Posted on 12/19/2005 1:52:29 PM PST by calcowgirl
SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday told officials in his hometown in Austria to remove his name from a sports stadium and stop using his name to promote the city.
The governor's request came after politicians in Graz began a petition drive to rename the stadium, reacting to Schwarzenegger's decision last week to deny clemency to condemned inmate Stanley Tookie Williams. Opposition to the death penalty is strong in Austria.
In a letter that began "Dear Mister Mayor," Schwarzenegger said he decided to spare the Graz city council "further concern" should he be forced to make other clemency decisions while serving as California's governor. He faces another such decision regarding a 75-year-old inmate scheduled to be executed Jan. 17.
"In all likelihood, during my term as governor, I will have to make similar and equally difficult decisions," Schwarzenegger said in the letter. "In order to spare the responsible politicians of the city of Graz further concern, I withdraw from them as of this day the right to use my name in association with the Liebenauer Stadium."
The stadium had been renamed for the former Hollywood star in 1997. He said he wanted the lettering removed by year's end.
Schwarzenegger initially declined to respond to the political backlash after he denied clemency for Williams, the co-founder of the Crips gang who was convicted of four 1979 murders. Williams was executed shortly after midnight Dec. 13.
The Graz city council was expected to take up the matter on Jan. 19. The proposal to rename the stadium had support from the Greens party and the Social Democrats, giving it majority backing.
Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Margita Thompson said the letter was faxed to Graz city hall on Monday.
In it, Schwarzenegger also said he would no longer permit the use of his name "to advertise or promote the city of Graz in any way" and would return the city's "ring of honor."
The ring was given to him in a ceremony in Graz in 1999. At the time, Schwarzenegger said he considered it "a token of sincere friendship between my hometown and me.
"Since, however, the official Graz appears to no longer accept me as one of their own, this ring has lost its meaning and value to me. It is already in the mail," the governor wrote.
The letter notes that city officials will receive a follow-up letter from Schwarzenegger's attorney.
Despite the dispute with Graz officials, Schwarzenegger said he "will remain with all my heart a Grazer, a Steierer and an Austrian."
Steier is the state that includes Graz.
"In all likelihood, during my term as governor, I will have to make similar and equally difficult decisions," Schwarzenegger said in the letter. "In order to spare the responsible politicians of the city of Graz further concern, I withdraw from them as of this day the right to use my name in association with the Liebenauer Stadium."
That's gotta smart! Put them back in there place in the most professional manner. Now they look like Euro-hicks.
I wonder how the local people feel about their favorite son being pushed out by the Eurinals.
Arnold to Graz: Kiss my a**!
Excellent!
Leave France and Austria and the rest of secular socialist old Europe for the Democrats to worship.
good for him - I'm beginning to understand his wry style
'...stop using his name to promote the city.'
Why not call the stadium 'The Tookie Dome'?
Too bad he didn't show this savvy and "brass" in dealing with the Leftistlature during his first key months in office, while he had the post-recall momentum. Ah well. It's gotten to the point where I'm pleasantly surprised whenever Arnold says or does anything that smells conservative anymore. (Even if it IS about a sports stadium 5000 miles away.)
Arnie finds his nads after groping in the dark for a long time!
Here is one opinion I found. There are probably other views, but I don't know German.
ROFLMHO!!!!!!!
This was an honorable move by Governor Schwarzenegger.
I read the Greenies actually proposed renaming it "Tookie Williams Memorial Stadium".
Schwarzenegger's response is smart. Capitulate on the minor social embarrassment to avoid precipitating the legal issue. If Schwarzenegger's Austrian citizenship is inserted into this fray through an unnecessary escalation, by Schwarzenegger, of a local, domestic, political spat in Austria, much more serious political ramifications are avoided in the US.
Though, admittedly, I'd be hard pressed to come up with any other famous Austrians. Ernst Mach. Duke Ferdinand. von Trapps
still make the news here in VT. I haven't been paying attention to winter sports that much.
But the entertainment industry doesn't have any AA programs for Austrians, either, that I know about.
Nice move.
Either our understanding of this is wrong, or their understanding is wrong- from what I've read, I suspect it is their understanding.
They don't seem to understand that Arnold is the one 'doing', not the city.
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