In St. Paul, Aron Kahn wrote that a half-cent sales tax
to subsidize a new St. Paul ballpark would cost "every man,
woman and child" $20.76 in the first full year of the tax
and that figure "would edge up about 2 percent annually."
The cost is "about" $6 higher than previously stated by
supporters of Mayor Norm Coleman (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS,
10/24)....Also in St. Paul, Charley Walters wrote if the
Twins ballpark referendum fails, look for T'Wolves Owner
Glen Taylor "to try to negotiate a new purchase from [Twins
Owner Carl] Pohlad for a public-private financed stadium in
downtown Minneapolis" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 10/24).
STAPLES CENTER REVIEW: In N.Y., Sherry Ross wrote that
Staples Center "is one of the typically shiny and antiseptic
arenas that have come to mean progress in the sporting
world." The facility has 160 suites in the middle of the
building, "like a Grade A hamburger nestled between the buns
of the common people. The result is a weird separation
between involved fans in the upper and lower tiers and
people who seem to be watching the proceedings on a giant TV
in their living room" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/24).
HOUSTON CAMPAIGN: Houston Mayor Lee Brown, along with
former Mayor Bob Lanier and arena proponent Steve Letbetter,
contributed an op-ed in the HOUSTON CHRONICLE on the need
for a downtown arena. They wrote that opponents of the
arena "have launched a campaign of misinformation" and
stated, "The bulk of the arena project, including any and
all cost overruns, will be paid for by the owner of the
Houston Rockets and Comets, who also would be on the line
for all operating and maintenance expenses once it's built."
Arena opponents, Harris County Tax Assessor Paul Bettencourt
and Harris County GOP Chair Gary Polland, countered that the
arena deal was "agreed to in great haste between" Brown and
"one of his largest campaign contributors," Rockets Owner
Les Alexander. As a result, they claimed it "relies on
excessive public funding" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/24).
