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Newsday: Bloomberg Stake
Newsday: Bloomberg Stake
jake
· 2004-12-10
Newsday: Bloomberg Stake
[quote] News Sports Business Entertainment Photos Shopping NY Newsday.com New York mayor stakes political capital on Olympic stadium By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS Associated Press Writer December 10, 2004, 4:04 PM EST NEW YORK -- When Michael Bloomberg became mayor three-and-a-half years ago, one of his first decisions was to scrap plans to build new baseball stadiums for the Yankees and Mets, saying the city could not afford them. Now, despite continuing budget deficits, Bloomberg has staked a good chunk of his political capital on a $1.4 billion stadium that would be the home of the New York Jets and the lynchpin of the city's effort to secure the 2012 Olympic Games. The City Council is set to hold hearings Monday _ the first of several hurdles Bloomberg and stadium proponents will need to clear in coming weeks, culminating in a visit by International Olympic Committee representatives in February. Besides its $600 million cost to city and state taxpayers, the stadium plan poses significant risks for the Republican Bloomberg as he prepares to face a pack of Democrats who intend to use the stadium as a key campaign issue for the November 2005 mayoral election, especially if the city fails to win an Olympic bid. "This is like a Christmas gift of an issue," said one of the likely candidates, Rep. Anthony Weiner. Public opinion polls say voters support a stadium, but only if tax dollars do not pay for it. Opposition on the west side of Manhattan, especially in the neighborhoods where the stadium would be located, is especially high, the area's elected representatives say. Discussion about the stadium plan spilled into the public arena this summer after a series of television advertisements attacked the mayor's proposal to use public funds to pay for a portion of the stadium. The ads were funded at a cost of more than $8 million by Cablevision Systems Corp. _ the owner of Madison Square Garden, the Knicks and the Rangers _ and have drawn Bloomberg into a public feud with the company and its chairman, James Dolan. Bloomberg even lashed out at the Knicks. "I think the coach is a good coach," Bloomberg said last month. "He could use a lot more money. They'd be better off spending their money there than (on) these ridiculous ads. As for these ads, they are outrageous lies." A season ticket holder, Bloomberg has taken to boycotting Knicks games. The Cablevision ads have prompted a series of ads in response paid for by the Jets that target Dolan. In turn, Dolan has said he would be happy to back someone who would run for mayor against Bloomberg. The back-and-forth over the stadium has degenerated at times into a personality battle between the two men, who happen to be two of the richest people in the city. While the Jets will underwrite most of the cost, the city and state have each agreed to pay $300 million, leaving many voters wary. "If you look at where New Yorkers are on this issue, they certainly don't want to see a lot of public investment on this issue and don't want their mayor to invest so much time, energy and resources for what's at best a peripheral issue," said Steve Sigmund, a spokesman for City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, another Democrat who is likely to challenge Bloomberg. But Bloomberg spokesman Ed Skyler said the mayor's support of the stadium, which would be linked to an expanded convention center and an extension of an existing subway line, would prove to be a political benefit, particularly due to the construction and other union jobs it would create. Skyler also cited an Independent Budget Office study that said the stadium plan would eventually pay for itself by creating new tax revenues. "If others want to run as anti-job, anti-economic development nimbies, they can go ahead," said Skyler. "I am sure the hard working New Yorkers who work in construction, restaurant, hospitality and hotel industries will remember them when the time comes." The stadium issue will likely be resolved during the next two months. The key date is Feb. 21, when the International Olympic Evaluation Commission visits to vet the city's 2012 bid. "It's essential we have shovels in the ground before the final IOC vote in July," said Lazaro Benitez, a spokesman for NYC2012, the organization spearheading the city's push. The public has no direct authority over whether the stadium gets built. The City Council's public hearings this week will focus on Bloomberg's proposal to rezone an area adjacent to the stadium site for commercial development. It's a necessary step, and the Council is expected to approve the plan by Jan. 26. On Dec. 16, the Empire State Development Corp. will host public hearings on the stadium plan and is likely to give its approval by the end of January. Also, the city and the Jets must reach a deal with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on a price for the land where the stadium will be located. And the Public Authorities Control Board _ made up of Republican Gov. George Pataki, Republican State Sen. Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver _ must unanimously approve the plan. Pataki and Bruno are already on board. Silver says he has reservations. But for Bloomberg the key date might be Nov. 6, 2005, when he goes before voters for re-election after a campaign likely to feature a citywide debate over the stadium. "It's hard to imagine that this won't be the dominating issue for at least the beginning part of the mayoral campaign," said Weiner. Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press [/quote]
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/state/ny-bc-ny--bloomberg-stadium1210dec10,0,3658746.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
