We wrote last week that a deal was signed between Montgomery County and Live Nation for a Fillmore club in Silver Spring, and how Seth Hurwitz, head of local concert venue company I.M.P. vowed to keep fighting. Yesterday, Montgomery County Council members had their say, with some lambasting county officials over the deal.

The Examiner reports council member Marc Elrich said he felt "boxed in" by the deal and thinks "it’s very hard to determine whether this is a good deal or a bad deal since we had no open bidding on this project." The Gazette reports a "heated exchange" between council member Roger Berliner and county chief administrative officer Timothy Firestine:

The county should have contacted Hurwitz, the 9:30 Club’s owner since he is a county resident and one of the most successful music venue operators in the country, Berliner said.

‘‘I didn’t feel it was necessary,” Firestine said. ‘‘Why didn’t you do that when it was brought to you two times before?”

‘‘I’m not negotiating for the county,” Berliner shot back. ‘‘If you have somebody in Montgomery County who has a track record, why didn’t you pick up the phone and say talk to us.”

Firestine didn’t reply.

‘‘I’m serious,” Berliner said. ‘‘There has to be a reason.” "We wanted to move quickly,” Firestine said. ‘‘We didn’t hear from our local businessman during that period of time.”

Council member Marilyn J. Praisner questioned spending money on an arts venue, saying the private sector should "carry the load," and other council members said they supported the county's deal, including Phillip Andrews and Nancy Floreen.

The Examiner notes that while the council can't renegotiate the deal, they can vote to withhold funding. Half of the $8 million of public funding will come from Montgomery County, with the other half coming from the state.

The council may get an earful tonight, as they host a town hall meeting at 8 p.m. at the AFI Theatre, right across the street from the proposed Live Nation location. Anyone going to speak your mind?

Photo by jamietre