Is it just me, or do others, who remember the battle over the location of the
Metrodome (thank you DT Mpls. Council & Cowles Publishing), feel like this is deja vu?
Jenny Heiser
East Phillips/Ward 6
Gary C Bowman, Jr wrote:
> As I was working OT overnight last night, I had the opportunity to read today's
>Strib. Once again, we have another stadium scheme. This one takes a little
>different approach and I'll let you each read the story for yourselves (Sorry, being
>up all night leaves me a little too tired to do much recapping).
>
> Here again we have select members of the Council and a Mayor who are absolutely
>obstinate and unwilling to hear their constituents who have said repeatedly NO to
>public outlays to a stadium. I must say that I find it immensely sad and frustrating
>that a DFL Council and DFL Mayor are continually pushing to take resources out of
>public hands (say working and middle class peoples hands) and put it into the hands
>of the immensely wealthy. The questions I have asked before and will ask again of
>the business community are these: You say that government should stay out of the
>private market. Why now the big turnaround? Are you going to admit that you don't
>mind government intervention as long as you are the beneficiary? Furthermore, common
>sense tells me that if accomplished businesspeople are unwilling to step up to the
>plate (excuse the pun) to pay for this in its entireity, then why should the clods in
>government expect to do any better? Obviously, if businesspeople won't !
in!
> !
> vest in this project, it's a questionable one- at best.
>
> I also found it interesting that New Ballpark, Inc. who is pushing the latest
>stadium schemes and has argued for a smaller stadium that blends more into a
>neighborhood (in theory something like Wrigley Stadium) earlier this year was talking
>about a $150 million stadium (if memory serves me correct). Now, in today's article,
>that number is ballooning to $260-300 million. Should we have any doubt in our minds
>that with these little changes we will also see changes in how this will go from
>"mostly privately financed" to something much different?
>
> The newest approach to financing a stadium is exactly that, a new approach.
>However, this new approach still smacks of being nothing more than a shell game to
>get the public to pay for something businesspeople should be paying for.
>
> Off the topic but included in the article in the paper was the announcement that
>Lisa McDonald is running for Mayor and has also been a staunch critic of public
>stadium schemes. Get me a lawnsign, Lisa!
>
> Gary Bowman, Jr.
> Ward 1-Audubon Park
>
> Gary Bowman, Jr.
> Ward 1-Aububon Park
>
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