(League of Fans' Washington Post letter to the editor)

The City's Verizon Center Perk

Washington Post, Letter to the Editor
Monday, March 21, 2007; Page A12

Regarding "Wizards Owner's $50 Million Request Gets Initial Approval" [Metro, April 4]:

If public investment in pressing city needs were to guarantee the District's elected leaders free luxury suites at sports venues, maybe such problems would actually get some attention.

As reported by Mark Segraves of WTOP, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty and DC Council Chair Vincent Gray want to sell corporate naming rights to parts of DC public schools. Fenty said: "I think it's a good thing. I think there should be public-private partnerships in schools. I don't think the government should just try and do everything themselves."

(Letter co-signed by: Jim Bouton, former Yankee pitcher and author of Ball Four; Ralph Nader, consumer advocate and author; Neil deMause, co-author of Field of Schemes; Dave Zirin, columnist for SLAM magazine and author of What's My Name, Fool?; Robert Weissman, director of Essential Action and co-author of Corporate Predators; and Shawn McCarthy, director of League of Fans.)

Council of the District of Columbia

Dear Council member:

The District baseball boondoggle is swirling out of control at an ever accelerating pace.

(Ralph Nader's Washington Post letter to the editor on DC Mayor Williams' plan to increase public spending on stadium.)

Ballpark Bait and Switch
Letter to the Editor - Washington Post: Page A20

In the Oct. 7 editorial "Don't Doff the Spending Cap," The Post rightly advised the D.C. Council to reject Mayor Anthony A. Williams's play for $75 million more from taxpayers for the stadium project.

The Honorable Adrian Fenty
Council of the District of Columbia

Dear Mr. Fenty:

With the primaries fast approaching, many voters are waiting for a plan as to what you would do to fix the baseball stadium mess should you become the Mayor of the District of Columbia.

Sarah Moses of Indian Country Today reports that a joint petition with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office was filed on August 11, 2006 for the cancellation of the Washington Redskins trademarked term, "Redskins." The petition was filed by six American Indian young people from across the country ranging in age from 18 to 24.

Council of the District of Columbia

Dear Council members:

The residents and taxpayers of the District of Columbia have been told by members of the DC Council that the baseball stadium has a $611 million cap on spending from city resources for the new stadium project. But the Council is now being asked to violate its mandate to hold costs at $611 million.

The Honorable Anthony A. Williams
Mayor, District of Columbia

Dear Mayor Williams:

Your Administration can no longer ignore the significant environmental hazards that exist at the construction site for the proposed new baseball stadium. On June 8, 2006 the Washington Post reported a major discovery of 53 tanks of oil under the soil at the stadium site that has caused $2.9 million extra to be spent on environmental cleanup. This troubling level of contamination is only the beginning and I renew my request, with increased urgency, for you to call for a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) at the stadium site.

Neil deMause, co-author of Field of Schemes and blogger of fieldofschemes.com, highlights exactly what everyone knew would happen after the DC Council approved the worst stadium deal ever -- that it would continue to get even worse for DC residents and taxpayers:

Council of The District of Columbia

Dear Councilmembers:

Major League Baseball has reportedly altered the stadium lease, effectively eliminating the stadium cap on city spending for the "hard and soft costs" of construction. Though the Council unforgivably approved the one-sided lease last month, it did so with the intent of limiting the city’s cost for the project, and with the intent -- as I was told by District CFO Natwar Gandhi -- that Major League Baseball, Mayor Williams and the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission sign the lease by March 6, 2006, "without any reservation." Therefore, the DC Council has no choice but to reject the altered stadium lease that again leaves the District ultimately responsible for all cost overruns.

Dr. Natwar M. Gandhi
Chief Financial Officer
District of Columbia

Dear Dr. Gandhi:

The residents and taxpayers of the District of Columbia have been told by members of the DC Council and in subsequent press reports, that the approved baseball stadium lease -- as written -- now contains a $610.8 million cap on spending from city resources for the new stadium project. I am requesting that, as the District’s Chief Financial Officer, you release a statement immediately either verifying to the people of the District that the $610.8 million cap on city spending for the new baseball stadium is a true, ironclad cap, with no loopholes, or an explanation as to why it is not.

Baseball stadium legislation passed by the D.C. Council in the dead of night -- after illegal closed-door discussions involving political payoffs -- does nothing to curb runaway stadium costs and is a sham on the public, a citizens' coalition charged today.

The late-night backroom deal-making which resulted in a 9-4 emergency vote in favor of the Major League Baseball stadium lease is an affront to the taxpaying residents of the District of Columbia.

Not only did the DC Council subordinate the life necessities of District residents to Major League Baseball, they also approved the stadium at all cost. Despite initial reports of a “cap” on city spending of $610.8 million, a major loophole renders this so-called cap meaningless.

The revised baseball stadium draft lease agreed to Friday by D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams appears to give away even more city assets, still fails to provide for a true cap on stadium costs, still fails to legally specify who will pay for cost overruns, fails to provide for possibly shifting the stadium from South Capitol to a far less-expensive RFK Stadium site, and should be rejected immediately if a vote is taken by the Council, a citizens' coalition said today.

Who's at Fault in the Stadium Standoff

Letter to the Editor: Washington Post - Wednesday, January 11, 2006; Page A20

In his Jan. 3 op-ed, "Why the Stadium Deal Isn't Done," Major League Baseball President Bob DuPuy wrote as though baseball were performing a humanitarian service against its interest by relocating the Montreal Expos to Washington.

The D.C. area's huge population and media share, the Washington Nationals' financial success in 2005, and the league's anticipation of $450 million in franchise sale proceeds show that the District is the only choice for the Nats.