Office of the Mayor

James J. Schmitt
Mayor

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:

October 30, 2017

Jim Schmitt, Mayor
920-448-3005
Celestine Jeffreys, Chief of Staff
920-448-3006
Misrepresentations and Misunderstanding by Council Members

(Green Bay, WI)– Today five members of the Green Bay Common Council, Alders Zima, Steuer,
De Wane, Wery and Nicholson, took it upon themselves to file a complaint with the District
Attorney’s office alleging that my administration lied about Hotel Northland finances.
The allegations lobbed by the five elected officials, and their explanations of the events that
transpired in the last 10 months regarding the Hotel Northland, reveal a deep misunderstanding of
financing and banking. Furthermore, the alders do not comprehend the most basic issue, namely that
the City does not own the hotel. At several junctures this past year, the City did its best to support
the completion of the hotel, and worked tirelessly with other lenders in the capital stack to that end.
Senior staff members Kevin Vonck and Vanessa Chavez are well-versed and experienced in creating
contracts, development agreements and the like. Dr. Vonck and Attorney Chavez are advocates for
the city and will work to their utmost capabilities to bring innovative development to our
community. In contrast are the five elected officials who stood before the public today.
If not for these alders’ obstructionist tactics, the Hotel Northland would have long been open by
now.

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100 North Jefferson Street

Room 200

Green Bay, WI 454301-5026
www.greenbaywi.gov

920.448.3005

Fax 920.448.3081