Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer sat down last week for separate interviews with Orlando Sentinel reporters Mark Schlueb and David Damron after the historic votes to fund a $1.1 billion downtown sports-and-arts-venues plan. Dyer easily shepherded a 6-1 vote through the City Council to pay for a new arena, performing-arts center and major Florida Citrus Bowl renovations. Crotty had a much harder job. The pivotal swing votes on the Orange County Commission didn't fall into line until right before the successful 5-2 vote.

In the interview excerpts below, both mayors discuss crucial elements of the venues plan, such as who gets the blame if something goes wrong with it and who really looked out for taxpayers throughout the grueling negotiations. Are their political futures at stake?

What are the biggest financial risks in this plan?
Crotty: In looking at the analysis, I have very little concern from the county perspective, although there's probably more risk at the city level. And I represent everybody in the county no matter where they live. But I would say I'm very bullish on the future. I use the analysis that every day in Orlando somebody risks a weekly paycheck on a 30-year mortgage. . . . The wild card, of course, is a catastrophe like a terrorist attack or a Category 5 hurricane or something like that. But that's a risk that we all take. I mean you take a risk that you could be laid off your job, too...
<more> OrlandoSentinel.com July 29, 2007