It Is Important To Note That, In A Sharp Departure From The Past, Civic Progress
Did Not Set The Agenda By Proposing The Expansion, And They Were Not
Involved In Any Of The Project’s Details. They Played A Passive–Even Reactive–
Role. The Campaign To Persuade Voters To Approve An Increase In Hotel And
Restaurant Taxes To Finance The Expansion Was Run By The Local Office Of
An International Public Relations Firm, Fleischmann- Hilliard, With Financial
Contributions from Civic Progress. After some hesitation, local hotel and restaurant
associations endorsed the project and the tax referendum passed by a
razor-thin margin of 337 votes, with a 22% turnout (O’Neil, 1987).