anonymous—perhaps the mayor doesn’t spend a lot of time downtown after 5:00 p.m. There are several places open as we know, but he was trying to make a point for his agenda.
Legion—I think the implication is that I am the one who is anal about the rules.
Manfred VonPrien—Do I understand you correctly that you had a comment removed? Well, that’s what the Advocate does. I’m truly surprised my last comment is still standing! It might disappear overnight. It’s still early! I am not sure about Mz Mizer, but I don’t care to be on the editorial board of the Advocate, and I am sure they don’t care to have me! As to the rules being bent, I know there are those who believe that rules are made to be broken and then there are those who believe rules are there for a purpose.
Second Anonymous—that is about the size of it. And yes, I think that is what Rangel was indicating—Pedone wanting money connected to a film festival was not new news to the council. If you can catch it on the meeting I linked, they decide it was about six months ago when he first came to the council with his original proposal.
Third Anonymous—I do wish y’all would put an initial or something to indicate y’all are different folks! Anyway—I think the council sort of learned their lesson with the whole CVB stuff, that is—smaller chunks of change to start with. However, it seems that some councilpersons believe that until we have emptied the sofa of every last dime, there is still work to be done. Yes, I know this HOT is being generated at a quick clip, but is there some reason why some of it can’t be put aside for future considerations?
Mz Mizer—you are too, too funny! That’s a hard one! I don’t what category would be appropriate.
Fourth Anonymous—I think mystery would work. I don’t understand the thinking at all.
Fifth Anonymous—Well, this is what I said on my Advocate comment—“I am really surprised that an outfit so anal about the freaking rules is so ready to support the suspension of them!” Yes, and sometime when you haven’t violated the rules you get zapped!
Good comments all!
Why don't we just dismiss the Council, fire the City Manager, can the Communications Director, Fire Chief, Police Chief, City Services Director, etc, and let Willie run the Kingdom. Every idea he thinks is "GRAND" is followed by an Emergency Meeting and the various Court Jesters dancing around to please the Ruler. Makes me ill.
Of course, I enjoy the "Editorial Board" flailing attempts to justify their endorsement as well. Nothing better than breaking the rules on behalf of the Greater Good. Red China, anyone?
Where are the Flim Festival's out of town guests gonna stay? In some RV's out on Goliad Highway?
Bighorn
Film festivals should be privately funded. Those who're interested should form a 'Friends of Film' group and pool their resources. I'd kick in $50+ to a private festival because I enjoy indie films, but I'll avoid it like the plague if it receives public funding, as I did with BootFester. I oppose the collection of HOT funds, so I can't support its arbitrary, politically-driven allocation in good conscience.
If we are going to post on Peach's forums, let's all be sure to copy and paste our own comments to a Word.doc on our own computers just in case he yanks them from the Avocado. Then we will have them ready to rerun on Ethan Allen's blog where they are appreciated.
Bighorn--Well, the mayor did state that the reason for having the Friday meeting was to allow folks to come forward on Tuesday to speak their mind on the matter. Perhaps that is where we will see those 'less than satisfied customers' that didn't get what they wanted two weeks ago speak up.
I have had protracted discussions with folks on the validity of breaking the rules for the greater good. I think the operative words here are 'greater good'. This issue, while I support the concept of film festival, is not something that will make or break Victoria.
Spotter--I understand our position because we have discussed this matter of collecting the tax. But, as I am trying to get those hard heads at the Advocate to understand, this is a matter of bending the rules.
Can you take tax dollars out of it, take the film festival out of it and give me your opinion of whether established rules should bent or broken?
Let's say the city is taking applications for the Christmas parade. They will allow 100 entries. The application deadline is December 1. The KKK submitted their application to be in the parade on November 23 and were #89. On December 1 at the cutoff time, there were 110 applicants and 10 entries were turned down. One was the KKK.
On December 2, a group of folks who have been collecting coats called the mayor and said they failed to make the deadline, but they would still like to be in the parade. They want to hand out coats at the end of the parade. The mayor declares it a grand idea, and let's them in.
Fair? Legit? Acceptable?
He lives. Welcome back to life BSspotter. Come now, you know private enterprise no longer takes start up risk. That is why we "partner" everything.
