Insider: 'Stier killed IDOT editorial'

Despite sagging readership numbers, The Des Moines Register has enjoyed some success with its investigative reporting (see Clark Kauffman's Cass County corruption piece), which in turn has been followed up by sometimes a nauseating number of self-congratulatory editorials where the publication's leaders get to hop on their high horse and preach to the populace about what should be done to right the wrongs. So when the recent three-day series by reporters Bert Dalmer and Tim Higgins on Bill Knapp, Dennis Elwell, Mark Wandro and the rest of the seemingly shady Ankeny Interchange deal that left the citizenry calling for heads and some lawmakers pushing for an investigation by A.G. Tom Miller didn't warrant any ink by the Register Editorial Board, employees there got to talking - and the rumors as to why are not pretty. "I think it's logical that a follow-up editorial would run. We've done so with regularity in the past; but while you can't kill the news, you can kill editorials," an angry staffer there told Cityview. When asked to elaborate, this individual said, "at the end of the day, one vote counts more than all of the others," while another individual who contacted Cityview stated bluntly, "Mary Stier killed it." Why? Well, that's what no one we've spoken to seems to be sure about. Neither Knapp nor Elwell are major advertisers with the paper, but speculation of Stier (who did not return Cityview's call) wanting to stay tight with the "upper crust Partnership types" might have weighed in on why an editorial was either killed or simply not written. "She's not a news person. She's a business person," one source said. "And she'll deny anything not above board taking place until she's blue in the face, but the fact remains the same that there was no follow-up. Ken Fuson jokingly mentioned it, and there was a Duffy cartoon, but that's about as much as she wants to rock the boat... I guess we'll never know who actually pulled it or stopped it or whatever, but (Editorial Page Editor) Carol Hunter couldn't pick Bill Knapp out of a line-up, so I'm not sure what the true news people would have to gain by doing so... This took months of hard work and digging. Did it cut too close for our usual patting ourselves on the back?"

While gubernatorial candidate Mike Blouin's group is saying that the Chet Culver committee shouldn't ice down the champagne just yet, the latest poll results showing Culver as being an overwhelming favorite to take on Republican Jim Nussle next November has started somewhat of an exodus, according to a source close to the Culver campaign. "We're going in two very different directions," our source said. "This is our race to lose. The people and the money are coming in." And while the long list to represent the Democrats won't start being whittled down until the union's make their play later this month and the January money numbers are in, political experts are saying that Culver - once thought to be too aloof and inexperienced to win the state's highest office - has clearly gotten his act together. "He has his confidence and he looks good. He is God, mom and apple pie." A source close to Blouin (who has been noticeably absent at a half-dozen or so recent gatherings for those seeking the position) told us, "Those polls are bullshit. It's name recognition. We'll buy ours when the time is right." But another source told us, "the campaign has imploded. It all came to a head Monday," when Matt Paul, one of Gov. Tom Vilsack's top aides, who has a history with Blouin, took over the campaign.

A study paid for by Polk County taxpayers and pushed for by Global Spectrum to determine whether or not a new hotel should be constructed in close proximity to the Iowa Events Center made a few assumptions that a hotelier and an elected official have told us make the project far from sturdy. The consultant concluded that the market could support a 450-room hotel on either a site just north of the IEC or on a site just south of it. There is, however, just one substantial problem with the consultant's findings: It is using a rate of $126 per room, per night - rates that are "extremely elevated." And if the Polk County hotel cannot be successful at $126 per night and has to cut costs, guess who pays? "It's the reason a legitimate hotel is wary of coming into the market," the elected official said. "John Ruan (Marriott) and Jeff Hunter (Hotel Fort Des Moines) average around $70 a night for their rooms - transient business, convention business, all of it. And they can keep those prices or lower them if need be. The county can't without taxpayers subsidizing it." Said another individual in the loop: "If they are going to use tax money (bonds financed by Polk County and no taxes for 20 years) to compete with taxpaying businesses, they should probably let people know that if this thing doesn't cash flow, everyone helps make up the difference." The consultant, the elected official told us, finished the same type of study recently for Overland Park, Kan., and claimed it could build a hotel where rooms could go for $150 per night. The rooms currently, our source said, are renting for just over half of that. "It is supposed to be a convention hotel, which means cheap rates," the hotelier said, "which is almost the only reason Des Moines gets convention business. So you tell me how they are going to market it at convention rates that are about $50 per room per night above the Marriott's?" CV

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