Update on Brewers/Bricktown

[Steve]

Spartan, I'm pretty sure all those accounts were either true or partially true. Jim wasn't the sort of guy who did business with unless you were sharp on your toes, knew what you were doing, and understood the importance of a good lawyer. Keep in mind, however, that by the late 1990s Jim's reputation was no mystery and anyone who did business with him without getting everything in writing probably asked for whatever grief they experienced. There were and are others, however, that went along quite nicely with Jim for years, and in some cases (OKC Boy, correct me if I'm wrong), tenants like The Mantle have prospered for years doing business not just with Jim Brewer, but now his sons.

[okcboy]

Spartan seems like the type of person that makes statements without giveing details or stateing any real facts. When business goes bad there is always going to be someone to blame. Jim was an easy target. He was old school. Hand shakes and winks. He was from the streets and had to fight for everything he had. There are definetly more than the dozens you speak of that disagree with you. He had close to 500 of them at his funeral and an ex governor gave his eulogy. Not to mention TV coverage. This doesn't happen to people who make a life out of screwing people over.

[Steve]

Spartan is reporting what he's heard, and OKC Boy, you and I know there are people out there who loved Jim, and there are those who swear he screwed them over. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Jim was a very complex man, and he's not one who can be easily summed up.
I never meant my column to be a second look at Jim's legacy. His son's are now in charge, and they are clearly starting to pursue their own path and I'm eagerly following their next moves.

[okcboy]

Steve you are right. Just would like the good to be presented with the bad.
Right now the boys are dealing with the cards they were dealt. I do know their heart is in the right place and have the ability to do good things. You know we could talk days on this so i'll be done now.

[Steve]

Agreed. Take care OKC Boy. Maybe we can catch up offline one of these days. Good luck w/ your studies.

[Spartan]

Spartan seems like the type of person that makes statements without giveing details or stateing any real facts. When business goes bad there is always going to be someone to blame. Jim was an easy target. He was old school. Hand shakes and winks. He was from the streets and had to fight for everything he had. There are definetly more than the dozens you speak of that disagree with you. He had close to 500 of them at his funeral and an ex governor gave his eulogy. Not to mention TV coverage. This doesn't happen to people who make a life out of screwing people over.

Sorry if I've offended you, okcboy. I thought I was incredibly detailed with my last post, without saying "It was John Doe at 123 Main Street who told me he was screwed over by Jim Brewer!" Some of these people are friends of mine as well as family acquaintances, although I did cite specific examples of WHERE they thought they had bad dealings with him

And in hindsight, of course Jim was important. Without him, where would Bricktown be today? More importantly, he was an ends justify the means type of person--and those type of people often have to live with the fact that their legacies will be tarnished. I would compare Mayor Mick to him, especially if the more negative indications of how MAPS 3 is going to go end up being correct. Mayor Mick could very well go down in history as THE man who tranformed OKC into a Tier 2 city on par with Denver and Kansas City, at a cost of marginalizing the citizens' voice and doing everything behind closed doors. The bad doesn't outweigh the good, but it does tarnish the enduring reputation.

It's just something that would make for interesting case studies in a Leadership 101 type setting..Jim Brewer and Mayor Mick both would have benefited from showing better leadership, particularly servant leadership for Mayor Mick--but the one thing nobody can EVER attack is that they both had a compelling vision that they set out to achieve. With Mayor Mick, we did indeed end up with the NBA--what a far-fetched campaign promise that was. Who knows what will come of Cornett's legacy by the end of MAPS 3, and I can't wait until that time! I just wish he would be a better leader, for the sake of his own legacy, as well as keeping the city united behind his progressive vision.

[okcboy]

I think it was just with "land squater", "oil man", and the "screwing people"
comments without alot of substance. The gazette has not only made quite a bit of money from him as an advertiser but should thank him for helping open up a whole new market for them. I'm sure Bricktown advertisers have paid alot of bills for them since around 1985. Mayor Norick will always be the man in my eyes.

[Spartan]

I think it was just with "land squater", "oil man", and the "screwing people"
comments without alot of substance. The gazette has not only made quite a bit of money from him as an advertiser but should thank him for helping open up a whole new market for them. I'm sure Bricktown advertisers have paid alot of bills for them since around 1985. Mayor Norick will always be the man in my eyes.

You could say the same for vice versa..I wouldn't underestimate the ability of a local media to unify community progress. It is one of a handful of long-term tools, that once entrenched, can help legitimize a certain value in a community. I think we can all agree that they like the Gazette a lot more in Bricktown than they do in Edmond..

Proof that Bricktown is entrenched, and being help up by dozens of different community interests now, is how the Brewers have come full circle. The properties are now in the hands of the sons, and Bricktown is still theirs for the taking if they take advantage.

Now what would really be full circle, to edit the remark two sentences before this, is if the Brewer sons go through a period of 5-10 years where they lead Bricktown redevelopment, and then afterward rest on their laurels like Jim Brewer did and all of us constantly gripe about it. It would be ironic at least, although I hope Bricktown development becomes easier in the future..

[Spartan]

Jim Brewer is also the current Bricktown Association President, according to a recent article in the City Sentinel..