Rules are supposed to be rules. The problem with Will's rules is they bend and sway. Will has gotten into trouble because of the appearance of favoritism. When something he does helps a friend(regardless of by intention) he is automatically guilty. When he makes a choice now, regardless of good idea or not, he is guilty of favoritism. Oh what a tangled web he has spun. But, he did spin his own web. j;)at
In all fairness, it appears that I am comparing the proposed film festival to the KKK. That was not my intention. Substitute for 'KKK', 'the Sock Collectors'.
I like socks. I like coats. I like art. I like film.
Now, with a more appropriate example Spotter, would you like to discuss the ethics of bending the rules?
Anonymous with the 'save your comment' message--something tells me that if what is still standing is still there, they are being very tolerant. They may not be deleting anymore comments on this topic.
jat--The public's perception of the City Council is entirely of their own doing. We can only form opinions on what we observe.
Not sure why the city has a deadline for HOT dollars anyway?
To me this does not allow enough flexibility for good ideas that can surface between application periods.
What this application process does is allow groups like Bach and other locals who continually feed at the trough an annual handout.
I like the Bach but have yet to see the numbers that correlate the money given to Bach to the out of town visitors that stay in our hotels. Same with Texas Zoo.
The whole HOT funding process seems a little GOB to me.
Seems to me that if our hotels are currently filled M-F then this money should only be used to fill hotels Sat and Sun, which is when there is occupancy available.
-Sergeant Jiggler
Sergeant Jiggler--Did you have a chance to look at the video of the meeting I linked? If not, go look. The mayor actually wants to have it where there are two filing periods for funds. This could be a good idea. Those folks who have these great ideas, at most, would only have to wait six months to apply. I think this could be very workable.
Keep in mind that the entities being funded--not a one of them is ever going to have an emergency situation where they can't wait six months for funding. The funds in question can only be used for attracting tourists to Victoria. I cannot think of any thing that would fall into an emergency in that category.
I realize that Pedone is 60 days or so out from his event, but, again, only he can tell us why he didn't apply in a timely fashion. Yes, I can see where he is in a crunch, but how does it go--"Poor planning on your part does not constitiute an ememrgency on mine."
But, yes--two filing periods per year makes sense to me.
The Advocate has now gifted us with yet another story on the film festival. This is a look at Anthony Pedone himself.
While I am still thinking a film festival could be good for Victoria, I am starting to really wonder, not just sort of wonder, why after three years, he is not in a better financial position.
Another comment of mine removed from the Advocate about the Film festival
I must be really hitting them below the belt, with things like . . . . .FACTS
And here it is--
I had sincerely believed the purpose of the media was to be the eyes and ears of the community at large instead of the voice of the few and select.
I have felt for sometimes that the voices of the citizen's prove most important.
Damn the torpedoes and the full speed ahead mentality backing city council and then blatantly telling your customers, who buy your paper, and advertise with you, that it okay to bend the rules, and you're going to get this whether you like it or not, and as you read these posts, there are jurists and experts pouring over the rules to substantiate the funding.
Kind of reminds me of when Clayton Williams was running for Governor of Texas and his historical comment that you just might as well lay back and enjoy it..
How'd that work out for ole Clayton.
Sounds similar to what's being said now?
January 17, 2012 at 7:55 a.m.
Wonder if some good citizen here could copy and paste that back on the blog. Just to see the truth disappear twice.
WOW!! I don't know how I missed this pertaining to Anthony Pedone.
In 2001, he entered a 41/2-year prison sentence in Arizona for forgery, credit card fraud and identity theft.
http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2012/jan/14/vp_edit_film_festival_011512_164436/#c171831
Leo the lion
EA,
You're absolutely correct about the squishy enforcement of their own rules. It's just another example of the whimsical nature of our local GOONvernment.
I was just having a hard time voicing an opinion on that issue when the argument should center around the morality & efficacy of the HOT. Whether they spend the money on a film festival or not, it'll still get collected and spent on something with a far-from-universal benefit to the citizens.
How was the meeting? Do Pray tell.
I could not believe my comments were not pulled down. Peaches must have had a relapse of chicken pox and was not at his IP command center overseeing web deletion administration duties.
After seeing some of your posts in that thread, I took the liberty of posting all council members emails on the Vicad thread, again they stuck to the wall for a change
Denise Rangel replied quickly and thanked me for my input, and unless she votes differently I'm to assume her return reply was to acknowledge my breathing.
The mayor's email had an extra s in it, such the luck so he probably didn't get a single email, again such the luck.
I don't know if you noticed but in the Vicad blog, the festival date was already set in stone. I find it interesting to announce something before it is voted on.
I hope to find out what happened tonight.
