In Hartford, legislative opponents to the Patriots'
stadium deal were "predicting" approval of the pact by the
state's General Assembly, which will convene today in a
special session and vote on the bill, according to Swift,
Moreau & Keating of the HARTFORD COURANT. CT legislators
spent Monday "reworking" the Adriaen's Landing environmental
review process, and the problems some legislators had with
the review process "appeared to be solved" by the end of the
day. Federal officials had "warned" the state "not to pass
legislation that sets up a fast-track environmental review."
(HARTFORD COURANT, 12/15). Yesterday, CT Gov. John Rowland
"rejected" suggestions that the stadium bill was "rushed,"
saying that the media has "devoted more time and space" to
the deal than to the state's $11B budget discussions. But
Rowland was reportedly "careful to accommodate House
Democrats and their 96-member caucus because most of the
opposition is centered there." Both parties in the Senate
"are favoring the plan" (HARTFORD COURANT, 12/15).
NAMING RIGHTS AN ISSUE: Rowland's aide on stadium
finances Marc Ryan said that the state will have the "right
to veto" the sale of naming rights to beer and tobacco
companies, or other companies whose products "might be
deemed unsuitable by the state," but the legal language "is
still being worked out." Patriots Owner Robert Kraft would
still receive all naming rights revenue (HARTFORD COURANT,
12/15). But in Boston, Cosmo Macero writes that "a
potentially deal-killing move to cut" the state in on
"lucrative stadium naming rights may surface today as an
amendment" to the bill. But legislative sources said that
such an amendment "is doubtful" (BOSTON HERALD, 12/15).
FROM THE EDITORIAL PAGES: A HARTFORD COURANT editorial
states that while CT is still treating Patriots Owner Robert
Kraft "generously," the amended stadium agreement now "adds
protections" for the state (HARTFORD COURANT, 12/15). From
the N.Y. TIMES: "For a state with the highest per capita
debt in the nation to borrow money to woo a team ... seems
like a particularly dubious form of corporate welfare" (N.Y.
TIMES, 12/15). Public financing of facility development was
the debate topic in USA TODAY, as the paper's editorial
board says that Congress could end "stadium blackmail" by
withholding federal support to cities "that feel rich enough
to subsidize wealthy owners" (USA TODAY, 12/15).
FALLOUT: The HARTFORD COURANT lists 375 reasons the
Patriots will be good for CT. No. 376: "Oops, an overrun.
No problem, it's on Kraft" (HARTFORD COURANT, 12/15)....In
Boston, Fee & Raposa noted sources who speculated that NBC's
"Fleecing of America" piece on the Patriots' CT deal on
Thursday "might have been indulging a little payback," since
Kraft is a member of the NFL TV Committee which negotiated
the new TV deal that put the AFC on CBS, from NBC (BOSTON
HERALD, 12/11)....Also in Boston, Bob Ryan writes that going
to Hartford will be a "very painful thing for a man as vain
as" Kraft, because now "he will never get what he really
wants, and that is to be Mr. Boston" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/15).
