WASHINGTON Former mayor Marion Barry has warned that he will block plans for a new baseball stadium in the region if elected to the District of Columbia Council, saying he objects to publicly financing the ballparks construction, which could involve a $410 million bond sale.
Barry, who is expected to win the Ward 8 seat on the District Council in the Nov. 2 election, believes the next council could effectively overturn any plans to sell the revenue bonds by opposing approval of a new business tax that would be needed to partially fund the debt service on those bonds. Officials have said the district would pay the debt service on the bonds using a 10% ticket and concession sales tax, plus rent payments on the stadium and a new business tax.
Barrys likely election could shift the composition of the 13-member council and reverse majority support for the stadium proposal, but he and the two other stadium challengers who won the Democratic primary last month would not take office until after the council renders a final decision on the plan.
The councils finance and revenue committee and its economic development panel will hold a joint public hearing on the plan on Oct. 28. The committees will probably vote on the plan by Nov. 3 and the full council could consider it by Nov. 9.
Major League Baseball granted the Montreal Expos franchise to the district late last month, but since then many opposition groups have emerged seeking to block the Expos relocation to the district. Also, at least one lawsuit has been filed alleging that the move was improper.
Faced with this opposition, the plan for the new stadium could be threatened by a timing issue. The district, the D.C. Sports & Entertainment Commission, and the business entity behind the team, Baseball Expos, signed an agreement Sept. 29 stating that the council must authorize the issuance of bonds and enact certain tax legislation by the end of this year.
The agreement also states that the commission must have legal title or leasehold rights to the stadium site by Dec. 31, 2005. That same date is also the deadline for the commission and the team to enter into a lease and construction administration agreement for the new stadium.
However, even if legislation supporting the stadium proposal passes this fall, the council will still have to approve additional measures before construction can begin, said Barry campaign manager Linda Green. They can revisit that legislation, and theres still a lot more that has to be worked out, she said.
Barry feels that a new stadium should be privately financed and the city should just pay for the infrastructure, Green said. He wants no bond issues devoted to a new ballpark, and although the former mayor does welcome baseball, he only wants a new stadium built if [team] owners pay for it.
Green said that Barry has not yet seen the package that Mayor Anthony Williams has put together for the proposed $432.5 million ballpark to house the citys new team.
Barrys warning came as a new coalition called No DC Taxes for Baseball, held a public protest yesterday to urge Williams to consider other funding priorities such as libraries, schools, recreation centers and health care.
