The pending tax payer stadium referendum continues to spiral towards election day. Surveys done by both sides show a lack of support and the folks at the Chamber that were planning to spend $150k don’t seem to have spent very much other than some odd signs asking folks to “get the facts” in spite of overwhelming economic data to suggest their way doesn’t work.
Nonetheless, the mayor gave the clearest indication yet that taxpayer funding pursuits might actually come to a close if the taxpayer reject this referendum:
(StarNews) A failed referendum would mean the city of Wilmington will not continue to pursue building a stadium, Mayor Bill Saffo has said. ”It’s the people’s decision,” he said in August. “We abide by what the people’s wishes are.“
Pretty damning was a later part of the story discussing what Greensboro had done:
The Greensboro Grasshoppers, a Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, play in NewBridge Bank Park. The stadium, which opened in 2005, seats about 7,500 and was built to Double-A standards with private financing.
But again, the Chamber and Downtown Wilmington Inc. only have eyes for taxpayer dollars. One has to wonder if they would even support a privately funded stadium.
Prediction, a massive last minute spending spree to change voter’s minds will have to take place for this to even be close.
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