Happy To Pay For A Dull, Anal-Retentive Minnesota
By Mitch Berg
Bluesfest leaves Duluth.
Why? Because Duluth’s crypto-Maoist government wants to squeeze blood from a turnip, natch:
Organizers of Duluth’s Bayfront Blues Festival say they’re choosing a new site to avoid losing thousands of dollars in revenue to the city.
The festival has been held in Duluth near Lake Superior for the past 18 summers.
But festival officials say they’ll name a new site by week’s end.
Duluth officials have been asking for a larger cut of ticket sales, control of beer sales, as well as an exhaustive audit of the festival’s accounting.
Festival attorneys say the city’s demands would cost an additional $48,000 this year.
Bergson – who may be Minnesota’s wackiest neosoc mayor – smells untapped small change:
Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson’s staff estimates that festival President Chris Mackey may owe the city at least $30,000 in back taxes and ticket fees. Bergson has requested all the festival’s accounting records.
How much real revenue – sales taxes, hotel taxes, and other revenue gained from having people actually come to Duluth and spend money – is Bergson whizzing away?
March 19th, 2007 at 6:28 am
Economy? What economy? If it’s not planned, it doesn’t count (so to speak).
March 19th, 2007 at 9:27 am
I bet Bergson looks only two inches in front of his car when he drives it.
Can you say “shortsighted?”
March 19th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
I would hope they can find a location in Superior and that Superior would be happy for the extra revenue that would bring in. A perfect thumb in the eye of the Mayor of Dooloot, and very little inconvenience for all the fest attendees