Voter Initiative Against Stadium Now Live On FaceBook

As reported last week by Bob Plain at RIFuture.com, Sam Bell, head of the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats, has begun spearheading a petition to get an initiative put on the ballot that would prevent “the stadium from being built on the part of the I-195 land designated a public park, and it forbids Providence from providing any special financial treatment for the stadium, including tax breaks”, as Bell told Plain last week.
Now the campaign has taken its next step, having become a FaceBook group called Providence Campaign Against the Stadium Deal.  This writer would be remiss to not admit that I was involved in forming the group, but the onus now sits on the shoulders of others in the community who can get involved in collecting signatures.  Parties interested are invited to click the link above or contact Sam Bell at swbell11@gmail.com.

And So It Begins! Bill For 'Public-Private' Funding Sent to Finance Committee

Representatives Stephen M. Casey, K. Joseph Shekarchi, Michael Morin, Mia A. Ackerman, and Cale P. Keable sent a bill to the Finance Committee on May 27, 2015, H 6250, that would allow for what they call 'public-private' partnership funding of facilities and infrastructure.  While the PawSox are not mentioned in the text, the fact is that Michael G. Riley, sometimes Republican political candidate, has called the term 'public-private financing' a lot of "gobbledygook".  This move is not out of step considering the unpopularity of the proposal, with public protests that have attracted the support of the Rhode Island Green Party, Tea Party, Progressive Democrats, and Republicans alike, something that almost never happens in this state.  Larry Lucchino, remaining majority owner of the PawSox after the death of James Skeffington earlier this month, published a multi-column appeal to the masses in the Providence Journal on May 27 with timing that could not be more perfect, titled DOWNTOWN PARK WIL BE RI GEM, closing with the line "We invite you to join us on this journey. We believe your children and your grandchildren will thank you."  Some may beg to differ, including economists Robert Baade and Victor Matheson, who have aired their opinions and written papers on how these sorts of funding proposals rarely have long-term benefits for the taxpayers.

Opinion: Why You Should Oppose The PawSox Stadium

James Skeffington, PawSox Owner.

On February 23, 2015, the new ownership of the Pawtucket Red Sox, led by Boston owner Larry Lucchino and Providence political superstar James Skeffington, announced their intent to move the team from McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket to a prospective stadium in Providence, suggested to be built on a parcel of land newly developed following the re-routing of I-195.

Proposed Site of New Stadium.

There are several reasons why this is an awful idea.  I will expound in the following sections.

THE OWNERSHIP

The new owners of the PawSox are all known players in the corrupt system that is the Rhode Island government.  The most problematic persona in the circus is Mr. Skeffington.  As a lawyer at the law firm Edwards Angell Palmer and Dodge, he has been instrumental in arranging financing deals that have resulted in the tax payer getting the raw end of the stick, such as the arrangements for the Providence Place Mall and the Rhode Island Convention Center.  The Convention Center is of particular note because, in the fine print, Mr. Skeffington arranged for taxes to fund the operation until they should get out of the red.  Founded in 1994, the Rhode Island tax payer continues to subsidize this debacle.

THE ENVIRONMENT

Following the removal of the de-comissioned sections of the interstate, Providence began a project to re-design the sewer system.  In order to accommodate a new stadium, this newly-laid sewer would need to be renovated, which could cause further leaks and pollution of the waterfront.  Furthermore, construction of such magnitude would cause air, water, and noise pollution.  This in and of itself would be a disaster.

THE FINANCING

The owners have argued that they will require what they call 'public-private' financing, a scheme that local businessman Michael G. Riley has described as 'gobbledygook'.  In essence, the taxpayer foots the bill and the owners reap the profits.  The details of the actual financing are galling and seem like a nightmare from the mind of Charles Dickens.  They want $5 million per year from the taxpayer.  They want a 30-year lease, $1 per year, and the option to buy the land at fair market value at the end of the lease.  And no doubt, if the team does not do fantastic, they will include a sub-clause to move the team to greener pastures at their whim, leaving Providence with a monstrosity that has no chance of being re-purposed.  In the case of the 38 Studios debacle, the offices and computers were easily re-sold and re-purposed.  It is very difficult to do the same with a baseball stadium.

THE POLITICS

This move will bring Brown University one step closer to it's goal of re-designing the voting districts in Providence so to disenfranchise the poor and minority populations of South Providence.  Such types of gerry-mandering are commonplace on the agenda of the rich and privileged.  This will eventually result in an end to efforts to make the various colleges in the city pay property taxes, something former Brown President Ruth Simmons was dragged kicking and screaming to.  Ultimately, a new stadium will mean that the black/brown or poor in Providence get a bat over the back of the head.

THE ECONOMICS

Holy Cross economics Professor Victor Matheson and Lake Forest Professor Robert Baade collaborated on a 2011 white paper titled FINANCING PROFESSIONAL SPORTS FACILITIES, available here.  Matheson and Baade make clear that there is absolutely no financial benefit for the governments that subsidize these ventures.  Of course, Speaker Nicholas Matiello has hired Smith College economics professor Andrew Zimbalist, a yes-man who is well-respected by the leadership of the Major League Baseball organization, including former Commissioner Bud Selig, a man who did not notice a twenty-plus year scandal involving steroids until half the players in the league had ballooned to the size of small blimps.

THE PRINCIPLE

Gore Vidal once said America is “a unique society in which we have free enterprise for the poor and socialism for the rich."  This scheme is a brilliant example of such a move.  We are a state that has operated in the red for decades.  Our schools are disasters.  Our pension system is getting marauded by the Wall Street fat cats brought in by Gina Raimondo.  The police force is almost totally made up of white males while the general population is composed of African, Latino, and various other minority populations.  Of the millions of things that could be done with this amount of money, subsidizing a bail-out for Skeffington and Co. is the last thing that should be done.

Do the common sense thing.  Say NO to Skeff-O-Nomics.