Local Politics on the International Stage
Posted by Moonage on 11 Jun 2005 | Tagged as: International Politics, US Regional Politics
I€™m not sure how many people outside of the New York City area have been following this story, but over the last few months, the battle has raged regarding the building of a new €śWestside€ť stadium.
At first, it was billed as a new stadium for the New York Jets, with Robert Johnson, the Jet’s owner (and scion of the Johnson & Johnson family), pledging to put up approximately $600 million of private money to build it over the Westside rail yards adjacent to the Javits Center. Then it became the central focus of New York€™s bid to become the site of the 2012 Olympics, with all of the appeal of 1000€™s of jobs both to build the center, and all of the hospitality industry jobs that would result once the thing was built.
But on June 6, the New York State Funding Board rejected spending State money on the project and it was immediately pointed at by Mayor Bloomberg as not only a reason why NY City wouldn€™t get the 2012 Olympics, but was also a major €śhit€ť to the city regarding construction and hospitality jobs, now and in the future. Bloomberg was also upset that losing the stadium (which was also going to expand the Convention Center capacity of the Javits Center) would impact the city€™s ability to attract major events in the future.
At the root of the opposition were two major questions:
1) what role did the Dolan€™s who own Madison Square Garden (site of the last Republican Convention) and the Knicks/Rangers play in the defeat of this proposed construction?
2) how was the project actually going to be funded? The NY Jets had pledged to pay the first $600 million. But as time dragged on, it became clear that an additional $300-500 million would be needed to complete the project.
A third issue that was raised by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver who voiced his displeasure with the plan for $300 million in public funding, and made his point that the Westside stadium project would distract funding and effort to rebuild the Lower Manhattan area (his district) that was devastated in the attacks on September 11, 2001.
Its literally been a political football here in the NY City area since it was first raised last year. Aside from the funding question, one of the major opposition points was whether the NY Jets were doing this for their fans or for the abatement of the cost of building this new stadium (with public funding and other incentives) as an Olympic venue. The sport talk radio folks were always speaking about the question of how the Jets could justify putting a stadium on the Westside of the city where traffic patterns would make getting to the stadium even more difficult than it is/was getting to the Meadowlands in New Jersey, and the constant question of why a dual-use stadium shouldn€™t be built in Queens near Shea Stadium where the NY Jets played for almost their entire history before New Jersey, and where the NY Mets have played forever (Shea Stadium is now rundown and an embarrassment when it is compared to the newer baseball parks in the Major Leagues). Outrageously, the owners of the Jets contended that removing the ability of their fans to €śpartake of tailgating€ť before the games, was not an issue (considering that I held season tickets for the Jets bridging the years at Shea Stadium on to a number of years at the Meadowlands, I can tell you that one of the things that made the 90 minute drive €śworth the trip.€ť (BTW, the NY Jets and NY Giants€™ lease on the Meadowlands expires after the 2008 season).
This whole situation was further complicated when €ťNFL owners gave their approval during meetings on March 23 for New York to be the host of Super Bowl XLIV, provided the city received the go-ahead to build the new retractable roof stadium.
The Jets want to build the $1.4 billion stadium as part of a plan to modernize New York City’s convention industry, bring the team back from New Jersey and strengthen the city’s bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
The multi-purpose facility, a sports and convention center, will feature a 75,000-seat stadium and a 200,000 square foot exhibit hall. The plan also includes an expansion of the Jacob Javits Convention Center, which will allow for a "Convention Corridor" on Manhattan’s west side — north from 30th to 40th streets along 11th Avenue near the Hudson River.€ť
State Board Rejects Funding For Jets Stadium
A state board rejected public funding for a new stadium to be built on the West Side of Manhattan. The stadium is crucial for New York City in its attempt to host the 2012 Olympics and would also serve as the future home for the New York Jets.
