, Gym is not the only one who has floated new strategies without specifying a price tag. For instance, former Councilmember Cherelle Parker’s plan involves hiring 300 new police officers, and businessman Jeff Brown’s includes expanding workforce development programs — proposals that were unveiled without specific funding streams.
To pay for her education plan, Gym said the city can borrow cash over 10 years to fund capital projects, and that it should explore increasing the share of funding the School District receives from city property taxes. The $10 billion facilities proposal is alone a large expense — under the current administration, the proposed capital investment for the entire city for the next six years is $13.2 billion.
Gym said she sees city dollars as “seed funding” for much of the work, and would also aggressively advocate for more state dollars and tap philanthropic organizations for support.
Just do the best thing for the city and...