A high stakes and dangerous gambit is being played out behind closed Erie doors over the next few weeks, and what is on the table may be no less than the area’s economic future.
The question is just how far Governor Ed Rendell’s arm will twist in an election year, as at least five area projects vie for Harrisburg’s attention and the dollars that flow from that.
The problems really started when cost overruns left the Bayfront Convention Center project some 6.5 million dollars short of a completed parking ramp.
The complex, which also includes a hotel, is approaching the 100 million dollar mark, and supporters argue that it makes no sense to cripple that large an effort for the sake of a final few dollars.
Mayor Joe Sinnott says he supports the revitalization of the bayfront but contends that other projects also elbowing for state dollars could have longer lasting economic impact.
He points to the expansion of the airport and plans to form an airlink with Germany and a downtown incubator housed in the former Boys and Girls Club as prime examples.
Other plans include final renovations for the Warner Theater and Shades Beach marina.
Here’s the gamble:
A number of community leaders are now thinking that Erie should push for the whole ball of wax, 31 million dollars that would fund everything on Erie’s wish list, including the parking ramp.
The thinking is that Philadelphia and Pittsburgh will get more, and that Erie might be in its best bargaining position in years now that the Governor is caught in what might still become a close reelection race with Hall of Fame Republican Lynn Swann.
But as my children have learned, strong arming the guy holding the wallet can have dire consequences, concerns that may have merit here after a letter from the Governor’s office warning Erie that the pie is only so big.
Think about it.
If an offer to help a buddy move into a house turns into pleas to also wash the windows and paint the bedrooms, you might just be busy all weekend.
As hard as it is to remember sometimes, politicians are people too, and if we push too hard the Governor could look at his polls and tell Erie to go jump into the nearest Great Lake.
Wanting more might wind up getting Erie less.
Most conventional wisdom holds that Governor Rendell will bring a check to Erie sometime this fall as part of his bid to stay in the Mansion.
But the amount on that check, and how many projects will be funded under it, will be the result of a dangerous game of tact to be played out between Erie and Harrisburg between now and then.