2007.06.30: June 30, 2007: Headlines: Figures: COS - Paraguay: Politics: City Government: DesMoinesRegister.com: Tom Murphy says Des Moines area faces a slow economic decline if it doesn't filter more money into arts, cultural and regional attractions
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2007.06.30: June 30, 2007: Headlines: Figures: COS - Paraguay: Politics: City Government: DesMoinesRegister.com: Tom Murphy says Des Moines area faces a slow economic decline if it doesn't filter more money into arts, cultural and regional attractions
Tom Murphy says Des Moines area faces a slow economic decline if it doesn't filter more money into arts, cultural and regional attractions
Tom Murphy visited Des Moines to lend support for the proposed "Yes to Destiny" sales tax that will be considered by voters in Dallas, Polk and Warren counties on July 10. He said that Des Moines has a good base of quality jobs, and a sales tax increase and regional cooperation are investments to keep those jobs and fill them with young Iowans. "If you don't understand that, you're not going to win in the competition," he said at a meeting with Des Moines Register editors and reporters. Thomas Murphy, Jr., former Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh, PA , served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay in the 1970's.
Tom Murphy says Des Moines area faces a slow economic decline if it doesn't filter more money into arts, cultural and regional attractions
Ex-Pittsburgh mayor pushes for 'Destiny'
A tax increase would help cultural attractions flourish and would keeps jobs filled with young Iowans, he says.
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
June 27, 2007
The Des Moines area faces a slow economic decline if it doesn't filter more money into arts, cultural and regional attractions, the former mayor of Pittsburgh, Pa., said Tuesday.
Tom Murphy visited Des Moines to lend support for the proposed "Yes to Destiny" sales tax that will be considered by voters in Dallas, Polk and Warren counties on July 10.
He said that Des Moines has a good base of quality jobs, and a sales tax increase and regional cooperation are investments to keep those jobs and fill them with young Iowans.
"If you don't understand that, you're not going to win in the competition," he said at a meeting with Des Moines Register editors and reporters.
The Des Moines area has enjoyed a run of success over the past few months, highlighted by the Hy-Vee World Cup Triathlon. New restaurants and entertainment venues have popped up along Court Avenue downtown. Wells Fargo and Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield have expanded or announced growth plans, and Money Magazine named West Des Moines among the best places to live in the country last year.
Sales-tax supporters say Yes to Destiny would sow the seeds for sustained success.
The plan is modeled in part on Pittsburgh's. It would raise an estimated $750 million over 10 years.
About one-third of the money would be distributed by a 15-member panel to trails, cultural events and regional attractions such as Blank Park Zoo and the Science Center of Iowa.
The remainder would go toward property-tax reduction and to boost city budgets, which theoretically could further reduce property taxes.
But a sales tax increase and expanded recreational trail system did little to prevent Pittsburgh's slide to the brink of bankruptcy, which caused hundreds of employees to be laid off while Murphy was at the helm.
The city's downtown area did not flourish as promised after the sales tax went into effect, said Bill Urbanic, budget director for the Pittsburgh City Council.
He said Murphy's strategy caused "a fiasco with our downtown retail section" and contributed tax money to retail projects that failed.
Murphy, who now advocates for "smart growth" for the Urban Land Institute, said Pittsburgh's money problems, which included the city's need to ask the state for a $40 million line of credit to pay its bills, had nothing to do with the sales tax and were instead a result of the state's tax system.
He said the sales tax created a pool of money for trails, libraries, a zoo and other cultural efforts, and spread some of the cost of those attractions to neighboring cities.
Murphy said sales-tax money has been used to build about six new venues in Pittsburgh, including a convention center and professional sports stadiums, which draw millions of people each year.
"This funding has acted as a real catalyst for us," he said.
Reporter Melissa Walker can be reached at (515) 284-8451 or mewalker@dmreg.com
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Story Source: DesMoinesRegister.com
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