Business powerbrokers will claim today in a press conference that a bailout for the Convention Center Expansion is essential to Seattle’s economy. But what if, hear me out, expansion is just digging a deeper financial hole? Here are questions reporters should consider asking:
Q1. The Convention Center press release says the $1.8 billion convention center, “will bring in millions in revenue”. $1.8 billion is 1800 million. So how many millions? Enough to generate 1800 million plus interest? 
Q2. With hotel occupancy at 20%, and airlines travel plummeting, is now a good time to expand the convention center? Do you believe airline travel and conventions are just going to “bounce back”? If they don't, and there is a permanent reduction in demand, what then?
Q4. The Convention Center has to make “balloon payments” to King County for the land purchase. Will the Convention Center require another bailout then? If so, should the Convention Center get preference over human services or other essential functions?
Q3. The addition was initially projected to cost $1.4 billion. It is now projected to cost $1.8 billion. Attendance did not increase after the last expansion in 2001, contradicting your projections. How can the public trust your projections now?
Q5. The pre-pandemic Convention Center required tens of millions of dollars a year to keep it open. How much annual subsidy will the Addition require. Have you analyzed if that tax subsidy could create more jobs and public benefit elsewhere? theurbanist.org/2016/05/05/was…
In summary, the powerbrokers want us to uncritically believe the addition is essential to our economy. But what if it is a drag on the economy, funneling tax dollars to favored developers and corporations? While the rest of us are told there's no money for essential services?
If the Convention Center Addition were just a one-off, that would be one thing. But is in fact a glaring example of how public budgeting often works. The powerful have their interests met, no matter how leveraged they get, or how detrimental to the public.
Since they now are going public with their hands out for more subsidy, the least we can do is take a hard look at how they build this tax transfer scheme. If only to create enough bad press that elected officials think twice when the next boondoggle comes around
