February 15, 2007
Sonics deliver arena pitch
Seattle Sonics owner Clay Bennett issued his latest basketball arena demands this week: a $500 million arena in suburban Renton, $300 million in King County tax money to help pay for it (the city of Renton would be on the hook for an unspecified amount of the remainder), and, oh yes, no public referendum on the matter, because "I think a public vote would be very difficult to survive."
Unless things change, however, it's looking unlikely Bennett will get both of those last two items. The entire Democratic majority of the Metropolitan King County Council signed a letter to state officials saying they'll reject any arena-tax plan that doesn't include a public vote. And even in the legislature itself, the Sonics arena proposal faces significant opposition: House Speaker Frank Chopp, asked about the bill, told the Seattle Times, "I'm sorry, but the education of our kids is simply a much higher priority," Chopp said. "What am I going to do, divert money from [education] to pay for a place where the courtside seats cost, what is it, a thousand bucks a seat? Give me a break."
Things are still very, very early here, though. If this controversy is resolved this legislative session, and if the final battle is over a bill that looks remotely like this one, it'll be almost as big an upset as the Sonics making the playoffs.
