"Progressive" legislators are selling out on the stadium issue right and
left. It's finally emerging why that is: Labor.
The Building Trades and Hotel & Restaurant Employees are coming down hard on
these folks - not so much the corporate community with whom the unions are
in league on this (and most economic development these days).
St. Paul's Andy Dawkins and Sandy Pappas are among the "progressive"
legislative leaders pushing on this, sounding like shills for the Chamber of
Commerce when it's the union leadership pushing, as always, the "jobs"
button, that well-worn excuse for lousy public policy almost every time -
especially as regards environmental conflicts and corporate welfare matters.
Minneapolis DFLers are the same, I'd be willing to bet. Check it out.
Andy Driscoll
Saint Paul
------
"I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied
corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of
strength, and bid defiance to the laws of the country."
--- Thomas Jefferson,1816
> From: "Jordan S. Kushner" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 01:18:00 -0600
> To: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: [Mpls] Schiff selling out on stadium
>
>
>
> The new City Pages has an article which, assuming the quotations are
> accurate, demonstrates that 9th Ward Council Member Gary Schiff - who
> made a big part of his political rise on opposing any public funding for
> the stadium has clearly sold out on the issue.
>
>
> http://www.citypages.com/databank/23/1111/article10244.asp
>
>
> Some of Gary's quotes about his former political allies, colleagues and
> supporters are disappointingly vindictive and childish, and probably
> intended to create a smoke-screen in front of his own about-face. I can
> also supplement my own personal experience to refute some of his
> comments.
>
> Examples:
>
> - The CP article discusses how Gary used to work as an organizer for
> Progressive Minnesota (PM) where he was dedicated to opposing staudim
> funding and instrumental in initiating the Charter amendment to require
> a referendum for funding of sports facilities. CP then quotes Gary as
> follows:
>
>> The situation now is totally different than it was in '97," Schiff claims.
>> "Back then, if we had had the Twins
>> putting in $150 million, the mayor proposing a tax-increment financing
>> district [around the proposed ballpark
>> site] that would also be used for affordable housing, and most of the other
>> stadium funds coming from
>> user-based fees, corporate sponsorships, and other private money, we would
>> have declared victory and
>> walked away."
>>
>> Another difference, Schiff says, is the "complete turnover" in PM's staff
>> since those days. "Now you've got
>> people who hate professional sports and hate billionaires and would stand
>> there cheering if the Twins moved
>> out of town tomorrow. It has poisoned the debate to some degree."
>
> Personal experience #1 - I encountered Gary in 1997 at the Juneteenth
> festival when he was collecting Petition signatures for PM on the
> anti-stadium Charter amendment. I remember the conversation because it
> was the first time that I had heard of the referendum, and it was the
> first time that I spoken extensively with Gary since we were both
> activists at the U of M in the early 90s. Gary was stridently against
> ANY public funding for stadiums. I also asked him whether he and PM
> were concerned about the Twins leaving town (this was my first real
> examination of the issue), and Gary response was, "we'll pay for the
> tickets." He was one of the "haters" of professional sports whom he
> has now come to ridicule.
>
> Personal experience #2 - I observed Gary at two candidate endorsement
> screenings of PM in 2001 (and supported his endorsement at the first
> one). At both screening, Gary clearly stated both in his questionnaires
> and in oral responses to questioning that he could be counted on as an
> unwavering opponent of public funding for a professional sports
> stadium. (I wonder if anyone at PM has saved the questionnaires?).
> After the second screending, Gary did get the PM endorsement which
> obvioulsy would not have happened if people knew he would sell out on
> the stadium issue.
>
>
> - Gary has a particularly vitriolic quote regarding the Green Party:
>
>> He adds that similar changes have
>> occurred within the local Green Party, which he describes as containing "a
>> bunch of angry white boys who
>> are happy to be spoilers."
>
> Gary was previously a member of the Green Party and discussed his
> intention to seek the Green Party endorsement until he saw a real chance
> to get the DFL endorsement after the incumbent Kathy Thurber dropped
> out. Even after Gary got the DFL endorsement, he informed me that he
> was making regular monetary donations to the Green Party directly out of
> his paycheck. I am not sure what Gary is thinking (or if he is
> thinking) by making such statements.
>
>
> Gary is not only on the brink of really selling out on an issue that was
> a critical part of his political rise, but he also seems to be on the
> brink of thorougly alienating a political base that was his own
> identity. He is particular young - both in age and political career to
> be so rapidly selling out his purported ideals and loyalties.
> Hopefully, Gary will quickly try to regain his perspective and his
> politicial footing.
>
> Jordan Kushner
> Powderhorn (next to Ward 9)
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