Stadium Deals
Here’s a little local news while I’m still in NYC from the always-appalling universe of stadium dealmaking:
The Bloomberg administration was so intent on obtaining a free luxury suite for its own use at the new Yankee Stadium, newly released e-mail messages show, that the mayor’s aides pushed for a larger suite and free food, and eventually gave the Yankees 250 additional parking spaces in exchange.
The parking spaces were given to the team for the private use of Yankees officials, players and others; the spaces were originally planned for public parking. The city also turned over the rights to three new billboards along the Major Deegan Expressway, and whatever revenue they generate, as part of the deal.
Bad stadium policy meets bad parking policy and a good time is had by all.
33 Responses to “Stadium Deals”
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November 30th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
So Bloomberg’s willingness to distort parking policy for the Yankees’ rich ownership is bad, but Bloomberg’s willingness to distort congestion pricing policy for rich Manhattanites is good?
Seems to me like Yankee ownership needs to start a blog…
November 30th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Giving the Yankees something they wanted in exchange for a free luxury box isn’t “bad policy,” it’s corruption. It’s especially slimy for Bloomberg, since he’s a gazillionare and could buy all the luxury seats he wants.
November 30th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
How many parking spots for Madonna and her entourage?
November 30th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Bloomberg employees already have huge discounts on museums, stadiums, and theater all over the country — though not the leisure to make use of them. In many cases their discounts are bigger than those for senior citizens and students — who might really benefit from such discounts — or even free admission to many of these institutions which used to operate for the benefit and education of the public and often were free at their inception.
One wonders how many other corporations have these sweetheart arrangements. It shows how distorted our public life has become.
November 30th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
You got to love politics. Spitzer seeing prostitutes-end of career. Bloomberg giving away millions of public money to the Yankees so he has a personal luxury box-remove his term limits!
November 30th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
That explains why Bloomburg is against term limits.
What a sleaze, he can afford to pay for a box.
November 30th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Bloomberg should not be involved in small-d democratic government. He’s an autocrat who bought himself the nation’s greatest city on the cheap like you or I would buy a copy of SimCity.
November 30th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Too many steves is right. Can somebody explain to me why this isn’t straightforward Ted Stevens style corruption? “Bad public policy” doesn’t begin to describe this. If it’s true, criminal charges should be filed.
November 30th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
two things: the box is not for bloomberg it’s for the city. and these weren’t extra parking spaces, they were existing parking spaces turned over to be owned by the yankees.
as far as I see, the city is giving the yankees a sweet deal for the stadium in the first place and the least the yankees could do is give them a luxury box. unfortunately the city had to negotiate away some revenue generating billboards.
November 30th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
“the box is not for bloomberg it’s for the city”
Oh, that’s cool, so any NYC resident/taxpayer can use it, right?
November 30th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Evil Empire is evil!
November 30th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
“Oh, that’s cool, so any NYC resident/taxpayer can use it, right?”
Bloomberg as the elected mayor of New York City is the executor of the people’s will and thus the use of the luxury box will be an expression of that will. If they don’t like it, they can elect someone else.
December 1st, 2008 at 1:53 am
Neither Bloomberg nor any other elected official is above the law or common decency.
That said, I generally have a good opinion of Bloomberg’s performance as mayor, though I disagree with him on stadiums, crossing party lines to vote in the primaries, and a few other things.
December 1st, 2008 at 9:27 am
Steinbrenner had no choice except to keep his Yankees in NY and in our perfectly fine old stadium if the city had insisted. Taxpayers in NJ or Connecticut weren’t about to buy him a new one. Where else would he move the richest franchise in sports that leads the major leagues in attendance? Nevertheless, he got his way. His new stadium will have 10,000 fewer seats than the old one (so average fans will pay significantly higher ticket costs), and 50-60 new luxury suites.
Thanks again to the mayor, Bronx borough president, Adolfo Carrion, and the 44 members of the city council for pushing through the crappy Yankee Stadium deal that did nothing but make the already super-rich super-richer while creating no benefits to those of us who are gonna have to pay for it.
December 1st, 2008 at 9:30 am
djslippyb
Bloomberg as the elected mayor of New York City is the executor of the people’s will and thus the use of the luxury box will be an expression of that will. If they don’t like it, they can elect someone else.
You’re kidding, right? Who in his or her right mind is gonna attempt to run against $70 million Bloomberg $s?
December 1st, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Democracy is the theory that the people should get what they deserve and they should get it good and hard.
This is an example of that theory in action. If the people in NYC don’t like it, they can elect someone else. The other guy running is even more corrupt? Oops, that’s democracy for you.
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