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Luke Burbank: Arena deal is a winner for city

September 11, 2012 @ 10:11 am (Updated: 12:39 pm - 9/11/12 )

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cedargrove
Luke Burbank says Chris Hansen is a hero for his Sonics deal (AP photo)

Lifetime Sonics fan Luke Burbank praises the new agreement on a Seattle arena.

"To my mind there are so many safeguards built into this. And now the Port is getting $40 million and Key Arena is getting $7 million, it seems like everybody is getting paid off in this deal," Burbank says.

Burbank argues the $200 million in public lending to help finance the arena is a small investment, and with investor Chris Hansen required to pay the money back, taxpayers can't get a better deal.

"I feel like pro sports really add something to a city. I would argue they add as much to a city as parks, green space, as much as the opera, as much as all of the things we as a city and a county put money into."

Not everyone agrees. Bruce in Lynwood writes:

Tell me...how has our city suffered from not having an NBA team or hockey team? The sports fans I know have not suffered much. Besides Burbank, anyone can go to a city park. A very small percentage of the population can go to an NBA game.

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Comments (4)


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  • sghouse wrote...
    Why.....
    September 11, 2012 11:31 am
    If Hansen is so wealthy why can't he finance the arena himself? Or get a group of investors to finance the deal? Why does he need taxpayers to finance this boondoggle???

    I have little doubt that taxpayers will get shafted once again, but we're supposed to jump for joy that the NBA thugs can again grace our strip clubs.

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  • ron prevost wrote...
    Why............. Because.........
    September 11, 2012 11:42 am
    Hansen will not finance the arena, even if he might have the money, for the same reasons Warren Buffett wants higher taxes but wouldn't straight donate otherwise.

    By forcing others to participate, there is a sense of power and control. ... An ego booster.

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  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    Screw us once, shame on you...
    September 11, 2012 12:02 pm
    Screw us twice, shame on us.

    Screw us over and over and over again, and still we're eager for as much more as we can get? I think that makes us some sort of masochistic nymphomaniacs.....

    Does anybody agree with me, that we should at least pay off the Kingdome, before we build yet another new stadium to try to (very temporarily) lure yet another pro sports team here?

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  • Common Sense Conservative wrote...
    I can't believe I agree with Chuck Gould!
    September 11, 2012 2:14 pm
    The whole city (with the exception of the City Council and Luke Burbank) is opposed to this. How much more clear do the citizens of Seattle have to be? It's an industrial area! Is the City Council really willing to trade good paying longshore jobs and maritime jobs for t-shirt and hot dog vending jobs? Is the City Council that craven that they'll sacrifice their constituents for a couple bucks in re-election cash? Do they really think they'll get reelected if this debacle goes through. Are the citizens of Seattle really so stupid as to re-elect the Mayor and City Council if it does? I guess we'll see...
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