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Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid says Oklahoma City’s MAPS3 program may not be as it appears, and is set on letting taxpayers know why.
When the third installment of MAPS, or Metropolitan Area Projects, was initially voted on in 2009, promises were made, a budget was established and plans were laid out – only now, Councilman Shadid isn’t convinced parts of the MAPS3 program are holding up to their initial 2009 expectations.
“MAPS3 had eight different projects talked about, one of which was the new convention center,” Shadid said. “They don’t have a lot of details on the MAPS3 website, as only two sentences outlining the convention center project are available, and they don’t talk about the parts of the convention center plans that were outlined in a study done by the Chamber of Commerce in early 2009.”
The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce’s study, part of which was used in Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett’s 2009 MAPS3 campaign, included the market analysis and blueprint of the convention center’s development. Also included in the study is the data to support Mayor Cornett’s claims of the new convention center tripling the current convention center’s business.
Fast forward to 2014 and the Chamber’s study has yet to be released to the public, despite attempts made by Shadid. On Dec. 31, Shadid asked the council to release the documents to the public. His request was denied.
“In a 6-3 vote, those who voted [against] said they felt it was a private study,” Shadid said. “It was the Chamber of Commerce’s study and if they didn’t want to release it, it was a private matter.”
According to Shadid’s website, Convention, Sports and Leisure, the company the Chamber of Commerce used to conduct the study, has performed dozens of similar studies in United States cities over the last decade and all, except for Oklahoma City’s, are publically available.
So what is so important in the study that Shadid wants taxpayers to know?
“In the [unreleased] study, it says that if you want to go to the next level of convention business, you would build a 285,000-square foot convention center, connect it to a 650-room convention center hotel and do a phase two expansion later on to bring the convention center to 420,000 square feet,” Shadid said. “And if you do all of that, then you can triple your convention center business.”
But it’s from the convention center hotel where a lot of Shadid’s opposition originates. The hotel is an aspect of the MAPS3 program outlined in the Chamber of Commerce study but not made available for the public. Therefore only the council knew the hotel was a part of the MAPS3 convention expansion.
“There’s actually really a few things [to oppose],” Shadid said. “One, you don’t have money for parking so that could be another $50 million. The second is that it’s very difficult to get these hotels built without massive subsidies. There could be $50 million to $150 million in subsidies we may have to borrow and pay interest on.”
Shadid expanded on why that amount of money is an important factor in why taxpayers have the right to see these private documents.
“The consultants are telling us that $50 million isn’t going to be enough to build the 285,000-square foot convention center we are told we needed,” Shadid said. “Then there’s a difference between what we have to buy the land and how much it’s going to cost to buy the land, so the convention center is already shrinking because our budget isn’t big enough to pay for it.”
This concern over the budget is reciprocated by Oklahoma City residents.
“The lack of funds does catch my attention; I’d like to know how much is coming out of our taxes,” senior Jessica Thompson said. “I, and others, would like to know how the lack of funding is going to affect us. What are the repercussions? What is the ripple effect?”
Shadid is convinced that taxpayers aren’t going to see the results from the changes they voted for in 2009.
“[This project] is already guaranteed not to be what’s promised,” Shadid said. “Some things that were said was that we were going to triple our economic impact and that’s already not going to happen. No city in America has ever doubled their convention center business by building another convention center or a convention center hotel or doing the phase two expansion, much less tripling like we were told.”
The new facts from Shadid are causing apprehension for some citizens.
“I think a new convention center downtown would be cool since we’re expanding so much,” senior Jerisha Fields said. “But if it’s not going to be what we voted for, we shouldn’t do it.”
Thompson emphasized the public has a right to know what happens.
“It’s a little shady,” Thompson said. “The information Shadid says is in these documents needs to be made public. We need to know how these changes are really going to affect OKC.”
And how is the situation changing how people see the city council?
“Honestly, it’s not good PR,” Thompson said. “In PR, we’re told to always make everything known to your public; to be transparent. Not being upfront could have some potential backlash in the future. But also, it makes me wonder if Shadid is only interested from a PR standpoint for his mayoral campaign and to further get his name out there.”
Shadid is, in fact a mayoral candidate for the upcoming March elections.
“Whatever his motives, he’s being an advocate for us taxpayers and I’m fine with that,” Thompson said. “He’s just trying to help the people out.”
Fields has similar opinions.
“I’m glad he’s bringing this to the attention of the people,” Fields said.
Instead of giving up, Shadid has put out two initiative petitions to let the people vote and decide if they want to see these private documents. Each petition, initiated Jan. 2, needs 6,000 signatures by April in order to take the vote to the people.
For more information about Councilman Shadid’s opposition, his petition and his mayoral campaign, visit www.edshadid.com.
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