On March 31, the Jets won a bid for the West Side Rail Yards after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted in nearly a unanimous decision to accept the team’s proposal. However, the stadium still needed approval from the Empire State Development Corporation and the Public Authorities Control Board before it was scheduled to open for the 2009 NFL season.
The vote by the Public Authorities Control Board on Monday came after Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver voiced his displeasure with the plan for $300 million in public funding. The state board could reconsider at a later time, but the funding would still require Silver’s support to move ahead€¦
New York’s Olympic stadium plan rejected
New York City’s bid to host the 2012 Olympics was dealt a setback Monday when a powerful state board rejected a plan to build a $2 billion stadium in Manhattan. The state financing board failed to approve $300 million in state money for the stadium. The plan needed the unanimous approval of the three-member board, and it received only one vote.
New York is competing with Paris, London, Madrid and Moscow for the 2012 Games. Earlier Monday, the International Olympic Committee released a report ranking Paris highest among the finalists and indicating that construction of the stadium is crucial to New York’s chances.
"If we don’t have a stadium, we cannot get the Olympics," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said hours before the vote, when it became clear the state funding plan did not have unanimous support.
The board’s vote does not mean the city’s bid is dead: The funding plan could still be renegotiated and brought back for reconsideration. But with the IOC scheduled to choose a host city July 6, time is running short on the protracted stadium negotiations.
The state’s Public Authorities Control Board, which had the final say over the proposal for state funding for the stadium, was scheduled to meet at 3 p.m. to vote on the project. But hours earlier, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver — who controls one of the three votes on the board — announced that his representative would vote to reject the project if it came to a vote.
"This plan is at best, premature," Silver said. He said the West Side stadium project and related commercial development would hamper efforts to redevelop lower Manhattan in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The Democrat represents lower Manhattan in the state Assembly.
"Am I to sell out the community I have fought for?" Silver asked€¦
But wait!
Today, there was a report that the International Olympic Committee was re-opening the door a little bit to allow NY City to present a revised proposal that would offer alternative sites for the stadium needed for many of the Olympic events.
New York City Can Modify Its Olympic Plan
http://cbsnewyork.com/topstories/topstoriesny_story_161085016.html
New York City isn€™t out of the running yet for the 2012 Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee says New York city officials are free to submit an alternative plan before the vote next month to decide the site of the games.
New York has been considering its options after Monday€™s rejection of the proposed stadium on Manhattan€™s West Side, the centerpiece of its Olympic bid.
Citing an €śexceptional circumstance,€ť the I-O-C said New York can modify the plan but must go to the IOC executive board for approval before the vote in Singapore July 6th.
The New York Times, citing anonymous sources, reported Saturday that the NYC2012 committee was considering building a stadium in Queens or refitting Shea Stadium as an alternative to the West Side stadium, the centerpiece of the city’s Olympic bid.
On top of everything else, the initial defeat of the Westside stadium plan has caused Mayor Bloomberg€™s advantage in the upcoming Mayoral election to slip substantially.
Marist College poll finds mayor’s race is a dead-heat
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and three of his Democratic challengers are running in a statistical dead heat, according to a poll released Friday _ the first since a decision earlier this week by state legislative leaders that denied funding for a proposed football stadium in Manhattan.
Former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, who trailed Bloomberg by 9 points before the stadium vote, now has a one percentage-point lead over the mayor, 46-45, a Marist College Institute for Public Opinion poll showed.
The poll, which had a margin of error of 5 points, also found Bloomberg holding a slight 45-43 point lead over Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields. In a poll before the stadium vote, Bloomberg led Fields 49-41.
The survey also found Bloomberg leading City Council Speaker Gifford Miller 46-41, tightening the margin from a 53-46 gap before the stadium vote.
