Washblog || Everyone, I mean everyone turns on Clay Bennett

Everyone, I mean everyone turns on Clay Bennett

By emmettoconnell
Wed Jul 25, 2007 at 08:48:24 AM PST
Section: Seattle metro Topic: Off topic

No one is talking about what the meeting between Sonics owner Clay Bennett and Seattle Mayor Greg Nikels is really about, but with the likelihood of Key Arena being rebuilt, sold or refurbished almost nil, you can imagine that the discussion is going to be about buying out the current lease.

Last year a city initiative tied the city's hands on building a new arena, this year fans of the Sonics, specifically a group that had been lobbying along side Bennett for a new arena in Renton, is filing an initiative to force the city to honor the current lease on Key Arena. They essentially want to say "the Sonics aren't going anywhere, for now."

From SonicsCentral:

During the course of the last year I have spent a great deal of time advocating on Clay Bennett's behalf. While I don't regret that decision I have certainly re-thought it a number of times.

...

To this day Bennett has still maintained publicly that he wants to remain in Seattle. I believe however that these statements have to be subject to question based on his behavior of the last several months. During this time frame he has never returned a call from our camp and according to reports from people around the state we are not alone. Potential development partners, political leaders, trade association leaders, all describe Clay Bennett's "open door" as more of an "unsupervised answering machine" where you leave messages and then never receive a callback.
Just over one week ago I contacted Bennett's office advising them that SOS&S had formed a new committee, "A Deal Is a Deal" PAC with the intention of filing a public initiative which would block the mayors ability to negotiate an opt out of the lease.

< "We are Here as a Voice of Conscience, Crying out for the Displaced" | " You wouldn't shoot first and ask questions later .... would you?" >

Everyone, I mean everyone turns on Clay Bennett | 2 comments (2 topical)

don't give up Seattle's negotiating power

I disagree with tying the mayor's hands here. The existing Key Arena lease gives the city leverage in negotiations to get some benefit if the Sonics leave.

If your goal is that Seattle to continue to have a pro-basketball team over the long term (which is my goal) and for the city to have reasonable benefit from their public investment, then forcing the team to stay here could be counter-productive.

Consider the Cleveland Browns. They were moved from Cleveland in 1995 and the team became the Baltimore Ravens. Cleveland <u>kept the team name, records, and legacy</u> until they got another NFL team four years later. That, plus some reasonable buyout for lost revenue from games, puts the city in a better position than the alternative--Clay Bennett forced to play here, making zero investment in entertaining us fans, with no benefit to the city.

Keeping the team name, records, and legacy would give any future owners--perhaps coordinating with the tribes or others on a new facility as has been suggested--a leg up with an established brand. Asking people in Cleveland today, they often even forget that the Browns haven't been there forever.

by JayArnold on Wed Jul 25, 2007 at 10:57:08 AM PST

* 1 none 0 *

Get Lost Clay - GO GO GO

go anywhere you can get people stupid enough to subsidize welfare for millionaires and billionaires.

actually, we're stupid enough to do it in this state - I think people are seeing that for that little itty bitty piece of tax you pay

constantly and incessantly,

you get the right to 20 dollar parking, 8 dollar hot dogs, 8 dollar beers, and crappy seats for 30 or more bucks a piece, so a bunch of really rich people can sit in real nice luxury boxes watching a bunch of highly paid spoiled jocks.

wow, what a deal.

too bad we'll lose the Storm - if the NBA hadn't been allowed to bury the ABL we'd have women's hoop in winter, where it belongs, NOT women's hoop to fill in when the boys aren't out on the court proving who is the bigger dickhead.

rmm.

http://www.liemail.com/BambooGrassroots.html

by rmdSeaBos on Thu Jul 26, 2007 at 10:15:00 PM PST

* 2 none 0 *

Everyone, I mean everyone turns on Clay Bennett | 2 comments (2 topical)

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