Portland's Field of Nightmares

In spite of a lack of widespread support, Mayor Vera Katz of Portland,
Oregon continues to push for a major league baseball stadium in town.
After a season of lackluster crowds for the city's minor league baseball
team, Vera Katz had the gall to announce last week that a financing deal
for a major league stadium was in the works. Seemingly unbothered by
previous bad business decisions--like assigning fiscal management for
PGE park to a lackluster private company, a decision that has cost the
city millions--Mayor Katz continues to plunge ahead with an idea that if
we build a $350 million stadium, a baseball team will simply arrive.

Katz's unwavering support for a baseball stadium goes directly against
the opinions expressed by other city leaders--as well as the potential
future leaders. Both mayoral candidates--Tom Potter and Jim
Francesconi--have routinely stated their opposition to making the
stadium a priority. Scott Farris, the mayor's spokesperson, said that
Katz was unbothered that when she leaves office in a few months, she
will hand this plan off to a mayor who is not interested in pursuing it.

City council candidate Nick Fish went even further, releasing a
statement in his weekly newsletter. "It's outrageous!" the press release
begins. Fish goes on to point out that there has been no public input
about the stadium and calls the decision to draft up a financial plan
"another backroom deal in the making." Fish requests that the city audit
PGE's current fiscal disaster with a fine comb before rushing into
another deal. Five years ago, the city backed an agreement for Portland
Family Entertainment (PFE) as stewards for PGE Park. Few details are
known about that agreement because it is protected by a confidentiality
agreement. But what is known is that PFE screwed the pooch, balking on
rent payments, among other promises.

Katz's proposed financing scheme for a new stadium promises no new
general taxes. Instead, she reported last week that it will be funded by
taxes on players' salaries (from a team that has not yet even agreed to
move to Portland) and from taxes on businesses near the proposed stadium
(although those businesses have yet to be consulted). Additional funds
will be drawn from a surcharge on tickets sold and a sales tax on the
concession stands. One of the primary flaws in the management for PGE
Park is that PFE wildly overestimated attendance at games and pulled in
far less money than anticipated.

the prospect of baseball in DC makes me hope maybe she's learning from those
mistakes. do i hear fresh ideas here?

The Trailblazers are fizzling, but they proved major league sports can draw
here. pdx is about the same tv market as pittsburgh & cincinnati.



"Paul Berg" <pjberg@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:11530-4138CFEF-118@storefull-3232.bay.webtv.net...
>
> In spite of a lack of widespread support, Mayor Vera Katz of Portland,
> Oregon continues to push for a major league baseball stadium in town.
>