So who says that local politics don€™t have International implications? And that International issues (like the awarding of the 2012 Olympics) don€™t impact on local politics€¦
5 Comments »
on 12 Jun 2005 at 12:17 pm 1.StormWarning
said …
To follow on the continuing saga of NY City and its bid to grab the 2012 Olympics, it is now a real story, that a new proposal is to build a new stadium in the area near Shea Stadium (a Major League Baseball relic), in an area off of the Van Wyck Expressway near the Grand Central Parkway where today (and for many years) there have been dozens of “used” car parts lots and businesses (can you say “eye sores?”). The owners of these trash dumps (where you can likely find that match to the three hubcaps still on your car, or a replacement fender, or maybe even a “new” drivers seat (for the one that has your imprint in it after the 100,000 miles that you’ve driven your car)…Those who make a living in the Iron Triangle, the area between Shea Stadium and the Flushing River that is mostly occupied by auto yards and repair shops and is a possible site for a new stadium, feared they would lose their life blood…
Exit Jets, enter Mets: Olympics stadium in Queens?
The Jets have repeatedly said they prefer the West Side Stadium proposal and are not interested in moving to Queens.
Jeff Wilpon, the Mets’ chief operating officer, and Fred Wilpon, the chairman and principal owner of the team, declined comment through their spokesman…
Somehow, I don’t see the tight fisted Wilpon family ponying up $600 million to drafray the costs of building this stadium, and for some reason, the NY Jets have fought a return to Queens (I’m not sure of the current data, but I suspect that a large percentage of the Jets fan base is still East of New York.
REALLY Local political reactions:
…Not surprisingly, a Queens stadium proposal was met with mixed reviews Saturday from city lawmakers, Mets fans and local Flushing residents and workers.
Councilman Hiram Monserrate (D-Corona), whose district includes Shea Stadium and the Willets Point area, said he has not been contacted about any potential plan over the last few days. He said he has “serious concerns” — including congestion and environmental issues — about putting the stadium in his district.
“I don’t think it’s a great idea,” he said.
Democratic Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside), whose district sits to the west of Shea, said the traffic would be unbearable.
“Everything now gets jammed up when the Mets are doing well and when the tennis stadium is under operation,” Avella said, referring to Arthur Ashe Stadium, where U.S. Open is played. “Another major event would kill Queens. We’d be landlocked.”
David Oats, chairman of the Queens Olympic Committee, which has been pushing Willets Point for some time, said a stadium in the area would perfectly suit the Olympics due to the proximity to the subway, the Long Island Railroad, several highways, airports and the water.
“This site solves all the problems the West Side had,” Oats said.
Some Mets fans said they applauded the idea, as long as they didn’t have to pay for it…
FWIW, the local sports talk radio people have been touting a rebuilding of Shea Stadium for months, and wondering why they’d even think of building a stadium on the Westside of Manhattan when the “natural” home of the NY Jets was in Queens (OK, for those who actually know, the Jets were an outgrowth of the NY Titans, who played in the old Polo Grounds).
I think that when all of the dust settles, a new stadium will be built, and probably in Queens. Time will tell a lot (and probably not too much time, either).
on 12 Jun 2005 at 1:35 pm 2.Bryan Kerwick
said …
The Jets are right on this point and the politicians are doing their very best to screw up, which, as any New Yorker will tell you, is business as usual.
There is more at work here than meets the eye. It is absolutely not about a $300 Million Public subsidy, rather something much more sinister.
The easy solution is for the Jets to build the stadium with their own money and lease it back to the City for both the Olympics and the Super Bowl for $300 Mill a pop.
That would give the Jets the moral high ground, NYC the sentimental choice for the Olympics post 9/11 and the politicians something to worry about at election time.
I miss my beloved Brookly dearly but these kinds of things make me glad I’m living in Kentucky now.
Maybe I’m being a little biased here since I’m a lifelong Jet fan since the old AFL days and still am till this day. Fan rooting aside, the politicians are being disgraceful here, costing the city substantially more than $300 Million in TAX Revenue alone just for the Olympics and Super Bowl, not to mention the very public black eye they would get for the failure the politicians are determined to impose.
on 12 Jun 2005 at 4:21 pm 3.StormWarning
said …
Just a couple of questions/points I guess Bryan.
