May 29, 2008

D.C. council revives $150m soccer subsidy plan

That plan to spend $150 million in city money on a D.C. United stadium is back again, with three city council members now readying legislation to be introduced at next Tuesday's council meeting. (If anyone wants to watch the festivities, it will almost certainly be webcast here.) The sponsors are an odd threesome in stadium politics: Jack Evans, who was the main cheerleader for the Nationals stadium deal, and Vincent Gray and Marion Barry, who were two of the three councilmembers who were elected in 2004 on an anti-stadium platform (and who later cast the key votes to rescue the Nats deal).

Among those who've voiced opposition to the deal are D.C. Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi, who's worried the added debt would push the city over the threshold where Wall Street would start downgrading its bonds; Washington Post columnist Marc Fisher, who says a soccer team just doesn't play enough games to be a good economic anchor; and councilmember Mary Cheh, who said, "I just don't think we should be an ATM for sporting authorities, unless they can make a compelling case to me." (You can't be a D.C. councilperson unless you know how to hedge.)

D.C. United's response, meanwhile, has been to say $150 million's not enough, how about $225 million? No, no, come on, do it properly.