“Are people going to fall for this?” I whisper to Canyon, who shrugs.
“It looks pretty good.”
Sure, it looks pretty. But what sort of infrastructure will it take to support so many new homes? And if the influx of new people brings more shops, will chain stores take over and drive the quaint local shops out of business?
I bite my lip. I’m not going to say anything until I’m sure it’s warranted.
Turns out, Teddy has the devil’s advocate position covered.
Darius turns away from his presentation with hands splayed and asks, “Any questions?”
Teddy rises and stands with his thumbs hitched in his jeans. “I have a few.”
“Go right ahead.” Darius waves a hand as if giving Teddy the floor. There’s a big ole smile on his face, but the gesture is a bit sarcastic.
Teddy calls his twin’s bluff and vaults onto the stage, advancing with a big-toothed smile. “Don’t mind if I do.” He swipes the mic and shoulders Darius out of the way. “I’m Teddy,” he says, and when some feedback screeches, he doesn’t blink an eye. “I’d like to remind you of what Darius himself said in the beginning of his talk. He’s part of the reason we’re in this mess. And I don’t think we can rely on him to get us out of it.”
Teddy
A sea of faces stare up at me when I shield my eyes. The lights on stage are on full blast. Figures Darius would want the full spotlight treatment. He always did like drama in high school.
If he wants drama, I’ll give it to him. I’m taking him down tonight. Our last fight was a draw, but this time, we’ll see who’s the last man standing.
I clear my throat and continue. “Yeah, this presentation looks nice. But so did the idea of a bond solving all our trouble. Ask yourself if a man who’s cozy with the hedge fund vultures really has our best interest at heart.”
“That’s a good point,” Old Man Luther says.
“Hear, hear,” calls Canyon. Darius glares at him.
“I think this new development looks pretty.” I pace the stage, waving to the placard display of happy people in front of their happy housing. “But with it will come infrastructure costs. How much more will we have to spend on roads and sewer systems?” I pause to let my point land. I need to break this down, so everyone can understand. “I'm not saying it can't be done. Lots of suburbs run into this problem, and they simply sell off more land to pay for past construction. The result? Constant sprawl and more debt. That’s right, folks, more debt. New houses need new infrastructure, and we'll have to pay for it. To pay for it, we’ll need to issue another bond. We’ll be in the same situation all over again.”
“That’s a good point,” someone shouts from the back.
Darius rubs sweat from his forehead. The hot lights aren't doing him any favors right now. “The new housing will provide taxes to pay–”
“It won’t be enough,” I interrupt. Darius can project as well as any actor who played Hamlet, but I still have the mic. “Besides, who’s going to buy our bonds with an almost default on our books?”
Darius blinks at me. I flash my fangs. That’s right, brother. You’re not the only one who understands munis. I don’t need a fancy MBA to talk business.
“I have the hedge fund’s assurance that they wouldn't do that. They would extend good terms–”
“So then we'll be in debt with them forever.” I’m face to face with Darius now. It’s like looking in a mirror of a metrosexual version of myself, a version who wears hair gel and cologne. “I'd appreciate it if you'd use your in with the hedge fund to get another meeting with them. Tell them to fuck off.” I go to hand the mic back to Darius, and he reaches for it. At the last second, I let it drop.
“Ooh,” a few smartasses in the front row chorus. Someone else starts clapping. Lana. I nod to her.
“Your move,” I mouth at Darius.
“Well, I about heard enough,” the owner of the Leaky Bucket, Abe, stands and hitches up his pants. “And all I got to say is, if the development is so bad, then what’s your idea?” He turns in a slow circle to address everyone around him. “Teddy told us all the reasons why we shouldn’t take Darius’ offer. But what’s the alternative? Shut down all services? Austerity measures? That’s what the hedge fund proposed when we started missing payments. They want their money first. And don’t forget, we put up the new county clinic as collateral. The fund will seize it, and folks will have to go all the way down to Santa Fe for medical care.”
That was surprisingly well put for Abe. I narrow my eyes at Darius, who raises his brows back at me. Apparently he planned his moves ahead.