Dereliction of duty

Dear editor:

Thank you, The Sentinel-record, for last Sunday’s update on the progress Mayor Pat Mccabe and our board of directors are making on the vacant eyesore property formerly known as the Majestic Hotel. Or, I should say, lack of progress. My advice to developer Rick Wilson would be to simply walk away from this whole mess. He’s dealing with people with no vision and no business acumen. Just as it has since 2015, the site remains a messy pile of concrete for all visitors to Hot Springs to see.

The excellent reporting by David Showers highlights Wilson’s frustrations. Why would Mccabe and the board put restrictions such as a venue operator and seating capacity (two things I doubt any board member has any expertise in) on a potential purchaser? The only thing I could see that would be relevant at all is what type of business the developer intends to put there. After the sale, the property is off the city’s hands, and the private business is either a success or it is not. That’s no one’s business but the private purchaser’s.

Both Wilson, the board, and independent studies have shown the area cannot become a venue that handles “8,500 to 10,000” occupants. If it can’t be done, it can’t be done. You’d think that information alone would be an incentive for Mccabe and the board to unload the property to a potential buyer. And if Mccabe and the board had any common sense, they’d also know that something that size would be a downtown traffic and parking nightmare.

But what really irked me about the position Mccabe and the board are taking was the fact that after determining all of the above as fact, Mccabe declined to even take the offer before the board, eliminating not only a vote, but any open public discussion, debate, or input. That reeks of arrogance, and I believe it is a dereliction of duty as an elected official.

Mccabe and the board have adopted the attitude that they, not the citizens and taxpayers of Hot Springs, own the property. I would remind all of them that it is we, the taxpayers who footed the bill for the over $1 million dollar cleanup after the 2015 fire. It is our money they are tying up.

Next year, when you go to vote, we’ll all be focused on state and national races. We sometimes forget our local government may make the type of decisions that have the most direct impact on our lives. Ask yourself one question: Is the current government, board of directors, and mayor getting the job done in Hot Springs? Do they have the best interest of the average citizen in mind? My opinion is no. If you feel the same, vote against any incumbent running for reelection. Anthony Lloyd

Hot Springs