Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | June 25, 2018 | Worcester Business Journal 21 Embrace the grand bargain The value of Notre Dame V I E W P O I N T E D I T O R I A L M assachusetts legislators and lobby- ists had a scant few days to reach a compromise on three ballot initiatives slated for November, otherwise the state economy would have been in for some real shockwaves come 2019. As the July 3 deadline neared for such a deal and lawmakers worked busily last week to pass legislation, the business lobby needs to acknowl- edge the strong position the other side held in the overwhelming popularity of its cause, and settle on the compromise legislators passed. e result of splitting the baby in half was far from ideal – but still beats the initiatives passing into law. e three ballot efforts were a staged four-year increase in the state minimum wage to $15 per hour, mandated paid family and medical leave for work- ers, and a reduction in the state sales tax from 6.25 percent to 5 percent. A fourth potential initiative calling for a 4-percentage-point surcharge on annual incomes of more than $1 million will not appear on the ballot, as the Supreme Judicial Court on June 18 ruled the proposal unconstitutional. e passage of any of the other three initiatives in November would have had serious ramifications on the state's economy. e $15 proposal would increase minimum wage by 36 percent over a four- year period. e paid-leave initiative, according to the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM), could add up to $1 billion in total benefits to all workers in the state. e sales tax reduction – a move supported by the Retailers Association of Massachusetts – would strip state tax collections by more than $1 billion. Ballot initiatives have their rightful place in a democracy, and Massachusetts is one of 26 states to allow them. Two years ago, the initiative to legalize O ne of these days, the ultimate fate of Notre Dame des Canadiens in Worcester may be decided, not by ap- peals to preserve an irreplaceable landmark, but by the very unsubtle destruction wrought by those in control of large machines. At some point, the clock runs out for Notre Dame, and that day may be near, as the fate of the church is now before the Massachusetts Appeals Court. When I joined the campaign to save Notre Dame, many who had tried had already given up. So why devote three months of my life to an uphill battle for this tired old church? Notre Dame means different things to different people. To me, its beauti- ful art and architecture has intrinsic cultural and historic value. To others, it evokes their family's religious or immigrant past. Others see it as a vital antidote to the homogeneous brick, glass and aluminum boxes recently built all around it – buildings no one seriously thinks anyone will fight to save when someone proposes to demolish them in 50 years. For some, value is simply measured in dollars, and if no one, including the city and Worcester-based Hanover Insur- ance Group – which owns the property – wanted to spend any extra money to redevelop Notre Dame, then there was no reason to keep fighting for it. But the more creative and community-minded among us know what makes any city special, and what makes people want to visit or live there, is not the generic real estate that keeps the economy hum- ming, but the one-of-a-kind treasures that you can't find anywhere else. Notre Dame was built to be inspirational and aspirational and has been embraced by the arts community. Repurposing old churches is a special challenge, but throughout the world they've been converted to housing, restaurants, climbing gyms, marketplaces, civic buildings and breweries. Yes, saving Notre Dame would require some public subsidy and/or charity, but there's not a single new building in the CitySquare revitalization, nor a single histor- ic building anywhere in downtown Worcester, that was built or redeveloped without subsidy or charity. By considering only unsubsidized private redevelopment proposals for No- tre Dame, the effort was doomed from the get-go because it took us all too long to ask the right questions. When a city fails to value and preserve its history, it grad- ually loses its soul as its landmark buildings are destroyed. But it's not as simple as deciding how much extra money it's worth to preserve our best architecture. Notre Dame could be the crown jewel of CitySquare and of downtown Worcester, and people would come there because it was special, adding both cultural and monetary value to every- thing around it. It takes vision, creativity, a long view, and a willingness to take a risk, but such risks oen do pay off. Had the powerful few who control Notre Dame's fate had more respect for the ideas and desires of the community at large, we could have had a more open, productive process, with less acrimony, and maybe even a better outcome. Ted D. Conna is a leader of the Save Notre Dame Alliance. He is a builder, designer, and longtime activist whose work has focused on environmental, historic preservation, peace, and voting issues. BY TED D. CONNA Special to the Worcester Business Journal Ted D. Conna The Worcester Business Journal welcomes letters to the editor and commentary submissions. Please send submissions to Brad Kane, editor, at bkane@wbjournal.com. WO R D F R O M T H E W E B W recreational marijuana passed, reflecting the will of the people while still allowing the legislature to decide the best way to roll out the new industry. But an overabundance of one-off votes for seemingly good causes can have the wrong kind of snowball effect. State legislators, lobbyists and representatives of the ballot initiatives were in the sausage factory working towards a deal to scuttle the measures in exchange for promised legislation to offer a scaled- back version of their efforts. e potential passage of the three initiatives in one bite this November would have had such a large, negative impact on our econ- omy that it's worth embracing a compromise deal. is brings us to the so-called grand bargain state leaders and lobbyists used to resolve these questions before they hit the ballot. We've previously said a $15 minimum wage would be an important step forward for the state's businesses, and the grand bargain smartly spreads the increase over five years. e sales tax reduction sounded good in theory, but the compromise to create a permanent sales tax holiday is better than taking too much money to take from state coffers without a proposal to replace it. Paid family leave is a solid aspiration, but the pro- visions of the ballot measure – allowing 16 weeks of family leave and 26 weeks of medical leave – le too little flexibility for businesses, so the grand bargain exempts small businesses. e tough reality for lobbyists and legislators negotiating a grand compromise is each of these initiatives enjoyed at least 70 percent support from potential voters and would take an estimated $10 million each in opposition campaign money to de- feat, according to AIM. All three passing would have been a worst-case scenario for our economy, and thus the diluted version needs to be championed by the business community as the best viable option. Tweets of the week "There ya go, city hall. Now you're thinking." - Peter Thompson (@saxmachine11), June 18, on a WBJ story about the city submitting a lease proposal to the Cannabis Control Commission to operate an office in Union Station "Divert a million to save Notre Dame Church. It is one of the best pieces of art in downtown, and it is just a block away from Main St. It will help bring people to downtown." - Mateo Carvajal (@Matcarf), June 13, on a proposal to spare the Notre Dame des Canadiens church from the wrecking ball Facebook feedback "Regardless, Central Mass has truly become a craft brewery hub." - Nan Shaw, June 8, on a WBJ story about Walden Woods Brewing in Marlborough abandoning its plans to open on Main Street "Congratulations Moira, you'll be fabulous!" - Barb Andrukonis, June 17, on a WBJ story about Moira Moynihan-Manoog being named the first female president of the 130-year-old Worcester Club W

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