Browns President Art Modell has "dismissed the idea of
selling permanent seat licenses (PSLs) to help finance the
renovation project," according to Tony Grossi of the Cleveland
PLAIN DEALER. Modell: "PSLs are a new phenomenon. It's
fantastic. But I think it only works in a new marketplace. I
find it impossible for me to conceive of charging a customer
who's been sitting in the same seat for 45 years -- charge him a
premium for the right to buy that seat again. I can't see it"
(PLAIN DEALER, 7/23). Also in Cleveland, Evelyn Theiss writes
that funding the renovation "isn't just about the Stadium or the
Browns anymore. It's about political careers." The Assembly
approved a bill on July 12 allowing Cuyahoga County Commissioners
to extend an excise tax on cigarettes and alcohol for another 20
years without a vote of the public. That bill was signed by Gov.
George Voinovich on July 19. The stakes: "Delay too long, or
defeat the tax extension, and the Browns are history" -- or --
"Pass the sin tax without a public vote now, and expect to pay
later at the polls" (PLAIN DEALER, 7/23).
