Pretty much everybody knows that Trump grifts off suckers to use some hot topic, usually himself as a victim who, despite telling everybody he is a billionaire, still wants people to send him money for all his trials, including the one he just lost and is now a convicted felon. This email going out to people on some list for the Promise is also a beg-for-money letter. Apparently the person who got this email didn’t sign up to get this, but probably the Promise took this from a ticket the person purchased at some time in the past.
Here’s what’s missing and is dead wrong. The county is NOT in bad financial shape. It’s true, however, and has been true for some years that if the County is able to sell the Ampitheatre premises, it would do so. I heard informally that it was the Promise that asked the county to do an appraisal, not the initiative of the County. The Promise was able for at least 10 years to lease out the premises for, wait for it, $1.00 a month or $12. a year with some additional lease conditions. The property appraised for over $3 million bucks. Guess how much the Promise bid on it, initially. $100, 000- saying it again, one hundred thousand dollars. Somervell County, in working to diversify the tax base for ALL its citizens, is under no obligation to accept a grossly low bid, plus the bid deadline is later this year. A lot of people who live here thought that bid was offensive. The county then dropped down the asking price to over $2 million bucks. 2 additional bidders submittted bids, both of which were over $1 million dollars and one was close to $2 mil. The Promise put in another laughably low bid, this time $140,000. Last week another bid came in which was over $1 million dollars in cash. Compare: $1 million on cash versus $140,000,. $140,000 is only a little more than 1/7 of the price the most recent bid is. Does the county have to accept this bid? No. They, in fact, do not have to accept ANY bid.
Is accepting The Promise bid only contingent on a popularity contest? The courtroom was full, in fact, overfull when the bids were recently discussed again. Most of the people in the room were affiliated with the Promise, according to someone standing near me. So, that would have been, since the capacity of the room was 66 people, only a very small percentage of the total county residents. Don’t taxpayers in Somervell County who may not share the same vision as the Promise people get to decide they want their commissioners to make sound judgements on a larger basis for everyone, not just a special interest group?
For me, I don’t actually care about The Promise but I definitely support their being able to put in shows here as long as they put in a bid that is not ridiculous and is in line with bids from others. If this organization wants The Promise to stay here, even after the insulting things they have said about the Amphitheater premises, let them put in a realistic bid.
That brings us to this beg email asking for money, because that’s really what join in the fight means. But be aware that just buying the property will not fix all the repairs, which, according to the Promise, would be hugely expensive. Seems to me Somervell County did them a solid for years by letting them rent that facility for $12 a year, and rather than whining about the County, maybe some gratitude would be in order, even if they are again turned down .
