Editorial: Cynics should give arena plan an honest look

[Mike0476]

This was from an editorial on the Sacramento Bee web site.

It is very important that we all attend next week's city council on Tuesday at 6pm.

Please attend and try to get others to attend too as well as wear your Sacramento Kings gear.

I will be there so I hope to see many of you.

The next step is for the City Council to give the go-ahead on Tuesday to start real negotiations with the Maloof family and NBA officials, to do more detailed analysis of the funding options and to select an arena operator and developers for related projects. The goal is to finalize the financing plan by the end of the year and to secure funding sources by the March 1 deadline set by the NBA. The city and the Maloofs will also have to resolve a big issue not addressed in the committee report – the $67 million the Kings still owe the city.

Whatever the final plan, it will not be an easy sell. When basic services are being slashed, it's understandable that some residents would ask why city money should go into an arena.

Yet throughout their history, U.S. cities have invested during the bad times to position themselves to flourish when better times return. The response to the arena proposal shouldn't be: "Don't do anything, anytime, during a bad economy." The question should be: Is this a fair deal for all involved?

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/09/3895505/cynics-should-give-arena-plan.html#ixzz1XRKRji4a