Paul Allen's lobbying team seeking $300M for a new
Seahawks stadium was greeted at the WA Legislature yesterday
with a "barrage of queries and doubts," according to Rachel
Zimmerman in today's SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER. The five-
member group -- Football Northwest Vice Chair Bert Kolde,
head lobbyist Bud Coffey, and Allen pointman Bob Whitsitt --
appeared before the Trade and Economic Development
Committee, and the session's "adversarial tone was
immediately evident." Rep. Dawn Mason asked why no women
or "people of color" were on Allen's lobbying team. Rep.
Velma Veloria, whose district encompasses the Kingdome,
asked how many people on welfare would get jobs out of the
project and Rep. Jim Dunn asked why Allen didn't appear
before the committee himself. Committee chair Steve Van
Luven: "Why is Paul Allen, the third-richest man in America,
asking the public to help build this facility?" Coffey
countered: "Do you want professional football? Do you want
local ownership? If you do, you cannot find a better owner
than Paul Allen" (SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, 1/31).
