Ordinance Number: 122357 (I-91) is useless, please repeal it

Seattle City Council,
It is with great sadness that I inform you that the lobbyist that doesn't live in Seattle can no longer make sports facilities decisions for you.

Town Hall Meeting on Proposed Arena -- July 10 at 7 pm

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Dear Neighbor: You are invited to an upcoming town hall meeting about the proposal to build an NBA & NHL arena in the SODO neighborhood of Seattle. Tuesday, July 10, 7-8 p.m. at North Seattle Community College The proposed new arena is an important issue. Under the proposed memorandum of understanding negotiated between County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, and private investor Christopher Hansen, up to $200 million for the arena would be financed through public bonds that would be paid back from rents and tax revenues generated by the facility. I am hosting this meeting with Seattle City Councilmember Mike O'Brien to provide an opportunity for community members to ask questions, express their thoughts, and have their voices heard. More details about the town hall meeting are availablehere and below. I hope you can join us! Sincerely, Bob Ferguson King County Councilmember, District 1 Ferguson and O'Brien to hold joint town hall meeting on arena proposal Opportunity for public to meet with County and City representatives and ask questions about proposed arena King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson and Seattle City Councilmember Mike O'Brien will hold a joint town hall meeting on the arena proposal:  Tuesday, July 10 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. North Seattle Community College  Cafeteria, College Center Building 9600 College Way North Seattle, WA "The proposed arena is an important issue currently before the county and city councils. This meeting will give community members the opportunity to ask questions, express their thoughts, and know their voices are being heard," said Ferguson. "As an elected official, I believe it is important to meet with and hear directly from the public and the people I represent." "As both City and County Councils are digging into the details of the arena proposal and beginning to understand the potential benefits and risks to the region, it is critical we are also hearing from the public," said O'Brien. "We are receiving thousands of emails on the topic, but there is nothing like getting out in the neighborhood and engaging directly with the people we represent." The King County Council and Seattle City Council are currently reviewing a proposal for development of an approximately $500 million multi-purpose arena. Under the proposed memorandum of understanding negotiated between County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor McGinn, and private investor Christopher Hansen, up to $200 million for the arena would be financed through public bonds that would be paid back from rents and tax revenues generated by the facility. Facebook YouTube Twitter About my E-Newsletter Councilmember Bob Ferguson on the Web:www.kingcounty.gov/ferguson I hope you enjoy my updates! Past editions of my e-newsletters are available here. Click here to remove yourself from my e-newsletter list. Click here to subscribe to my e-newsletter. If you have any questions or comments, please email me at bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov. Phone: (206) 296-1001 | Fax: (206) 296-0198 | TTY/TDD: (206) 296-1024 | Toll Free: (800) 325-6165 Mailing Address: King County Courthouse, 516 Third Avenue, Room 1200, Seattle, WA 98104-3272

 

Port pitches fit, county not impressed, "I don't think one issue should be held hostage to another issue."

As a general rule, legislatures detest two things: being rushed, being bullied. Chris Hansen avoided the first, the Port of Seattle embraced the second. It's not going to end the way they think it will. Whatever influence and impact their arguments have had on simpathetic ears, and reasonable minds, was just thrown away.

The Port of Seattle Commission voted 3-2 to delay the last piece of the deal: transferring 13 miles of an old BNSF Railway corridor to King County. Commissioners cited "issues of trust" with the county as it moves toward a new arena near the Port's crucial industrial area. "I'm just concerned about this arena proposal that the Port's interests are not being properly taken into account, and it's going way too fast," Port Commissioner John Creighton said at last Tuesday's Port Commission meeting. "Before we can cooperate with the county on a number of issues we really need to understand, how are we going to deal with it?" The vote raises the temperature on a debate between the Port and the Seattle and King County councils, which are to vote this summer on putting public money toward the arena.