A few points about Dan Gilbert’s latest $70 million cash grab—apparently lost on the relentless cheerleaders at Cleveland.com—clarify what a bad deal this is for the public and just how badly Frank Jackson and Armond Budish have failed their constituents in rubber-stamping this deal the way they have.
First, note that this $70 million is not from the Sin Tax funds that were approved by voters in 2014 to meet purported lease obligations, and the City and County are not in any way obligated to pay this money.