jake · 2004-12-10
[quote] News Sports Business Entertainment Photos Shopping NY Newsday.com New York mayor stakes political capital on Olympic stadium By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS Associated Press Writer December 10, 2004, 4:04 PM EST NEW YORK -- When Michael Bloomberg became mayor three-and-a-half years ago, one of his first decisions was to scrap plans to build new baseball stadiums for the Yankees and Mets, saying the city could not afford them. Now, despite continuing budget deficits, Bloomberg has staked a good chunk of his political capital on a $1.4 billion stadium that would be the home of the New York Jets and the lynchpin of the city's effort to secure the 2012 Olympic Games. The City Council is set to hold hearings Monday _ the first of several hurdles Bloomberg and stadium proponents will need to clear in coming weeks, culminating in a visit by International Olympic Committee representatives in February. Besides its $600 million cost to city and state taxpayers, the stadium plan poses significant risks for the Republican Bloomberg as he prepares to face a pack of Democrats who intend to use the stadium as a key campaign issue for the November 2005 mayoral election, especially if the city fails to win an Olympic bid. "This is like a Christmas gift of an issue," said one of the likely candidates, Rep. Anthony Weiner. Public opinion polls say voters support a stadium, but only if tax dollars do not pay for it. Opposition on the west side of Manhattan, especially in the neighborhoods where the stadium would be located, is especially high, the area's elected representatives say. Discussion about the stadium plan spilled into the public arena this summer after a series of television advertisements attacked the mayor's proposal to use public funds to pay for a portion of the stadium. The ads were funded at a cost of more than $8 million by Cablevision Systems Corp. _ the owner of Madison Square Garden, the Knicks and the Rangers _ and have drawn Bloomberg into a public feud with the company and its chairman, James Dolan. Bloomberg even lashed out at the Knicks. "I think the coach is a good coach," Bloomberg said last month. "He could use a lot more money. They'd be better off spending their money there than (on) these ridiculous ads. As for these ads, they are outrageous lies." A season ticket holder, Bloomberg has taken to boycotting Knicks games. The Cablevision ads have prompted a series of ads in response paid for by the Jets that target Dolan. In turn, Dolan has said he would be happy to back someone who would run for mayor against Bloomberg. The back-and-forth over the stadium has degenerated at times into a personality battle between the two men, who happen to be two of the richest people in the city. While the Jets will underwrite most of the cost, the city and state have each agreed to pay $300 million, leaving many voters wary. "If you look at where New Yorkers are on this issue, they certainly don't want to see a lot of public investment on this issue and don't want their mayor to invest so much time, energy and resources for what's at best a peripheral issue," said Steve Sigmund, a spokesman for City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, another Democrat who is likely to challenge Bloomberg. But Bloomberg spokesman Ed Skyler said the mayor's support of the stadium, which would be linked to an expanded convention center and an extension of an existing subway line, would prove to be a political benefit, particularly due to the construction and other union jobs it would create. Skyler also cited an Independent Budget Office study that said the stadium plan would eventually pay for itself by creating new tax revenues. "If others want to run as anti-job, anti-economic development nimbies, they can go ahead," said Skyler. "I am sure the hard working New Yorkers who work in construction, restaurant, hospitality and hotel industries will remember them when the time comes." The stadium issue will likely be resolved during the next two months. The key date is Feb. 21, when the International Olympic Evaluation Commission visits to vet the city's 2012 bid. "It's essential we have shovels in the ground before the final IOC vote in July," said Lazaro Benitez, a spokesman for NYC2012, the organization spearheading the city's push. The public has no direct authority over whether the stadium gets built. The City Council's public hearings this week will focus on Bloomberg's proposal to rezone an area adjacent to the stadium site for commercial development. It's a necessary step, and the Council is expected to approve the plan by Jan. 26. On Dec. 16, the Empire State Development Corp. will host public hearings on the stadium plan and is likely to give its approval by the end of January. Also, the city and the Jets must reach a deal with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on a price for the land where the stadium will be located. And the Public Authorities Control Board _ made up of Republican Gov. George Pataki, Republican State Sen. Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver _ must unanimously approve the plan. Pataki and Bruno are already on board. Silver says he has reservations. But for Bloomberg the key date might be Nov. 6, 2005, when he goes before voters for re-election after a campaign likely to feature a citywide debate over the stadium. "It's hard to imagine that this won't be the dominating issue for at least the beginning part of the mayoral campaign," said Weiner. Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press [/quote]Newsday: Bloomberg Stake
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/state/ny-bc-ny--bloomberg-stadium1210dec10,0,3658746.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork