former mayor Jerry Munson; vote No

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/yours-civic-center-plan-a-risky-proposition-for-the-city/article_512cf1f3-4c63-5f10-a42c-3d4d197a1278.html

"I started my boat store in a small building on Jackson Boulevard in 1982. By 1988 things were going so well that folks were actually buying boats before they could be unloaded from the transport trucks in front of my store.
I began getting advice from trusted advisors that I should build a shiny new building out next to I-90, because "things are going so well."
I remember agonizing over the decision, because the promise of "huge success" also meant potentially devastating debt.
Then the rain stopped coming in 1989 and didn’t come back for three years. When the dust literally settled in the fall of 1991, Jerry’s Marine had barely hung on. Two of my larger competitors weren’t so lucky and went under. Business was so good, I sold out in 1995.
Why the personal story?
It’s because I believe our great city is on the verge of the same kind of decision and is getting the same kind of advice. 'Build this shiny new arena for $180 million' on the promise of 'huge success.'"

I'll tell a similar Rapid City story.  I was in a small church where the pastor had a vision.  If we would just build a huge church building with fancy doo-dads on it like a glass elevator, people would flock to our congregation, especially the rich.  Our congregation would grow like crazy.   So our small flock worked and scraped and let pretty much everything else go to the wayside as we built this monstrous (for our needs) building.  I left the church before the building was complete, partly because I didn't think it was really God's idea but rather the pastor's visions of grandeur.

The final result was that the congregation built this new building, but they barely grew.  So they wound up swapping another congregation that was growing for their older smaller building.

So I guess both the above stories are to ask, do we really need this huge Cadillac when all we need is a good reliable pickup?