RI Governor Lincoln Almond "unexpectedly broke off
talks" with Patriots Owner Robert Kraft last night,
according to Tina Cassidy of the BOSTON GLOBE. While the
two sides "insist" they are still close to deal, "it could
be next week before talks resume in earnest." Almond: "I
was getting uneasy. ... The sticking points are not huge,
but they are sticking points, and we want them resolved."
Cassidy adds the extra time "opens a window of opportunity"
for MA officials as they prepare to "make another pitch" to
Kraft. A new MA proposal calls for Foxboro's Industrial
Finance Authority to issue $20M in bonds "to buy 316 acres
around the stadium from Kraft," with the town issuing
"another" $30M in bonds for "infrastructure improvements."
The Pats would then spend "a minimum" of $50M to "renovate
and expand" Foxboro Stadium. The proposal was "written to
cater to the concerns of those ... who have actively opposed
using taxpayer money for a professional sports stadium"
(BOSTON GLOBE, 9/24). In Providence, Rowland & Mackay
report the talks have "assumed a circus atmosphere" and
"[t]hose close to the talks on the Rhode Island side get the
impression that Almond has begun to bristle under constant
demands from the Krafts to unnecessarily prolong the
negotiations." Almond said that there was "no acrimony,"
only a "pause that refreshes" (JOURNAL-BULLETIN, 9/24).
