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— Quincy Massachusetts News by Quincy Quarry News – News, Opinion and Commentary.
Team Koch hit the links …
An old Columbia Pictures image
In the wake of breathtaking kayfabe and spin typical of nineteenth hole watering hole discussions after a round of golf, Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch kicked the ball into the hole to score the first round initial approval of a fifty year lease extension added onto to a lease currently with over thirty years to go by all but invariably compliant Quincy City Council.
In turn, the pending lease extension is now headed for consideration as a Home Rule Petition by denizens of the statehouse on Beacon Hill.
The driving need for pursuing a Home Rule Petition is that the lease extension ask needs all manners of waivers of Massachusetts General Law to see the lease extension ask duly approved
Cutting a deal at the 19th hole
Image via joshpodek.com
In turn, given withering as well as extensive valid criticisms of the proposal at a public hearing on the matter last week, all manner of late changes to the still-pending lease extension were proposed basically on the fly so as to affect ameliorating at least some of the legitimate criticisms.
In other words, various of the revisions would appear to be perfunctory at best.
A deluxe golf course high on a hill
Image via via TeeOff
For example, one change was that the lessee of City of Quincy land where it operates a high end golf course cannot sell their leasehold to a third party without the city’s approval.
After all, what does this change matter as when was the last time a generous contributor to the mayor’s campaign fund was turned down on an ask for a variance, another sort of a waiver or some other sort of a solid?
Other changes posed by the mayor’s minions were similarly as well unsurprisingly thin.
The same out same old
A Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment image
Case in point, finally perhaps seeing the Quarry Hills sports fields and especially hiking trails that were supposed to be in good order and cared by the lessee from the gitgo over a decade ago per the terms of the original lease now appear to not be assured to be in good order until 2030 per a reasonable hearing of the relevant revised text within the proposed new lease’s compliance terms for the lessee.
Unaddressed, however, was duly spanking the lessee for various defaults on the current lease’s obligations of the lessee that Quincy Quarry News Financial and Other Affairs Desk senses could easily have ended up costing local taxpayers well into at least the low six figures over the years.
Did not pay, you now go away …
A Paramount Television
Further, per Quincy Quarry News’ outside real estate expert, the range of the defaults on the current lease of city land would typically see a lease terminated and at best for the lessee the lease then renegotiated as opposed be ending up evicted for cause per standard practice when a well-heeled tenant has shorted consideration due the tenant’s landlord.
Similarly curious, Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch looks to have voided any financial claims arising from the defaults even though as mayor he is fiduciary responsible to ALL local taxpayers as regards matters financial as opposed his instead doing for readily arguable special interests who have taken liberties with their contractual obligations.
“A Friend in Need”
A Cassius Marcellus Coolidge image
Most curious, however, was how terms tied to the lessee seeking to buy twelve acres of City of Quincy land near the golf course’s clubhouse to build a 110 room full service hotel and underground parking garage to accommodate hotel guests were removed from the revised lease proposal that is now headed to the statehouse for consideration as a Home Rule Petition.
After all, the lease extension request along with the land sale ask were predicated upon the considerable investment anticipated to build the hotel even though the requested lease term is almost three times longer than what is allowed per applicable Massachusetts General Laws.
Now, however, with the land sale and hotel development off the table at this point, one is hard-pressed to come up with a justification for extending the current lease and which has over thirty years yet to go as well as that thirty years is — again — the standard lease term limit allowed per applicable Massachusetts General Laws.
A legitimate justification as far as Quincy residents are concerned anyway.
The rubber stamp council was at its best Monday night. Squantum Fats Harris took time to praise the developer for taking a chance in investing at Marina Bay. Maybe someone should educate Fats that that is the price of doing business: taking chances. Then we had the empty suit Councilor DiBona painting a rosy picture of Granite Links while neglecting to ask the City Solicitor merely but one meaningful question about the lease. Next up, Koch’s bum kisser from Ward One again had nothing but praise for the operations on the hill without looking to get even one dime more for the city’s coffers.
Tis a shame that these rubber stampers — aka city councilors — could not consider the taxpayers first for a change and try to negotiate some addition revenue for the city. The developer is a reasonable person, but when you have the city’s team with zero bargaining skills why would the developer offer to give up revenue that can go to the bottom line of the project?
Jack: you have to give Fat Bill some slack as he has bupkis in the way of experience working in the private sector. After all, pouring stiff drinks at the Nickerson Post as a side hustle doesn’t count as the post is a not for profit club — of a sort anyway. All but one of the rest of them, however …
I don’t think quincy rubber stampers need any more power that a home rule petition would allow. I’m sure most others agree.
Did anyone really believe the outcome would be different, that any of the yes men/women on the council would actually do the right thing?
They know that getting their outrageous raises comes with a price, and this vote was just one example of their “honoring” their end of the quid pro quo. Vote every one of them. out. When the time comes vote this avaricious, dishonest mayor out. OUT!
Mayor Koch taking a mulligan and still scoring? Sounds about right for Quincy’s longest-running political golfer. Whether it’s zoning laws or tee times, the man sure knows how to play the angles. And let’s not forget, in politics—as in golf—the key to success is having a great handicap… like a city council that won’t call you on it. Here’s hoping his next swing includes a shot at fixing potholes, but hey, at least he’s perfecting his short game!
It is shameful for the City of Quincy residents that its Mayor and City Council are angling for big fat raises when the Quarry Hills lease extension is a perfect example that they cannot perform in jobs which they obviously are not qualified to perform. Quincy is the City of Presidents and has an extraordinary history. I hope history will record and remember how our current Mayor and various of its City Council members have screwed over the City of Quincy.
Quarry Hills Associates has blocked walking access to the Blue Hills for 20 yrs. Now they want to do it for another 80. But hey, aren’t they wonderful?