I agree that the Jets are more in the right than the wrong on this issue, especially because of the multiple uses of the new stadium (if ever is built in Manhattan). But I really wonder about the traffic issues, and attendant safety questions about having a stadium for 50,000+ people sitting there on 11th Ave. and 37th St.
I don’t know how long you’ve been gone from the NY area, but even though it could be argued that there are “only” 8 home games a year, the “crush of humanity” would be extraordinary on game days/nights. And the Jets’ argument that fans could take the Long Island Railroad or AMTRAK/PATH to the game boggles my mind with that many people.
Add to that the question of the loss of tailgating and partying before and after the game, and the likelihood of increases in ticket prices….my word! Where are the Jets going to find their fan base unless they’re going to give up on “Joe Fan” and go with corporate season ticket holders instead (I went to the Jets games for 19 years before deciding that I didn’t want to travel to NJ for the games…personally, I wouldn’t travel to Manhattan if I still had my tickets).
As for the “sinister” aspect of the issue, there is no question that the Dolan Family, owners of Madison Sq. Garden and the Knicks/Rangers, had alot to do with this defeat. There was massive negative advertising everyday at all times of the day in the NY area…TV and radio and newspapers.
But you are absolutely right when it comes to the economic losses because of the defeat of the Westside Stadium. All of those construction jobs building the place…all of those hospitality jobs and money lost that would come to NY City if the Stadium was built there. All of the economic development value lost (opportunity) from the conventions and meetings that could have been hosted for years to come…not to mention the millions lost from not having the Super Bowl in NY City.
IMO, it comes down to greed (of the Dolan’s) preventing the approval…and also a healthy dose of people not really liking Mayor Bloomberg, frankly.
But as Yogi once said, “it ain’t over til its over.”
on 12 Jun 2005 at 11:03 pm 4.Bryan Kerwick
said …
Well it now looks like the City will pick up the entire tab retrofitting Shea stadium or rebuilding it entirely.
Looks like the Mets will have to play at the Stadium while this goes on.
In the meantime, the Jets will still probably build the stadium on the West Side without all the other non-essential add-ons to the Javits Center etc which prompted the extra $300 Million in the first place.
Mass transit will the major way to the new stadium. I only hope the Jets are smart enough to build a tailgate type park, complete with barbaque ares, to allow tailgating for those without vehicles. All it takes is a cooler and some imagination.
The Donald has wanted to develop the West Side for quite some time now and given the fact that the politicians have fouled the aggressive multi-purpose stadium deal, perhaps they will allow him to do so.
on 13 Jun 2005 at 8:25 am 5.StormWarning
said …
Bloomberg, Johnson, Steinbrenner, Wilpon, and Dolan. No “net worth” light weights in that crowd!
Of course, remembering that NY City’s bid to win the 2012 Olympics is in no way a “lock” (even if NYC is the emotional favorite - a premise that I don’t entirely buy-into), this situation, if it the way this whole political football is resolved is a win-win for the City. The way its being decribed in the papers this morning, it looks like in the end, the Mets fans win a bit bigger than anyone else, too.
The Mets Finally Get Their New Stadium, but They Have to Pay For It
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/13/sports/baseball/13shea.html
…after seven years of waiting and quiet planning, the Mets announced an agreement with the city under which the Mets will get their stadium, at their cost. They will have to vacate it, probably for the new Yankee Stadium, for the entire 2012 season if the city wins its Olympic bid.
But they will be able to stay put in the 45,000-seat ballpark if the city loses the bid to Paris, London, Madrid or Moscow…
JUSTIFICATION
Daniel L. Doctoroff, the deputy mayor, said that the city had calculated that it would be responsible for $212 million to maintain Shea Stadium, now 41 years old, over the next 30 years, and concluded that a new Mets park is necessary.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY?
