Posted on 09/07/2001 3:37:18 AM PDT by Politico2
TRENTON, Sept. 6 — The proposal to build a $355 million sports arena in Newark and redevelop the Meadowlands fell apart today when a key Assembly committee canceled a hearing on the issue, effectively derailing the legislation.
The plan would have provided a new home for the New Jersey Nets and New Jersey Devils, and was seen as vital to helping further the renaissance of downtown Newark. But in recent weeks the plan had come under increasing scrutiny, with the Republican candidate for governor, Bret D. Schundler, warning that taxpayers might end up footing some of the bill and calling for a referendum on the issue.
Some backers of the arena plan held out hope that it could be revived after the gubernatorial election in November, which was backed by the Republican acting governor, Donald T. DiFrancesco, and a bipartisan group of legislators.
The cancellation of the hearing drew a quick and angry retort from officials with the YankeeNets, owner of the New Jersey Nets and New Jersey Devils, which is seeking to move the teams to Newark from their current home at the Continental Airlines Arena in the Meadowlands by the opening of the 2004 basketball and hockey seasons.
"Our proposition has been simply stated for nearly three years: If we are not in Newark, we will not be in the Meadowlands either," said Len Coleman, the chairman of Newark Sports and Entertainment, which would run the arena. "And we won't be. Today's message to the YankeeNets was, in effect: Find someplace else to do business. We hear the message."
The vote represented a major setback for YankeeNets, whose corporate partner is George Steinbrenner, and reflected the increased scrutiny nationally of publicly-financed sports complexes.
The cancellation of the hearing by the Appropriations Committee was announced just after Mr. DiFrancesco held hurried meetings with Assembly Republican leaders in an effort to salvage the bill. In recent days, Assembly leadership introduced millions of dollars in additions to the measure, all ostensibly to broaden support for it.
Most committee members could not be reached for comment on the measure. But Assemblywoman Connie Myers of Washington, a member of the committee's Republican majority, said that for her, the millions of dollars in extra projects had made the bill "too complex to reach a consensus at a tough time of the year," as election neared.
The collapse of the plan came after two weeks of attacks by Mr. Schundler, who criticized it as "a Christmas tree" for lawmakers and a money pit for taxpayers. Those attacks seemed to force his Democratic opponent, James E. McGreevey, who had supported the original plan, to announce this morning that he, too, opposed the measure, terming it "a pork barrel feast."
Mr. DiFrancesco, who had hoped that committee approval would pave the way for a special session this month to vote on the measure, said in a statement that he was "deeply disappointed."
"What started as an effort to address a very real and significant problem has apparently fallen victim to election-year politics and legislative parochialism," he said. But he held out hope that the plan, shorn of some of the added projects, might ultimately survive.
The winner today appeared to be Mr. Schundler, who swept victoriously into the committee room in the Capitol minutes before the cancellation of the hearing was announced. Accompanied by about two dozen of his supporters who had clogged the committee room, he held an impromptu news conference.
"I am gratified that we have this resolution," he said, smiling. "Jim McGreevey and the Democrats, in the face of our opposition, have caved in. The Republican caucus made a decision that they didn't want to go along with this."
Mr. Schundler's supporters said the developments showed that he had wrested control of the state party away from Mr. DiFrancesco, Assembly Speaker Jack Collins and other moderate Republicans who had been cool to his candidacy.
"Bret Schundler had control of the party on June 26," said his campaign manager, Bill Pascoe, referring to the candidate's primary election victory over Bob Franks. "But for those who may not have gotten the memo then, I think Bret answered their questions unequivocally today."
Assemblyman William D. Payne, a Democrat of Newark and a supporter of the arena, said he found its defeat and Mr. McGreevey's abandonment of it disappointing.
"Schundler has put some fear into people, but we should not be kowtowing," he said.
Mayor Sharpe James of Newark said in a statement that the plan had been "derailed by ugly partisan politics," but added that he hoped lawmakers would reverse themselves.
It was unclear whether the proposal could be revived. For his part, Mr. Schundler pronounced the issue tabled until the November election was over. One of his supporters, Assemblywoman Rose Marie Heck, a Republican of Lodi, suggested that the matter was dead. Like other Bergen County legislators who feel spurned by the teams' desire to leave the Continental Airlines Arena, she said she was not moved by threats to move the teams. "The YankeeNets could go play in California for all I care. We opened our hearts to them, and this is the way they repay us."
Other Republicans speculated that after the election, in a lame duck session, Mr. DiFrancesco might have more leverage, especially if voting goes against Mr. Schundler and the current Republican majority in both houses.
But some among Mr. DiFrancesco's allies said that that was unlikely.
"Why would he help them then when they wouldn't help him now?" said one ally who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Lewis M. Eisenberg, whose talks with the YankeeNets formed the basis of the arena bill, suggested that officials might yet embrace the proposal. It relieves the state of $20 million a year in subsidies for the Continental Airlines Arena and $160 million in debt on the Meadowlands site, he said.
"Furthermore, one of the unintended consequences of the timing of this legislation is that it will create thousands of jobs and millions in commerce at a time when the national and state economies are ebbing and unemployment is rising," he added.
A few weeks ago, I was in NJ for a visit. I had read these stories about the revitalization of Newark so decided to drive around a bit.
Other than a minor league ballpark, and a few new buildings, Newark didn't look very different from the wasteland I remembered from the 1970s.
I just kept thinking...why would anyone in his right mind want to put a major league arena HERE?
I then went to a game at the Continental Airlines arena. And kept thinking...what's wrong with this arena that they would want to move the teams to NEWARK?
Political corruption and payoffs are the only things that can explain this plan.
I would venture to say that the figure bears some investigating. I would bet that the Dems register people as Ind. to keep them from primary voting.
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