Your attractions, my interests

OK, many of us believe in downtown and would like to see it become more vibrant and vital. Creating a riverfront improvement district, with much cheaper and easier-to-get liquor licenses is one idea to help accomplish that. But that concerns some people, especially established restaurant owners who paid big bucks to get their licenses:

While the ordinance is meant to spur development and funnel hospitality dollars downtown, many existing restaurateurs oppose the proposal, believing the increase in licenses would devalue theirs and that more restaurants downtown could drive them out of business.

“This (ordinance) could cost the city some of its oldest and finest restaurants,” said Steve Gard, owner of The Oyster Bar, 1830 S. Calhoun St.

One City Council member, it seems fair to say, is not exactly sympathetic to that point of view:

Councilman Tim Pape, D-5th District, asked those opposed to the proposal whether they were committed to rejuvenating downtown or were looking out for their own interests and playing favorites.

“That's the cost of success,” he said. “Nothing's free in this world.”

Excuse me? Wanting to keep what you've worked so hard for is selfish? Not wanting to have to compete with businesses the city has given a big break to that you haven't gotten is not sufficient commitment to the "common good" (see previous post)? Close up your restaurant and chalk it up to "nothing's free in this world"? If the city is going to make downtown turn around, this is not exactly the attitude that will get the most people on board.

When I moved back to Fort Wayne to work for the newspaper, somebody asked me what I thought of Komets games, and I had to confess I'd never been to one and never would go. Don't like hockey; sorry, not my thing. I can still hear the "you don't love the city enough to support its attractions" lecture blistering in my ears. That lecture was exactly backward. There are many attractions I do like -- an occasional play the Civic, hearing some music at the Embassy -- but because the city has done a good job of catering to my interests, not because I feel some obligation to support them. And I don't berate people who don't feel the obligation to share those interests.

The city's job, if it wants to lure people back downtown, is to provide -- or at least facilitate -- things that will make downtown a fun place to be. Telling people not willing to sacrifice everything for that vision that they aren't sufficiently civic-minded is the surest way to take all the fun out of this discussion.