Not Everyone is Happy with Running Horse Deal

07/16/2007 (KFSN) -- All of the hoopla surrounding the Donald Trump Running Horse deal is leaving a bad taste in the mouth of some who live and work in west Fresno.

Fresno Mayor Alan Autry told Action News at the beginning of negotiations between Donald Trump and Running Horse that the billionaire developer was not going to receive any special favors; that the incentives Trump was asking for and could get would be the same incentives the city would offer any other developer.

That's not so says another Donald...Donald Sims, that is, a west Fresno developer.

Donald Sims says, "Fresno's still stuck in the good ol' boys thing, and if you're not a member of the good old boys club, then you get forsaken."

Donald Sims has spent the last several months building affordable single family homes in west Fresno. Since the homes are in what's considered a redevelopment area, he is eligible for money from the city to help finish the project. But, a promise for money to complete the alley between the homes was not kept.

Donald Sims says, "They assured me that...they would put that alley in....they would put the sewer and water in the alley and all this."

It's been almost a month since Sims addressed the Fresno City Council and he's now putting the alley in on his own dime. Sims is having a tough time swallowing the notion that all developers get the same incentives as Donald Trump.

Sims says, "All that's going to benefit is the affluent. It's not going to benefit the poor black guy, the poor Mexican guy, the poor Hmong guy, and when they have the little PGA tour over there, who's gonna go to it, but the affluent?"

Fresno Mayor Alan Autry responded to the criticism by saying all a developer has to do is ask for help. Mayor Autry says, "I'm open to any plan that comes through my door about investing big in southwest Fresno or even targeted investments where it makes sense."

Harlan Kelly, west Fresno resident, says, "They're promising this man everything, and for Mr. Sims they do nothing. He has to fight tooth and nail to get an alley put in which is the city's responsibility. If Donald Trump was doing that, they'd probably put the alley in, the sidewalk, the curbs, gutters.... everything else!"

Harlan Kelly has lived in west Fresno for over 40 years. He invested nearly $400K in the original Running Horse deal and will probably never see a dime. What's ironic is his own 2 acre property is part of the buffer zone around the Running Horse Golf Course that Donald Trump would like to take over through imminent domain.

Donald Trump has also requested the city close the historic Kearney Boulevard that runs through the Golf Course. Kelly says, "This is the quickest way for me to get to town. On Kearney Blvd. and if he closed that, if the city let him close that, then I'd feel bad. I figure they would give him anything he wished. But if another person came in, they probably wouldn't give him the same thing."

Mayor Autry says, "These are folks that I have not seen walk through my door, so how can I say I would or I wouldn't."

Donald Sims says he's called the Mayor three times with no response.

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