All your flock awaits your report.
Here's the lastest update, but don't put too much stock in it. The mayor told an audience member tonight that she shouldn't trust the blogs. He also said the Advocate doesn't print all the information they are given. Whatever!
Anyway, as I feared, Halepaska caved and voted with Truman, Rangel, Polasek and the mayor to fund the film festival. I really was impressed on Friday with Halepaska's big old talk about fairness andthen he goes and votes his predictable vote.
Now, the wagons were circled on this deal--Anthony Pedone was back and I'm sure that was his wife, Daddy Dan and his new wife were there as were several others clumped all together. One guy from the clump got up to speak.
The Bach Fesival was there. Sharon Steen and Gary Dunham were there. The room was pretty full.
This was a long meeting--it went nearly 2 and 1/2 hours. Now you can use the link in this blog to get to the meeting. Once it is posted, probably later tomorrow, it will automatically the first item listed.
The film festival has been on the Welder Center calendar since March 2011 according to Staci Robbins, ED at VCT.
Remember--they were not voting for or against the film festival, but the funding for it.
Yeah, somebody should have chimed in that the blogs aren't reliable.
The editorial board's that is.
I wish I'd have been in town.
And I wish the AACC had a phone that worked.
Man o' Man that could have hit city council with a fusillade they'd have never forgotten.
Don't think this over yet.
The editorial boards going to be quite smug tomorrow.
Best course of action is to put the AACC in front of the council and see how good a storytellers they really are.
Thanks for the update
The City Council is a collection of ignorant, hypocritical ASSHOLES!
(the exceptions are obvious)
I commented on the relationships between Pedone & the city & no one noticed :(. I like how they said he was not from Victoria when he went to VHS. I guess the operative word was FROM, no, technically I guess hes not if he wasn't born there. Sigh, the decision to fund came as no surprise..it is my hope that next year someone waits too long & then legally challenges if they don't get the same special consideration.
Speaking of Pedones connections, I ate at the Pumphouse weekend before last, ambiance was great, we ate out on the deck, the appetizer we started with was absolutely disgusting, so we had a couple drinks & left...not going to pay $20 for an entree only to not be able to consume it like our appetizer. When the waitress asked why we weren't eating, I pointed to the celery soup on a spoon infused with particles of shrimp & said it was not good so I had no faith quite yet. Good service, nice ambiance, they gotta work on the menu & taste.
VBB
"Standing in line marking time, waiting for the welfare dime
'Cause they can't buy a job
The man in the silk suit hurries by
As he catches the poor old ladies' eyes just for fun he says, "Get a job""......Get Smars comment "thats just the way it is" had me humming the tune, then I couldn't remember who sang it, so I googled it & found the lyrics...the first verse made me laugh, it seemed like this happened tonight..waiting in line for the welfare dime (Pedone) & I could soooo se Armstrong acting out the last line....made me laugh, thought I'd share.
VBB
That's the thing with you, Spotter--I never really know how you feel about an issue...
Celery soup? Seriously? No wonder yo u didn't have a good dining experience! Give them another chance, but don't order celery soup!
No offense to the quality posters on the Advocate, but VBB--did you expect anyone to click on that. I do agree though, that at least one of those folks who opened an account to defend this project would have cried foul.
I think a lot of HOT funded projects are funded due to who they are not what they produce.
Weddings probably put more people in hotels than our local museums and I would argue that weddings can be very artistic events.
But seriously, why is there not a requirement to show how the money helped put people in our hotels and motels?
There is no accountability required.
These HOT funded events and organizations should have to show the return on the investment.
A report on the rooms filled with supporting documentation to corroborate the claims of heads in beds would be easy to obtain and should be a requirement of funding, especially if funding year after year.
And if you can't provide it or complain about not being able to collect the data then too bad. The hotels could make this work through online promo codes or asking people when they book what they are here for.
Many hotels do this for wedding bookings or reunions.
But why am I wasting my time expecting any accountability from this council?
Sgt. Jiggler
and for the record I am not against this film festival. I will attend if in town that weekend.
And I am not even against HOT funding the festival or other events but I want proof this tax is doing what it is designed to do or I would like to see it abolished.
Sgt. Jiggler.
Let me clarify about my appetizer....what I ordered was Vodka infused shrimp, what I got was celery soup in a spoon with specks of teeny tiny cocktail shrimpettes.....I will go back, for the ambiance & the alcohol, they can keep their $20 pork chops.
VBB
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