City should have seen flaws of Auguest festival

'Shoot! GO Cedar Rapids was taken by grifters! ... But it's not our fault.” Yeah, I think that is going to be a tough sell.

The city of Cedar Rapids and its related (but apparently not-at-all-responsible) entities, GO Cedar Rapids and the Metro Economic Alliance, seemed perfectly happy to appropriate what the original New Bohemians built on a shoestring, gentrify it and use it to promote the city.

It's not as if the fallout from the decidedly un-bohemian newbo evolve and the inevitable debacle is 20/20 hindsight. It was a horrible plan from the get-go, and somehow no one in the city manager's office or on council was bright or brave enough to say so.

I propose the pay raises of the city manager and his staff go to cheated vendors. No? Then I request the City Council figure my share of the tax liability to make the vendors whole. Please send me a bill.

And next time, kindly leave it to the bohemians.

Scott Anderson

Cedar Rapids