Why is no one blaming the Mayor (Atlanta, Cleveland: home, neighborhood)

[gtcorndog]

Why is the COA giving $200+ million to keep the Falcons in town for 10 home games a year instead of investing the money in the Braves situation to keep their 81 games a year ITP?

This was an absolute boneheaded move by the mayor and the city.

The new Falcons stadium will do nothing to redevelop that area. Stadiums that host events so infrequently are black holes for deelopment. Put a ballpark there and suddenly the area has a chance of redeveloping into something great.

The mayor absolutely screwed this one up and I'm shocked no one is calling him out for it. Everyone is focusing their anger at Cobb County instead of asking the tough questions to the mayor. He makes one or two snippy, sound bit comments about fiscal responsibility, and everyone gives him a pass?

With that said... Braves, welcome to Cobb County

[Cameron H]

Originally Posted by gtcorndog

Why is the COA giving $200+ million to keep the Falcons in town for 10 home games a year instead of investing the money in the Braves situation to keep their 81 games a year ITP?\

I'm pretty sure it was never presented to Mayor Reed as an either-or scenario. That said, from a regional perspective, there's nothing wrong with distributing the burden and benefits around the Atlanta metro.

Right?

[Ant131531]

Turner Field never really seem to spark development in that neighborhood either so does it matter?

Good Riddance to the Braves. Have fun with the taxes <3.

[gerrythesnake]

Because that would be dumb

[Steelers10]

Originally Posted by gtcorndog

Why is the COA giving $200+ million to keep the Falcons in town for 10 home games a year instead of investing the money in the Braves situation to keep their 81 games a year ITP?

This was an absolute boneheaded move by the mayor and the city.

The new Falcons stadium will do nothing to redevelop that area. Stadiums that host events so infrequently are black holes for deelopment. Put a ballpark there and suddenly the area has a chance of redeveloping into something great.

The mayor absolutely screwed this one up and I'm shocked no one is calling him out for it. Everyone is focusing their anger at Cobb County instead of asking the tough questions to the mayor. He makes one or two snippy, sound bit comments about fiscal responsibility, and everyone gives him a pass?

With that said... Braves, welcome to Cobb County

Hopefully this won't derail this thread, but what is with the 21st century fixation on blaming chief executives? Do city councils, general assemblies, and Congresses not do anything (except get paid) or is it always up to the mayor, the governor, and the President to wave some magic wand and solve everything on his (usually "his" anyway) own?

The city council voted 11-2 on a resolution to continue talks with the Braves. Reed carried out the will of the council and the talks failed. Does the mayor need to show more skin? Find a magic pot of gold? Make a fool of himself and the city by prostrating on every news outlet like the mayor of Cleveland did back in the 1990s in a failed attempt to keep the Browns? It would have been nice to have three centralized sports stadiums in the city but when the franchise says it doesn't like the city that actually bears the name of the team then there is not much a mayor can do.

[JR_Boone]

Originally Posted by gtcorndog

Why is the COA giving $200+ million to keep the Falcons in town for 10 home games a year instead of investing the money in the Braves situation to keep their 81 games a year ITP?

The football stadium hosts more events than just football games (supercross, bull riding, monster trucks ect.). There is a pretty good chance we can get a major league soccer team in there too. So that isn't a great comparison. Also, the Football stadium is about 100 million cheaper than what Cobb is paying for the Braves stadium.

[gtcorndog]

Originally Posted by gerrythesnake

Because that would be dumb

Care to expand on that thought?

Apparently it is okay for KReed to play Santa Clause to the Falcons and a new stadium that won't have much of an impact outside of 10-13 days a year. Why would he not instead focus on a team that CAN have an impact on redevelopment instead.

Seems to me he pushed his chips on the Falcons when he should've bet on the Braves.

[gtcorndog]

Originally Posted by JR_Boone

The football stadium hosts more events than just football games (supercross, bull riding, monster trucks ect.). There is a pretty good chance we can get a major league soccer team in there too. So that isn't a great comparison. Also, the Football stadium is about 100 million cheaper than what Cobb is paying for the Braves stadium.

Perhaps, but those events were not going to stop coming to Atlanta without a new stadium. The Georgia Dome could've easily kept supporting those B-level attractions indefinitely.

Doubling down on MLS?

LOL.

So you get 15,000 a game for what, 15-20 games a year? That is peanuts compared to what the Braves provide.

[alco89]

Originally Posted by gtcorndog

Why is the COA giving $200+ million to keep the Falcons in town for 10 home games a year instead of investing the money in the Braves situation to keep their 81 games a year ITP?

Corndog, you KNOW it's for more than just Falcons games, so stop exaggerating. This goes for you and all the other people who dislike the stadium deal...

This was an absolute boneheaded move by the mayor and the city.

If Reed really did know about this all along, then yes. However, with ideas for redeveloping the area being bounced around earlier this year, I really don't think he knew about the possibility of them leaving until it was too late. Also, why would it just be Reed's fault? Why not all the other city leaders over the past 40 years for never doing anything with the area, ESPECIALLY during the Olympics??

The new Falcons stadium will do nothing to redevelop that area. Stadiums that host events so infrequently are black holes for deelopment. Put a ballpark there and suddenly the area has a chance of redeveloping into something great.

There are plenty of examples of 'ballparks' that DON'T redevelop the area. Let's not act like it's a given...

The mayor absolutely screwed this one up and I'm shocked no one is calling him out for it. Everyone is focusing their anger at Cobb County instead of asking the tough questions to the mayor. He makes one or two snippy, sound bit comments about fiscal responsibility, and everyone gives him a pass?

Wait, so you're upset about "giving $200+ million to keep the Falcons in town", but would want the city to do the same to keep the Braves? Did you know the improvements that the Braves requested would have been just as much money? Yea, ok.

With that said... Braves, welcome to Cobb County

.

[gtcorndog]

Originally Posted by Steelers10

Hopefully this won't derail this thread, but what is with the 21st century fixation on blaming chief executives? Do city councils, general assemblies, and Congresses not do anything (except get paid) or is it always up to the mayor, the governor, and the President to wave some magic wand and solve everything on his (usually "his" anyway) own?

The city council voted 11-2 on a resolution to continue talks with the Braves. Reed carried out the will of the council and the talks failed. Does the mayor need to show more skin? Find a magic pot of gold? Make a fool of himself and the city by prostrating on every news outlet like the mayor of Cleveland did back in the 1990s in a failed attempt to keep the Browns? It would have been nice to have three centralized sports stadiums in the city but when the franchise says it doesn't like the city that actually bears the name of the team then there is not much a mayor can do.

The Mayor went out of his way to champion the Falcons Stadium. He made countless appearances on local sports talk radio trying to sell the idea. HE made the Falcons Stadium a big item of his. He got what he wanted, but likely at the cost of running off a more valuable asset. That is why KReed should shoulder some significant blame and criticism here.