Mayor Meeker just stood City government on its head. For six years, he’s been on a spending spree, giving taxpayer subsidies to all types of corporations – hotels, restaurants and supermarkets. Now, suddenly, he’s stopped. Or, at least, he’s finally found one corporation he doesn’t want to subsidize.

The Mayor and his bosom-buddy-allies on the Council, Russell Stephenson and Thomas Crowder, usually don’t think twice about spending money. But without blinking they told North Hills developer John Kane no. The city is not going to subsidize for his parking deck.

Even more ironic: Republicans Philip Isley and Tommy Craven – who you’d expect to be more frugal – are leading the charge for Kane (Maybe they got confused and just automatically voted opposite the Mayor.)

The whole thing has turned into a sort of cat fight.

The Mayor, waxing eloquent, opined that if the city subsidized North Hills it might end up short of cash for police and fire protection. (Huh? Wasn’t that true when the Mayor spent $20 million on a downtown hotel?)

Councilman Isley retorted that the Mayor ‘just doesn’t like North Hills.’ (Or maybe North Raleigh in general.)

That, of course, raised Meeker’s hackles. He huffed he wants to pass out subsidies based on need, which sounds fine, except the Mayor’s idea of need means any business within five blocks of Fayetteville Street.

I happen to agree with Mayor Meeker about the North Hills subsidies. But after he spent millions building parking decks for businesses downtown it’s hard not to believe he wouldn’t build one for John Kane too – if North Hills East was on Fayetteville Street.

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