In New York, benefits of new stadiums in question

Because there's nothing else going on today, right?

The New York Times has an interesting report today on the construction of new baseball stadiums for the New York Yankees and Mets. Read it here. If you don't remember Rays senior VP Michael Kalt, the team's stadium point person, worked on behalf of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to strike the deals with both New York ball clubs.

Oh, and I couldn't help thinking on my drive to work that we were supposed to be voting on a new stadium plan of our own today. Kind of crazy, huh?

Comments

[EARL]

WHUT ARE YOU, SOME KINDA COMMIE LIBERAL PINKO PUTTING STUFF FROM THE NEW YOUR TIMES IN HERE? ALL THEY PUBLICSH IS THAT LEFTWING LIBERAL TRIPE NOT A WORD OF TRUTH I HAVE IT ON THE BEST AUTHORITY OF EXPERT ECONOMISTS THAT MLB STADIUMS ARE GRATE DEALS FOR THERE COMMUNITYS. AND I WANT ANEW BALLPARKE HERE NOW!!!!!

[Paul]

We did get a vote of sorts today, on new stadium plans. I signed both POWW petitions to get the proposed items onto the November '09 election ballot. That Trop sure did fill up nicely for the World Series, didn't it? And no rainout during the 9th inning of the last series game played there. Nice!

[southside girl]

I signed the POWW petitions, too!

The petitions ask if voters what a say on two different issues; 1.) do the tax payers want the right to vote on expenditure of public dollars to build sports facilities and 2.) do the voters want the right to say what development happens in waterfront parks all over the city?

POWW saved us from paying for a waterfront stadium and now they are taking this next step, the petition drive, on behalf of voters and tax payers. POWW is saving our wallets and our waterfront.

If you gotta pay, you should have a say! Sign the petitions and make your voice heard.

Thank you POWW!

[atrulyconcernedcitizen]

Aaron,

THANKS!!! This is basically what POWW was trying to bring forward earlier this year during the debate on the proposed waterfront stadium. It is TERRIFIC that you finally connected Mr. Kalt to these bloated projects and remember they're still not finished.

And Aaron now that you've decided to begin ACCURATELY portraying BOTH sides of the issue. How about asking the Mayor and City staff how they could accept the Archstone proposal when it was already well documented in the business press that Lehman Brothers was ready to fold...which of course came to pass. In other words WHAT KIND OF DUE DILIGENCE WAS PERFORMED?

Kenny Locke a supremely likeable young man, went around with his folks with the "Fans for the Waterfront Stadium" preaching the gospel according to Kalt.
I write this not so much to say "I told you so" but to make sure that Kenny, Bobby Fenton and of course the famous Rick K...K for Kool Aid Drinker...REMEMBER all this when ABC starts the stadium crap anew.

Virtually everyone LOVES the Rays...and that includes POWW. Most folks believe they deserve SOME assistance. I believe that most folks believe they ALREADY have received plenty of government subsidies...no property tax...no mortgage payments..simply a percentage of ticket sales....and other numerous breaks from the city.

BTW for the umpteenth time an INDEPENDENT Economic expert has spoken on the value of the stadiums. Of course Rick K will come up with some disqualifier for this INDEPENDENT OPINION. “In general, stadiums are not engines for economic development,” said Ronnie Lowenstein, the director of the NEW YORK CITY INDEPENDENT BUDGET OFFICE. “Inflating the economic benefits associated with stadiums that typically have only part-time or seasonal employment is missing the point. A lot of New Yorkers wanted a new Yankee or Mets stadium. At the end of the day, that was what was driving the city’s decision to do this.”

In other words the decision to build a new stadium with public money makes NO ECONOMIC SENSE. However if ABC can convince enough people that they LOVE the Rays soooo much they're willing to take the bullet for the wealthy New York ownership and pick up the tab...well the rest of us are simply stuck with the tab for their desires.

[JudyToo]

I was going to post a comment and found that "southside girl" had taken the words right off my keyboard. I can't say it any better, so here it is again (WITH A COUPLE COMMENTS):

I signed the POWW petitions, too!

The petitions ask if voters want a say on two different issues; 1.) do the taxpayers want the right to vote on expenditure of public dollars to build sports facilities and 2.) do the voters want the right to say what development happens in waterfront parks all over the city?

YES! WE ALL WANT THE RIGHT TO VOTE ON WHERE OUR MONEY GOES AND WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR PARKS!

THIS IS A NO-BRAINER! YOU CAN EVEN GO TO THE POWW WEBSITE, DOWNLOAD THE TWO PETITIONS, SIGN THEM AND SEND THEM IN!

WWW.STPETEPOWW.COM

THAT'S A PRETTY EASY WAY TO SAVE YOUR A** NEXT TIME THEY TRY TO DO THIS TO US!

BOTTOM LINE: LET US VOTE!

POWW saved us from paying for a waterfront stadium and now they are taking this next step, the petition drive, on behalf of voters and tax payers. POWW really is saving our wallets and our waterfront.

If you gotta pay, you should have a say! Sign the petitions and make your voice heard.

Thank you POWW!

DOUBLE DITTO!

[Thomas]

It really is a time of positive change.

POWW, Petition signers, and voters should all take a bow.

The people are finally getting a say in this "government of the people, for the people"

So thanks ABC, for all your work, but we'll decide how to spend hundreds of millions of dollars of our money.

[Cathy Wilson]

I worked at precinct #147 all day gathering signatures for the POWW petitions, even though I'm not a member. I met a lot of nice people (including Paul) who weren't very happy about a new stadium for the Rays. One lady even pestered her husband into making a special trip to the polling place (he'd voted early) just to sign the petitions.

I hope that everyone who reads this blog will download and sign the petitions then send them off to the good folks at POWW. The very LEAST we deserve is to be able to vote on whatever scheme the powers that be think up.

[Matthew]

The Rays Fans had some signs this spring that said "Let Us Vote." Right on. We the taxpayers want to have our say. The only way to get to vote is to pass the referenda tha POWW is sponsoring. They think we should be able to vote, so do the Fans, and so do I. Go to their site and sign the petitions. Then, when the ABC finally gets its act together we can all vote on whatever they put up - just like the Fans and the Rays wanted us to.

[Mandy]

Ken Locke is a class act. He actually snubbed my three-year-old daughter when we were trick-or-treating and came to his house because he recognized my husband as a POWW supporter.

He handed out candy to the family in front of us and then, seeing us, literally turned his back and stuck his butt right in my daughter's face as we came up to where he was and then refused to turn around (even after she said, in her sweet little voice, "trig or tree" several times).

Just goes to show that the people who try to paint themselves as the "good guys" are often, at heart, very much the opposite.

Appropriately, however, he was dressed in a chicken costume.

[Voice of Reason]

Earl: lay off the CAPS, double up on the Prozac and PLEASE take a remedial English & grammar class

[getsmart]

I WILL SAY IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN
THESE CARPETBAGGER JEWS ARE STRICTLY IN IT FOR THE PROFITS AND THEY WILL ENJOY TRYING TO KILL MANATEES TOO

NO NEW STADIUM ANYWHERE!