Dear Joe,
When you need the state legislature to pass a bill a bill that will downgrade a public asset that belongs to the entire state (its cash value to the state, not functionality) and the legislature is facing such an enormous financial hole that: (1) one side is proposing completely eliminating welfare and shifting most basic services the state currently provides to the counties; and (2) the other side is contemplating shutting down the state government during August, September, and as long as it takes thereafter to get additional taxes passed, maybe – just maybe - it’s not a good idea to say you don’t need the arena as much as you used to. I’m just throwing that out there. You might want to consider that it’s something an opposition assemblyman might say over and over again before a vote – if you can even get this to a vote – which is no lock.
This is sorta like running an ad where you wash down a burger with a $6,000 bottle of wine, while asking the public to raise their taxes.
Maybe you should realize that you’re more than a little tone deaf on this issue and refer reporters to John Moag, or KJ, or your new president, or just about anybody else in the organization.
I’m not sure your quotes are helping. A few years ago, you claimed luxury boxes and packed concourses were the grounds for a new arena. Now, you are saying luxury boxes aren’t a problem and the last time I saw the concourse, it wasn’t nearly as busy. The fact is you need an arena to generate more money and remain competitive, but you’ve been dancing around that fact for so long that your justifications are starting to sound inconsistent. That doesn’t help your case. You should let the people doing the heavy lifting do the talking. Just an idea.
