Chamber group hearing of possible delays

Just got off the phone a little while ago with Steve Raymund (pictured), chairman of the board of Tech Data Corp. and co-chair of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce's baseball task force.

Raymund is leading a group of 35 business, neighborhood and civic leaders who are examining the Rays' proposal. The group is hoping to release some of its finding sometime in May.

Though he wouldn't say much, Raymund offered a couple of interesting morsels of new information. Among them:

* On the parking and traffic analysis, which Raymund admits the chamber is furthest along on: "I can tell you we found some faults in the Rays study."

* On the possible June 5 vote to begin the process of scheduling a referendum: "There’s still so much more information that needs to come out and not a lot of time to thoroughly vet it. June 5th may be not be the final date. It could extend beyond that."

What does that mean? Raymund said he's heard some talk about possibly delaying the vote, or at least pushing back a decision on a referendum.

That could be interpreted different ways. It could simply mean that the Rays will argue the actual decision day for a referendum isn't until Aug. 7 (when the council votes to actually authorize a November ballot item). Or it could mean something bigger is happening here.

We're hoping to hear more from the chamber in a week or so.

Comments

[Unhappy]

No access, No Problem
No Parking, No Problem
No Money for Schools, No Problem.
Pay cuts for teachers, No Problem
$350 million for waterfront office for a millionair, Priceless

[get-smart]

The Chamber is a joke. It is ran by a bunch of idiots. They are a sell-out to the developers. They can care less about the membership, unless you are a CircleJerk Member, than they will be groveling at your feet. My prediction: "It is feasible, but we need a little more input." Why don't you people address the Mega Boom Box Issue and the filling in of the bay? Oh! Wait! There is a new downtown hotel proposed and I think the Mayor is counting those parking spaces. Yes .. Yes! We have ample parking! Yes! Let's Build Us a New Stadium!! Hooray!

[needtoknow]

Mr Raymund. Why did you sell off two million dollars of your Tech Data stock in December '07 before it went down? What do you know that we don't?

Please check the IP of 4:14 and 4:15 against other posts in your system.

[CarolBe]

When I was a little kid, if I wanted a new bike, my parents' first question would be "What's wrong with the one you have?" Maybe I've missed it, but I haven't heard any discussion of why the current stadium is inadequate, much less obsolete. I'd like to hear more.

CarolBe

[Al Gore]

Please check the IP of 4:31 against other posts in your system.

[Don Mott]

I agree with 4:31 Aaron someone is continually posting under false names as there was an identical one in another blog. Can't you block this immature child?

[Chuck]

Again I'd like to point out that I'm not the one making imposter posts - just in case you suspected me.

[Matt Silverman]

These people should be brought to justice!

[Sex, lies, and videotapes]

I certainly would not trust any findings of the Chamber of Commerce Baseball Task Force. That would be similar to asking the fox "Hey, how is that henhouse looking".

Keep in mind that Steve Raymund couldn't hold on to the best executive he ever had at Tech Data (Tony Ibarguen). How can we expect him to make an unbiased recommendation on a baseball stadium, especially after living in France for those years he did?

I say we tell the Rays to hit the road. They are the all-time worst franchise in MLB in terms of winning percentage, and really don't add anything to the local economy. Well, they do add a bit of overtime for the St. Pete Police Department, but that's about it.