The Cronley theatrics

Jim Cronley spoke against the MacQueen airport deal at Council last Thursday, and threw in a little showmanship:

A transcript:

I’ve got a short statement about the lease, but before that I’ve got a confession to make.  Last Tuesday, I got a phone call from somebody that I knew, that said there is more than one lease [Cronley means to say appraisal].  I picked up the phone and called two people.  I called Mark O’Brien, and I said, “Mark, I’m not going to be able to get a straight story about these appraisals.  Could you call and see if you can find out if there’s more than one appraisal?”  And he said, “I sure will.”  I then picked up the phone and called a very prominent attorney, that if I got a call from him, I’d be shaking in my boots, and I said, “Would you threaten to get a Freedom of Information filed, however you do that, to see if you can get this other appraisal?”  All of the sudden, the appraisals appeared, with those two phone calls.  So if you — and this is not a personal attack — if you decide to investigate this, and you want me to talk to you about any of this, with whoever you have investigate this, I’d be happy to talk to them.

With that, uh, Mr. MacQueen has made — this is concerning the lease —Mr. MacQueen has made an offer based on a six million, no, based on a six and a half million, no, based on seven million.  It appears to me in light of Appraisalgate that the offer changing three times means that this property may now be open to bidders.  I have a good faith binder check in the amount of a quarter of a million dollars ($250,000);  I will offer you almost twice what your staff originally told you was fair market.  I’ll agree to the same terms and conditions of this lease, but I’ll value the property at ten million dollars.  And I’m prepared to put this check up. after this meeting, if you all decide to do it, I’ll get with your attorney, and it’ll be at risk.  Thank you.

Good stuff.  I especially enjoyed him dropping the phrase “Appraisalgate”, as coined by our friend Rick Outzen, and the holding up of a $250K check.  Mr. Cronley said he would offer “almost twice what your [City] staff originally told you was fair market”… I’m going to assume by “your staff”, Cronley meant “three independent well-reputed state-certified appraisers.”