Berding on The Banks

Q. Do you consider the Banks deal to be the city’s number one development priority and do you expect to support the deal the Banks Working Group has been negotiating? Does it matter to you if the deal is finished before or after Election Day?

A. Yes, I consider the Banks deal to be the city’s number one development priority, as it has significant economic and psychological benefits to our community. The inability of prior County Commissions and City Councils to get The Banks done has hindered public confidence and our economic vitality.

I look forward to supporting an agreement from the Banks Working Group, but have not been briefed on the current state of negotiations. Chris Bortz and I took the lead in creating the Banks Working Group in order to depoliticize the process of getting The Banks built. I believe the current Council is committed to this process and I hope to see a Development Agreement before Election Day. However, I think it would be a mistake for Council Members, in hopes of getting a boost to their re-election efforts, to set some artificial deadline prior to Election Day. The right approach is to keep politics out of the negotiations, and wait for the Banks Working Group and Carter Real Estate to finalize the right deal for our community.