Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell said that instead of
building one new stadium and renovating Veterans Stadium,
his "intention is to build two" new facilities, according to
Edward Moran of the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS. Rendell: "Our
optimum is for two stadiums. ... Number one, because we
can't pick and choose between the Eagles and Phillies. And
revenuewise, in the current-day economics of sports,
professional sports, our teams need to be competitive."
Rendell reiterated that his plan for local funding would be
a five-county sports lottery, but if he cannot get that
passed, "he will seek a surcharge on the city's existing
sales tax." If there isn't enough funds made available for
two stadiums, Rendell said that the city will "go to Plan B,
and we'll see where we are." Eagles Exec VP Joe Banner:
"We're very happy to hear this." The PA State Legislature
votes Wednesday on a measure that would allow Gov. Tom Ridge
to raise the state's portion of funding for four stadiums in
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh (PHILA. DAILY NEWS, 11/12).
