From our sister publication, Inside Tucson Business:

The Tucson City Council will vote on the future of the proposed $192 million downtown convention center hotel Tuesday (Oct. 26) following a public hearing at 5:30.

The council meeting that day has been moved to the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church. Both sides are beginning to rally the troops to show up.

Councilman Steve Kozachik is urging people who has questions about the project or believe the numbers don’t pencil out, to show up so the room isn’t overrun with those who want the short-term jobs without considering the long term costs to the community.

“The risks of negative consequences of building this Convention Center Hotel are too great,” Kozachick said in a letter he sent out. “Other communities have gone down the public subsidy path, only to find their General Fund at risk and being placed in the position of having to take on further debt to cover losses.”
He continues to contend too much of the risk is on the taxpayers and the city and not on anyone else.

On the other side, an e-mail from Kurt Wadlington, an employee owner of Sundt asks for contractors to contact the city councilmembers and show up for the hearing to “remind our city council how important this project is to Tucson and our crippled construction economy,” the e-mail said.

The e-mail asks for an even bigger turnout than several hundred that showed up at the Rio Nuevo meeting held June 23.