Anatomy Of A “Language Error”
The now-infamous Burlingame Brochure and its outrageous financial misrepresentations are continually explained away by the City as “language errors.” But what exactly is a “language error?” History paints a vivid picture. Famous “language errors” help inform us. To wit:
“I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”
“It depends on how you define ‘alone’.” – President William Jefferson Clinton
“Mission Accomplished.” – President George W. Bush
“I remember landing under sniper fire.” – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
"We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad…”—Former Sec. of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, speaking of Weapons of Mass Destruction
“I am not a crook.” – President Richard M. Nixon
Ben’s Bad Burlingame Brochure Déjà Vu
Ben Gagnon was engaged as an independent contractor in 2005 to produce the infamous Burlingame Brochure. Reportedly provided with the misleading total cost figures (“language errors”) by former assistant city manager Ed Sadler, Gagnon has no recollection of any public interest in the “total cost” of the development. You know how it ends. The Burlingame Brochure understated the total cost by $75+ million, merely a “language error,” according to the City. (The Red Ant finds this language error VERY interesting, considering these voter materials claimed the “total cost” to be $14.7 million.) Even Bentley Henderson, Sadler’s successor, unabashedly acknowledged that the brochure was “just a marketing piece, with no basis in reality.”
This past Tuesday’s Aspen Daily News reviewed the “language error” problem at http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/129075 .
ZG Master Plan,-- “Zupancis*-Galena” or “Zany**-Gagnon”?
Oops, they did it again.
Ben Gagnon, now the City’s ZG Master Plan chief advocate, presented the conceptual plan at the Planning & Zoning meeting on September 2. This enormous development will no doubt become even more controversial as the public begins to see its massive size and scores of millions of taxpayer costs, spread over the County, the Court System, the Library, the City, and the Housing Authority budgets. (For those not familiar with the new proposed government complex, see ZG Master Plan Brochure Part I. (Note--Large file takes a while to open.)
In preparation for this meeting, Gagnon created “The ZG Master Plan,” (Part I is in the above link), a professionally developed 33-page color brochure, distributed at the meeting. Yes, another brochure to educate the electorate about another big development that needs their hard earned dollars for financial support. Yes, another brochure with bad numbers (in Part II), – this time apparently significantly understating the square footage of the gigantic construction plan.
(This brochure includes only the net new EXPANSION square footage in the “Square Footage” disclosure and ignores the construction required for the buildings slated to be replaced. For example, the County wants an additional 45,000 square feet of space for expansion. Only the 45,000 expansion is reported in the brochure, ignoring the replacement of their current buildings, which would be demolished and rebuilt. Nothing in the document indicates that the square footage numbers do not reflect the TOTAL construction required. The result-- another brochure, another “language error” that materially understates the anticipated impact.)
The Pesky Public and Their Questions
When questioned about the TOTAL square footage of the conceptual plan, or the amount of construction required, the City/Gagnon had no answer, although they have certainly calculated the numbers. Sound familiar?—the Burlingame voter brochure ignored the land cost, infrastructure costs, and design/architecture cost.
This same question was raised six months ago at the March 12 community event at the Hotel Jerome. Although computer modeled 3D drawings of the proposed buildings were shown then, it puzzled architects and planners then that no square footage estimates could be disclosed.
So now we have another “marketing piece with no basis in reality?” Another “language error” of excluding significant fundamental elements? Zany? ** Déjà vu?
Does the City really think that that numbers don’t matter to the public?
Will the City ever stop misstating numbers that might be controversial? The Red Ant and the public are watching now… And counting. (The Ant likes numbers!)
There is far more to be discussed with regard to the ZG Master Plan. Thankfully, it’s still in the conceptual phase and not on November’s ballot.
FIND THAT COCKTAIL NAPKIN!
The Red Ant has learned that an early Burlingame “budget” (we didn’t know there was one) was reportedly done on a cocktail napkin. Perhaps the ZG Master Plan’s REAL square footage calculation exists on the bathroom wall of a local watering hole. The Ant will be on the case!
THE ANT ON TV THIS WEEK
GRTV, Channel 12 and http://www.grassrootstv.org/liveweb.html (for those without local TV access) will replay The Red Ant shows as follows on Mountain Daylight Time:
“Ants in the Auditors’ Pants”
(The Troublesome Burlingame Audits)
Tuesday, 9/9 11.p.m.
Saturday 9/13 9 p.m.
“Worker Ants Want a Raise”
(Proposals for Doubling Council Salaries)
Sunday 9/7 9:30 p.m.
Tuesday 9/9 12:30 a.m
Tuesday 9/9 11 a.m.
Thursday 9/11 6:30 p.m.
Friday 9/12 2 p.m.
Saturday 9/13 6:30 a.m.
*Zupancis—a long time Aspen family whose former property anchors the ZG site.
**Zany—well, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/zany