Two weeks before a November 7 referendum for a $175M
arena in downtown Houston, an opponent "has begun airing" a
TV commercial "characterizing the agreement" with the
Rockets as "corporate welfare," according to Eric Berger of
the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. The ad, paid for by a PAC affiliated
with conservative activist Bruce Hotze, "outlines the
publicly subsidized arena's costs and benefits to the
public" and to Rockets Owner Leslie Alexander. One part of
the ad says this year's arena proposal "is worse" than the
'99 agreement, but "gives no information to support the
statement." A "second point" is that the arena's
construction "would largely benefit" Alexander and his
"multimillionaire" players. Berger writes that the
"introduction of anti-arena commercials could change the
dynamic" of the election, as polling by media outlets and
private groups "indicate arena proponents hold a lead of at
least 10 percentage points," the same margin by which the
'99 referendum was defeated. Opponents spent about $500,000
in '99, almost all on TV ads, to defeat the arena proposal.
This year, supporters "have a war chest of nearly" $3M and
have been airing ads since October 9 saying the plan
includes "no new taxes" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/25).
POSITIVE FEEDBACK: Berger also writes that Houston City
Controller Sylvia Garcia announced her "support" for an
arena, saying that the project "would be good for the city's
bottom line" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/25).