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani twice suggested ways to finance new ballparks for the Mets and the Yankees, the first time with corporate rent taxes, the second with taxes derived from activities at the stadiums. That second plan, Giuliani said, would have let the city issue $1.6 billion in tax-exempt bonds, with the teams splitting about half the debt service costs. But weeks later, when Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took office, he said that stadiums were not a fiscal priority for his administration, which was facing looming budget deficits.
Mets win big with new stadium
http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/ny-sphey134302874jun13,0,3952984.column?coll=ny-sports-columnists
” The Olympics would be nice, sure. But blowing up Shea Stadium, now that is a gift from the gods…”
HERE’S ONE FOR YOU BRYAN!!!
“…Fred Wilpon’s original design replicated Ebbets Field, and Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said they still hope to “keep most of the motif…”
“…If we get two great weeks in the summer of 2012, that’s fine. The Olympics is more special and fun than some jaded New Yorkers are making it out to be. But the real prize here is obvious. Starting in 2009, the eyesore at the confluence of the Grand Central, the Whitestone and a million other roads will be no more. You don’t have to be a baseball fan to appreciate that.
The Mets needed this new stadium more than they needed their new ace pitcher. Their interesting, improved ballclub doesn’t deserve to reside in a decrepit, unimpressive, leaky facility. Even on a good day for the home team, it’s slightly depressing that the greatest city in the world has the National League’s worst ballpark.
At Shea, there’s no elbow room for fans, and that’s true whether you bought $60 field club seats or $16 cheapies. The luxury boxes aren’t luxurious. The design is Sixties Ugly. And frankly, even on its best day, the whole place looks as if it could use a power washing.
The only real drawback to the new stadium plan in Willets Point is that it’s in Willets Point, a point the Mayor addressed by mentioning how the city has plans to revitalize the area. What, he doesn’t like chop shops…?”
New York to Help Mets Build Baseball Stadium to Aid Olympic Bid
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a8cVT1SYIxbE&refer=us
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, seeking to salvage his effort to bring the Olympics to New York, unveiled a plan to help the Mets build a baseball stadium that would be the main venue for the 2012 games…
… The Jets haven’t given up on a stadium in Manhattan, said team vice president Matthew Higgins. “Our plans to pursue a stadium on the west side remain unchanged,” he said. Bloomberg said the Jets may ultimately make a deal with the Giants of the National Football League to share a new stadium in New Jersey, where both teams currently play in Giants Stadium.
A whole new ballgame
Olympics bid kept alive as Bloomberg pitches new digs for Mets that would serve as Games’ main venue
http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/newyork/nyc-nyolym134302706jun13,0,491138.story?coll=nyc-nynews-print
… The plans represent a reversal of Bloomberg’s opposition to committing city cash for baseball stadium projects.
Bloomberg’s sudden switch to Queens came a week after his West Side Stadium plan was killed by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver - and after months of Bloomberg’s dissing the bedroom borough as unsuitable for the Olympics.
“It’s one of the most wonderful things, I think, that would ever happen to Queens,” Bloomberg said. “If we couldn’t get the one that we really wanted to do … we’ll go with our next best chance…”
“…Gov. George Pataki and state legislative leaders have have all signed off on the $50 million in Olympic costs, but not the $75 million that would go for infrastructure in and around the Mets site, the mayor said. The City Council must approve the $85 million Bloomberg committed to the project…”
Sounds to me like a capitulation by Bloomberg when he was turned down and got deperate to preserve what he, perhaps, sees as his legacy as Mayor of NY City (getting the 2012 Olympics) and the Wilpons sitting by quietly, waiting for the Westside Stadium proposal to be turned down.
And on the sideline, the other benefit is that Wilpon and the Mets are about to start their own cable TV network (just like Steinbrenner did with the Yankees with the YES! Channel) and will have all of that new revenue before the new Shea Stadium is built.
Amazing how local politics and local interests intertwine when a city is competing to host the Olympics. All sports? Not close…lots of politics mixed in to stir the pot.