As you may know, Texas Republicans have been holding their state convention over the past few days. And they've been making quite the splash in the headlines, not only for their predictable anti-woman, anti-immigrant, and racist rhetoric, but also for actually endorsing "ex-gay" reparative therapy in their 2014 platform, leading to the wonderful pro-LGBT #DontNeedFixin campaign launched by Wendy Davis. The best part, of course, is that all of this is happening in Davis' stomping grounds, Fort Worth. Well, in a new video, Davis has a simple message for Texas Republicans enjoying the fruits of her hard work in the Fort Worth City Council and state legislature: "You're Welcome."
From Zac Petkanas, her campaign's communication director:
We wanted to make sure Republicans got the first class treatment in our fine city, so we're proud to offer some suggestions of where to visit while they're here. Many of the delegates are staying at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel and they have Wendy Davis' work on the Fort Worth City Council to thank for that. And if they enjoy eating out on Magnolia Avenue or at Montgomery Plaza, they'll have Wendy Davis' efforts to thank for that meal as well. So we have just two words to say to Republicans visiting this week: you're welcome.
Watch the video below, in which Davis recommends a few Fort Worth attractions to enjoy "after a long day of alienating women, Latinos, and the LGBT community." It's a good'n.
We wanted to make sure Republicans got the first class treatment in our fine city, so we're proud to offer some suggestions of where to visit while they're here. Many of the delegates are staying at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel and they have Wendy Davis' work on the Fort Worth City Council to thank for that. And if they enjoy eating out on Magnolia Avenue or at Montgomery Plaza, they'll have Wendy Davis' efforts to thank for that meal as well. So we have just two words to say to Republicans visiting this week: you're welcome.
Embedding has been disabled for the video, so click here to see it.
Burnt Orange Report has more background:
Magnolia Street and Montgomery Avenue serve as two examples of Davis' work in Fort Worth to help set the groundwork to turn these areas into local hotspots. The historic building at Montgomery Plaza was set to be leveled and turned into a strip center until Davis and her colleagues stepped in to create economic incentives for businesses willing to create jobs and invest in the local economy. The plan, based on tax rebates, worked, and Montgomery Plaza brought in more than $42.5 million dollars of private investment by 2012.
A developer tried to tear down a local business on Magnolia Avenue, Paris Coffee Shop. Davis and the Fort Worth City Council used beatification projects and infrastructure improvements not only to save that local business, but to ensure that the whole neighborhood was more accessible to customers from the community. Through a tax increment financing district and initiatives focused directly on the Southside and Rosedale areas, Davis and her colleagues helped encourage economic growth and brought much-needed housing to the community.
When the Fort Worth Convention Center went through a $75 million expansion aimed at taking advantage of tourism opportunities, the city was face with a problem: they did not have a hotel with the capacity to attract and house the tourists. Davis worked on an economic incentive package that brought Omni to the area to build the Omni Fort Worth Hotel, which brought $100 million to the local economy and created 500 new jobs.
The article adds:
Welcome to Fort Worth, Texas Republican Party, and welcome to the (blue) future of your state.
On to the kibitzing!
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