News
DisneyBizJournal.com
October 26, 2018
Let’s just say
that things have gotten uncomfortable in recent months between the Walt Disney
Company and the City of Anaheim in California. (See Disney Biz Journal reports,
for example, here and here.) And now, on
November 6, city residents will vote for the mayor and four council seats.
The Orange County Register put the following
question to each candidate for a voter guide: “How can the relationship between Anaheim and
its largest employer, Disney, be improved, and should any kind of tax
incentives to encourage development be an option?”
All of the answers will not be re-produced here. Instead, readers can go
to each section to see what all of the candidates had to say on this – the
candidates for mayor, for council district 2, for council district 3, and for council district 6.
Not knowing anything about each candidate, I’m simply highlighting responses
that made this economist take notice.
Among the
Candidates for Mayor
• “H. Fuji Shioura: I am a supporter of tax incentives to encourage
entrepreneurs to invest their money, time and projects in Anaheim that will, in
turn, drive job creation, grow tax revenue for our city, and build up our
infrastructure to further encourage future investment and prosperity from
additional entrepreneurs. Therefore, I will foster a friendly, successful, and
mutually beneficial business environment for Disney and other businesses to
continue to invest, prosper and hire more people in Anaheim.”
• “Harry Sidhu: I applaud the recent ‘reset’ decision reached by both
Disney and Anaheim. Disney and the city both agreed to end the tax incentive
program for Disney’s proposed hotel. Ending this program has removed one of the
major sources, if not the biggest source, of contention between the city and
Disney. We need to be able to work together as partners in order to provide the
benefits that all Anaheim neighborhoods and families deserve.”
Among the
Candidates in District 2
• “James Vanderbilt: Disney is the most important job creator in Anaheim,
and I’ve worked closely with them to support their expansion plans. However,
Disney is also a very profitable multi-billion dollar company that now agrees
it doesn’t want hotel subsidies. I believe Disney’s recent decision to withdraw
their proposal is good news for taxpayers. As a councilman, I want to assure
Disneyland officials that I would not support a ‘gate tax’ during my term in
office.”
Among the
Candidates for District 6
• “Patty Gaby: The Disney Corporation does not need our tax dollars for
their projects. As an Anaheim city commissioner, I have always believed that
our general fund money should be spent on vital city services and not on luxury
hotels. Recently, Disney has taken a large step toward improving its
relationship with Anaheim. Disneyland is great for the city and the city is
great for Disneyland.”
Ray Keating
is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of
the Pastor Stephen Grant novels, with the two latest books being Reagan
Country: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel and Heroes and
Villains: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story. He can be
contacted at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
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