THE JACOBS SHOE DROPS ON MED MART

Submitted by Roldo on Sun, 04/19/2009 - 09:42.

“I would suggest to you that the Mall C site is by far the superior site for several reasons,” writes Jeff Jacobs in an ad today. He didn’t add, “And my dad owns the hotel and parking garage across the street!”

 
Two developers – Ratners & Jacobs – have been playing this game for at least 20 years.
 
Both seek public subsidy for their private businesses.
 
They have been ruining the public life of this city and county for their own selfish interests.
 
Back in February I wrote: “Are we seeing another tiff between our heavyweight developers behind all these machinations?” I was talking about the Medical Mart and new Convention Center fight over their site placement.
 
“The Tower City site, obviously benefits Forest City Enterprises. That’s Sam Miller and Al Ratner and family.
 
The new choice of the Mall benefits Dick Jacobs, rival for power in this town to the Forest City gang.
 
“How? The Medical Mart would be located right across the street from Jacobs’s Marriott hotel and (his) underground garage – both had 20-year tax abatements and millions of dollars in generous 20-year, zero percent interest loans from Cleveland – giving Jacobs a boost.”
 
Read the full article questioning the need for a Med Mart here:  
 
So today’s Plain Dealer served – by a front page repeat story – Forest City’s continued fight against the Mall site with another simplistic plea from Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cavaliers. His silly citing of Detroit’s downfall because of placement of casinos (not the decline and fall of the auto industry) is laughable. But the Plain Dealer serves as a conduit for these greedy developers.
 
Then the PD served (at least it made some money) by the Jacobs ad – full-page, A-5 – without even commenting on the unusual paid propaganda ad by son for dad.
 
Can’t we see that the only reasonable decision is to call it all off and allow these avaricious developers to stop destroying the city for their own selfish purposes.
 
Forest City’s power has been waning for years. The Ratner family got tens of millions of public dollars for Tower City and related buildings, got huge amounts of RTA public funding (Waterfront line to its door; tunnel to Gateway via RTA, then tunnel from Tower City to the new federal court building, built on its land with federal dough via Rep. Lou Stokes – then Stokes became director of Forest City). Twenty year tax abatement and more millions of public subsidies for the Ritz-Carleton luxury hotel.
 
The gifts never end. Their grabbing monumental.
 
Then Dick Jacobs came to town. His power rose. Tax gifts and tax abatements in the tens of millions for Key Center & the Marriott and the parking facility under Mall A. Hundreds of millions of dollars for Jacobs Stadium and his Indians, which he sold at hundreds of millions in profits. Possibly as much for Jacobs’ deal on Chagrin Highlands. Not to mention that the same County Commission – Tim Hagan, Jimmy Dimora & Peter Lawson Jones – bought Jacobs’ dead E. 9th street corner at the Ameritrust Building for some $22 million. It was wasting away and now it’s corroding on the County dime (read taxpayer).
 
His handouts never end. His greed unquenchable.
 
Yet, these two families – given so much – are throwing the city and county into a desperate, despairing fight over the Medical Mart, which should not even be built.
 
THEIR GREED IS ENORMOUS. IT IS KILLING THE CITY, DESTOYING ITS CIVIC PSYCHE, DROWNING IT IN DEBT.
 
The newspaper continues to feed the avarice on its front page by allowing self-serving factions dictate the public discussion.
 
There is no public debate because the main instrument of public discussion either hasn’t a clue or has taken sides.
 
The PD is furthering Forest City’s desires via the continued – supposedly balanced articles – game played by the Ratners with Gilbert’s self-serving blathering about Detroit when his game is casinos he’ll own.
 
The whole thing has gotten totally disgusting and there isn’t a voice out there willing to call the games these people are playing.
 
Shame on us all.
 
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