Davis Tease Tweets on Elk Grove Mall - Too Cute by Half?

October 8, 2015 | Today's tweets by Elk Grove Mayor Gary Davis reminds us of a scene from an episode of The Bob Newhart Show - the ...

October 8, 2015 |

Today's tweets by Elk Grove Mayor Gary Davis reminds us of a scene from an episode of The Bob Newhart Show - the one in 80's where Newhart played the straight Vermont innkeeper to a bunch of goofballs, not the 70's version where he played the straight man physiologist surrounded by a cast of funny, if not neurotic characters.
Elk Grove Mayor Gary Davis -
Too cute by half?

In this episode the kindhearted, but somewhat clueless innkeeper handyman George Utley tells Newhart he was tired from staying up late after seeing repeated news teases exclaiming "President dead - news at 11!"

Staying up to watch the important news, Utley explains  the news finally came at the end of the 11 o'clock news only to learn that is was the 150th anniversary of the death of some long forgotten American President.

We were reminded of this type of news-tease stunt today after seeing a couple of tweets by Elk Grove Mayor Gary Davis, a story in the Sacramento Business Journal, and the announcement that the Elk Grove Promenade, now called the Outlet Collection at Elk Grove had landed its first signed lease.

Earlier this week Davis posted, among many, the following messages below on his Twitter feed:







For those unfamiliar with Twitter, Davis appears to be calling out Outlet Collection owner, the Howard Hughes Company - @HowardHughes, as well as HHC Chief Executive Officer David Weinreb - #davidweinreb, and billionaire investor, Bill Ackman - #billackman.

While somewhat cryptic, the Mayor's tweets were not done in a vacuum as we learned this afternoon. In a story broken by the Sacramento Business Journal and reported by Brian van der Meer, "A multi-screen movie theater appears [our emphasis] to the first tenant for the outlet mall planned in Elk Grove."[sic]

van der Meer goes on to write "Mayor Gary Davis said Regal Cinemas submitted plans this week for a theater within the Outlet Collection at Elk Grove under the Edwards designation."

First off - a tip of the hat to van der Meer for getting the scoop.

Beyond that, the city of Elk Grove's handling of what is arguably a huge story is curious. First, why did the city and its public information office not issue a press release regarding this important information? 

Even if van der Meer did scoop it, why not a follow-up press release? This is certainly a significant enough event for city staff to stay a little past quitting time to get the good news out to the entire community. 

Readers may have also have noticed the italicization of the word appears throughout this story. Appears in this context is passive - perhaps there is more to the Regal lease than meets the eye.

Certainly, most every Elk Grove resident looks forward to the day the unfinished mess of buildings greeting out-of-town visitors on our southern border is cleaned up and a functioning member of the city's economy. Still, van der Meer's use of appears, seems, well, squishy.    

And finally there are the Mayor's tweets. 

As we can suffice from the SBJ story, the city appears to have learned early this week that the Regal application had been submitted, and the Mayor most likely knew this too. 

Was Mayor Davis posting these tweets to make it appear that he alone lit the fire under the butts HHC, Bill Ackman and David Weinreb to get the mothballed shopping center moving so he could take all the glory for what appears to be a team effort of the entire city council and city staff?

Or was Davis simply playing a news tease hoping to build up interest in the same way the President Dead! news tease ensnared Utley?

We will never know for sure what the Mayor's exact intentions were. Nonetheless, his tweets also remind us of a saying once used by nationally syndicated political columnist Mark Shields who aptly described a politician who was trying to pull a fast one as being too cute by half.

That certainly was the case with Mayor Davis this week.   






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13 comments

Sicker and tireder as the day goes by..... said...

If Mayor Davis thinks a frigging movie theater is going to deter citizens from following the soccer complex/olympic pool/revenue bonds/sales tax increase/etc., etc., etc., he really is living in La La Land!

A movie theater. Puleeze!

Anonymous said...

Shows the mediocrity of this city.

Too much emphasis on sports, unhealthy eating, spending and mindless entertainment.

Too little emphasis on academics, innovation and commerce.

Anonymous said...

IMO those tweets by Mayor Davis are idiotic. Makes us look like some backwoods community with no professional at the helm and most likely not lost on HHC.

It would be interesting to see the Regal application and what their time frame is. Most likely wide open. Haven't seem any revamping of the location by HHC. I wouldn't think a theatre would be built until a major portion of the complex is leased. Also, what happens to the other two theatres we have in EG/Sacto? Close? What will we have gained?

Anonymous said...

Not professional at all. Maybe Davis is taking a play out of the Donald Trump playbook. All slick and no polish. Look at Davis's smile, it has been photo shopped!

Proud to be led said...

I applaud Gary Davis for keeping the heat on HHC, and thanks to him we now have a new theater coming to town! Thanks to his leadership, we can all look forward to a soccer stadium, olympic aquatic center, Apple Computer, and jobs, jobs, jobs! Mark my words, history will prove him to be one of the great political leaders of California.

My dog's smarter than you said...

The governance of our city is serious business. I'm tired of the wannabe comedians, flippant remarks and playing "I know something you don't know." Grow up. Or better yet, go find another sandbox to play in.

Anonymous said...

It's all smoke and mirrors. I wouldn't buy your popcorn, yet.

Warren Buffett said...

Twit, Tweet, hit or miss, it doesn't matter. The thought of sitting in a cramped mini-sized cubby-hole in a building with 14 of those cubby-holes does not interest many of us. According to CinemaBlend.com:

"The Long-Term Movie Attendance Graph Is Really, Really Depressing
BY CATARINA COWDEN

This week the numbers for 2014 movie attendance came in, and they don’t look so great. Less and less people are going out to the movies, and the number of moviegoers hit a record low this year in North America, the lowest it has been in two decades."...

Connie said...

We have two multiplex cinemas already. Why can’t we get a Studio Movie Grill like the one in Rocklin? It caters to a very different demographic and would not draw away business from UA and Century; both businesses that have supported our community for many years. I would be a little miffed if I were them.

Anonymous said...

Proud to be led;


Need to add the sister city relationship with the Kingdom of Zamunda and Octopus shaped Civic Center.

Anonymous said...

A SMG(Studio Movie Grill)sounds great, but I can't see one being successful in Elk Grove. Have never been to one, but find it irritating when people talk at a cinema and can't imagine having waiters take orders, deliver food & drinks, pay their bills, etc. while I'm watching a movie. Too many distractions.........

We're a community with champagne tastes on a beer pocketbook. Just take a look at our present shopping options...discount in large part.

I too wonder how this will play with the other two cinemas here. How many can a city this size support? Will it spread the attendance out thinly in all directions forcing one or both to even close?

Anonymous said...

What in the heck is wrong with our Mayor...still Tweeting about Ackman(HHC)this morning. Makes us look like some hick, backwoods community. Please, GET A LIFE Mayor Davis. Go make some coffee, the only thing you're good at anyway and that's questionable. BTW...how about washing the windows at Graces. Maybe tweet about that when you're done.

Anonymous said...

Proud to be led.....

20,000 jobs to be EXACT, right? We shall see :)

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