Jill only kidding. PLJ just announced he feels a tax break of some sort should be given if it falls through. Tax break to who? US! I’m sure this idea will have Dimora and the Mouth (Hollywood Husband Hagan) thrilled spitless.

I think you’re making a reasonable reading of “a factor that will be key to closing any deal.” (I didn’t initially read that as an “MMPI assertion,” but I do think yours is a reasonable reading.)

Chris Kennedy’s presentations last summer did not seem to make the med mart contingent on a convention center management contract. If MMPI walks now because they don’t get a convention center management contract, I’m going to wonder about MMPI’s true motives last summer. (OK, I’ve been wondering about MMPI’s motives all along.)

FWIW, I don’t think that Commissioners Hagan and Dimora are going to let MMPI walk. They already have egg on their faces from the county administration building fiasco and won’t want a second helping.

“The Chicago-based company hoping to open a Medical Mart in Cleveland also wants a contract to run the proposed new convention center, a factor that will be key to closing any deal.

“They want to do everything from soup to nuts — build it, lease it out, manage the development,” said Fred Nance, who’s negotiating with Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. on the county’s behalf.

So, Anon – that’s where I got the idea that MMPI might walk if they can’t do it all. Could be a wrong assumption.

I’m not sure which assertions you’re referencing. Mr. Falanga does not assert, for example, that MMPI will cancel the med mart if it can’t manage the convention center.

As noted above, “The company can’t realistically depend on profit from [managing] the center to sweeten the deal, Falanga said, since most convention centers don’t make money.” Just because MMPI doesn’t think it can make a profit managing a convention center (which it’s never done before) does not mean someone else–such as SMG–can’t. Or, that a company other than MMPI could provide a better deal to the county. Such a (possible) better deal would only be revealed, I think, by competitive bids.

But isn’t that exactly what seems to be ruled out by MMPI’s assertions?

Does that make sense to you? Doesn’t make sense to me. Sounds like this deal is a goner.

Working from memory, I believe Chris Kennedy in his presentations last summer said that MMPI wanted to manage the convention center. Even if MMPI makes little money, management of a Cleveland convention center would open a new line of business for MMPI and give the company some street cred in competing with the likes of SMG, discussed in the PD article.

If Cuyahoga County decides to hire a company to manage its convention center, I’d like to see an open bidding process to ensure at least some transparency.