As we await a moment to investigate the N.I.C.E. boundaries down at City Hall, Kristin Gates offers this explanation: The N.I.C.E. founders--who put N.I.C.E. on the table--wanted to make sure the district benefited everyone it covered. They were especially sensitive, she says, to a worry that landowners on the edge might not get much out of the, uh, assessment. (For god sake, don't call it a tax!)

She tells Talk that that's why Walter Connolly's building at 1 West Richmond and two of June Davies' buildings near The Spot were lopped off. (Or were they? Walter insists they're out, Kristin seems to imply that they're out, while Tom Butt insists they're still in.)

Kristin owns 117 West Richmond and has attended most of the N.I.C.E. meetings.