Comments by:
John Buttarazzi
Managing Director
Liberty Hall Advisors LLC
Reston, VA

The harmonious interplay of government and the privatesector is a key to some of the industry's most expansivedevelopment projects. Public/private partnerships though can be aminefield for the unwary. Last week's Feedback Poll treated thosechallenges, and most (36%) of our respondents agreed that politicalwill is the biggest hurdle to overcome. Some 27% think theprocurement process is the biggest pain, while 24% voted fortax-exempt debt (the rest chose the elusive "other"). CommentatorButtarazzi says the majority is right, and without the politicalwill, there's little else to talk about. With nearly 50% of LibertyHall's work in the public/private arena, he ought to know. Heexplains his reasoning below:

"It all begins with political will. If you don't have a championin a position of political leadership, the other obstacles mattermuch less. You need a thought leader, a political leader to getbehind the project. You'll always encounter obstacles, but they'reeasier to overcome.