Leonard “Tripper” Goodman was the President and CEO of Goodman Financial Group for 35 years.
In 2012 he led the El Paso Tomorrow PAC that financed a marketing campaign in support of the Quality of Life Bond and a scheme to finance the Ballpark through an increase in the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT). By the end of 2012, his PAC had expended approximately $400,000 on television, radio, and newspaper ads in an effort to win support from the public.
Both QOL bond propositions, which employed deceptive language that was strategically crafted to deceive the voters, and the Ballpark proposition passed by wide margins on November 6, 2012.
After his election victory, Goodman gleefully told the El Paso Times “What we did was change the dynamics of our community.”
He sure did, which is why he has earned the nickname “Triple.”
You see, the City told El Pasoans that the Ballpark would cost $50 million, but then they demolished City Hall and the Insights Museum and moved the municipal administration into a half-dozen different buildings. If one tallies all the costs, the facility ended up costing more than triple.
But then there are the QOL bond projects, which came with a price tag of $473,225,000 on the 2012 ballot but have received $63,607,763 of “supplemental funding” so far.
The Children’s Museum was supposed to cost $19,250,000 but will now cost over $60,000,000, with the City paying two-thirds of the total. More than triple.
The Mexican-American Culture Center was supposed to cost $5,750,000 but will now cost $16,500,000. Nearly triple.
The Arena was supposed to cost $180 million but, if Goodman gets his way, will end up costing well over a half-billion dollars, approximately triple.
Triple the pork.
Triple the debt.
If you see Leonard “Triple” Goodman about town, please do not neglect to thank him for doing his part to increase our property tax to help pay for the recent deficit-spending binge that he promoted.
PHOTO CREDIT: David Crowder, El Paso Inc, 12/30/12.