Mixing-Up Metaphors > Warm-Up for Cactus League Spring Training Reporting



" It's about the economy, stupid " - or is it all about the weather in Arizona? It's both!  . . . Chris Brady, Mesa City Manager has snagged a reporter for a run around the bases in the media to try to trump other Arizona cities Cactus League Spring Training. True or False? 

While spring training is a ‘second Christmas,’ others await anticipated boom

By Katlyn Ewens | Cronkite News | POSTED: Feb 23, 2016

Here are some details from a report yesterday where Chris Brady compares sales tax revenues for last year from Spring Training 2015 here in Mesa to sales tax revenues for the holiday shopping season calling it "a second Christmas". . . mixing figures of speech

 

 

However, just like the weather, the city manager changes his tune practically every time Quarterly FY data comes out. Yesterday he uses a reporter to spread the good news that Mesa is apparently doing better than the other nine Arizona cities hosting Cactus League Spring Training to reap more rewards in the competition for a home run in sports revenues

Let's just call it "a seasonable adjustment"  - it's up one season and down the next.

There was not an increase in project monies after the windfall from Spring Training last year, but on 21 October 2015  Arizona Republic's Maria Polletta published this headline story with a not-so-happy image of the city manager seen at the right.

Short on cash, Mesa stalls parks projects

In the three years since Mesa voters passed a hefty $70 million parks-bond package, the city has been creating and improving green spaces at a steady $35 million clip....

Keepin'it Zipped,Huh?

Based on one Quarterly data for a three-month decline in the previous July-Sept  Q3 Report, $28.6 Million was slashed for Parks capital improvement projects whose funding was approved by taxpayers for that big bond issue.

[blogger's note: that debt was passed and approved by less than 50% of Mesa registered voters].

However, was there a corresponding hike in parks project funding after the FYQ2 2015 financial report that the city manager now states just one day ago was like "a second Christmas"?

Readers can take another look at the details in that report by using this link >>

Maria Polletta, The Republic | azcentral.com 8:09 a.m. MST October 21, 2015