May 11 2008
What Went On Behind the Curtain with Bruton
Under the N.C. Public Records Act, the Observer obtained more than 1,100 pages of e-mails, letters and other previously confidential documents. Those records and interviews with key players detail what happened behind the scenes:
• Concord City Council underestimated how Smith would react when, under pressure from homeowners near the proposed drag strip, they voted to block the project.
• Even after they realized their miscalculation, weeks slipped by before they developed a pitch to convince Smith to stay.
• Smith dispatched two old friends to negotiate for him, and they brainstormed the deal with public officials.
• To woo Smith, leaders sent him an overflowing fruit basket with pineapple and chocolates shaped like tiny race cars.
• And a last-minute decision cost taxpayers millions more than officials had expected.
Ultimately, leaders concluded that losing the speedway would be too big of an economic blow. So they agreed to a deal they still don’t know how to pay for.
In other words, the City Council screwed the pooch, which we already knew. They underestimated their town’s cash cow and realized it too late. They panicked and handled it about as well as using bubble gum to plug holes in a leaking dam. Now the taxpayers may be getting the bill.
Smith isn’t innocent either, mind you. He played his hand too. The Observer has the whole date by date breakdown in detail. Take a few minutes to read it all. It’s enlightening.
