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- Charter Revision Commission’s proposal on campaign finance reform
- City Council’s referendum on Yankee Stadium
- Citizens’ petition on campaign finance reform
Possible Ballot Proposal:
City Council’s Referendum on Yankee Stadium
Will this Proposal Appear on the
Ballot?
A lawsuit has been filed in New York State Supreme Court to determine whether
this proposal will appear on the ballot. Updated information will be posted
here as it is available.
Remember, it is always a good idea to check the sample ballot at your polling place.
Decision: On October 6, 1998, State Supreme Court Justice Douglas E. McKeon issued a decision that would have removed the Charter Revision Commission proposal on campaign finance reform from the ballot and, instead, placed the City Council’s referendum on Yankee Stadium on the ballot. On October 16, an appeals court reversed Justice McKeon’s decision, so that the Charter Revision Commission proposal on campaign finance reform will appear on the ballot and the City Council referendum on Yankee Stadium will not. On October 20, the New York Court of Appeals dismissed the City Council’s appeal.
Thus, it now appears that the Charter Revision Commission proposal on campaign finance reform will be on the ballot and the City Council referendum on Yankee Stadium will not. If there are any further developments, updated information will be posted here as it becomes available.
INTRODUCTION
City Council’s Referendum on Yankee Stadium
In June, the City Council approved a bill to amend the Charter on the financing of a new Yankee Stadium by a 39 to 7 vote. The Mayor vetoed this bill in July, and the Council overrode this veto in August. This bill will become law only if it is approved by the voters. Depending on the result of ongoing lawsuits, it is possible that this proposal may be omitted from the ballot entirely.
The proposal would prohibit the City from using public funds to obtain property or make contracts for building a new stadium for the New York Yankees in Manhattan. The proposal would not prohibit the City from using public funds to repair Yankee Stadium or build a new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx or in any borough other than Manhattan.
If you believe the Charter should prohibit public financing for a Yankee Stadium in Manhattan, you should vote “yes” on this proposal. If you believe that the Charter should not prohibit public financing for a Yankee Stadium in Manhattan, you should vote “no” on this proposal.
OFFICIAL TEXT
City Council’s Referendum on Yankee Stadium
At press time, the official language to be placed on the ballot (in the event this proposal does appear on the ballot) is as follows:
Shall the New York City Charter be amended to prohibit the expenditure of public funds for the construction of a sports stadium for the New York Yankees to be relocated from the borough of the Bronx to the borough of Manhattan?
Please refer to page 62 of the hard copy of the Voter Guide for the full text of the new law that would result from approval of this question.
OFFICIAL SUMMARY
City Council’s Referendum on Yankee Stadium
At press time, the official summary of this possible ballot proposal is as follows:
The proposed local law, entitled “A local law to amend the Charter of the city of New York in relation to prohibiting the expenditure of public funds for the New York Yankees to be relocated from the Borough of the Bronx to the Borough of Manhattan,” prohibits the appropriation or expenditure of public funds by the City of New York, the Mayor, any City agency, any entity the majority of the members whose Board are City officials or individuals appointed directly or indirectly by City officials, or any other corporation or entity that is empowered to bind the City or accrue a benefit on behalf of the City, whether or not the majority of the members are City officials or individuals appointed by City officials to purchase, lease, sublease, acquire and/or dispose of property related to the construction of a new stadium or facility for the New York Yankees to be relocated from the Borough of the Bronx to the Borough of Manhattan.
Additionally, the local law prohibits the appropriation or expenditure of public funds for the letting of any contracts by the City of New York, the Mayor, any City agency, any entity the majority of the members of whose Board are City officials or individuals appointed directly or indirectly by City officials, or any other corporation or entity that is empowered to bind the City or accrue a benefit on behalf of the City, whether or not the majority of the members are City officials or individuals appointed by City officials, in relation to the construction of a new stadium or facility for the New York Yankees to be relocated from the Borough of the Bronx to the Borough of Manhattan.
Nothing contained in the local law is intended to prohibit any action with regard to the repair of the existing Bronx Yankee Stadium or the construction of a new Yankee Stadium in the Borough of the Bronx.
| PRO AND CON ARGUMENTS
PREPARED BY THE CAMPAIGN FINANCE BOARD City Council’s Referendum on Yankee Stadium |
|
| PRO | CON |
The public should decide whether City tax money should be used to build a stadium for the Yankees in Manhattan. |
A Charter referendum is an inappropriate way to determine how to deal with the issue of where Yankee Stadium should be. |
The referendum was approved by a majority of the City Council to give New Yorkers a say about whether their taxpayer dollars should be used to subsidize a Manhattan Yankee Stadium. The more people who vote, the better. |
A change to the City Charter is not the way to handle this issue. Elected officials should take the responsibility to make these decisions. This ballot referendum is intended by the City Council Speaker to attract greater turnout on Election Day to promote his candidacy for Governor. |
The referendum will help negotiations to keep the Yankees in the Bronx. |
The referendum will interfere with negotiations to keep the Yankees in New York City. |
The referendum will assist in those negotiations because Yankee owner George Steinbrenner will know from the outset that having the City spend money on a stadium in Manhattan is not an option. |
The referendum is counterproductive because it will limit the options of City officials in their negotiations with Yankee owner George Steinbrenner to keep the Yankees in New York. |
The public funds required to build a Yankee Stadium in Manhattan could be better spent in other ways. |
Public funds for a Manhattan Yankee Stadium would be a good investment. |
A new stadium in Manhattan could require an investment by the City of at least $500 million, and maybe over $1 billion. That is money that could be better spent on economic development and physical improvements near the current stadium. Other cities have not realized a return on major investments in sports stadiums that failed. Spending so much on a new stadium would also prevent spending on other urgent needs, like affordable housing and education. |
Investing in ambitious public works projects is part of how New York City became great. Any money expended on a new Yankee Stadium in Manhattan would be money well spent, and would return itself many times over in increased tourist dollars and tax revenues. The experience of other cities shows that new sports venues often lead to growth and prosperity. Cleveland and Baltimore have been revitalized by their new downtown baseball stadiums. |
The City should not subsidize a move by the Yankees away from the Bronx. |
The City should have flexibility to place a Yankee stadium where it will provide the maximum benefit to all New Yorkers. |
Moving Yankee Stadium at public expense out of the Bronx would devastate a low-income neighborhood that relies on the stadium for revenue, and sees the stadium as a source of great pride. Midtown Manhattan does not need new development, but the Bronx does. Remove the stadium from the Bronx and the neighborhood’s revival would be jeopardized and the many businesses that rely on the stadium would go bankrupt. Yankee Stadium is the key to reviving parts of the Bronx. The stadium has been at its current location for 75 years, and the Yankees are perhaps the most profitable franchise in baseball. The neighborhood is extremely safe for people attending events at the stadium. |
Building a new stadium for the Yankees in Manhattan would revitalize an area of the West Side that has become run down and has lagged behind the revival in the real estate market that other areas have experienced. A new stadium would turn that area into a popular entertainment zone and major tourist attraction that would draw new businesses and would bring more money into the City. The area around Yankee Stadium in the Bronx is considered by many to be unattractive and unsafe. It discourages people from attending events there. |
The City should not subsidize a move by the Yankees into Manhattan. |
A Manhattan site for a City-subsidized Yankee stadium is a reasonable option that should be preserved. |
The West Side is already too crowded, and a new stadium would cause even more congestion. Major roads are already overflowing with vehicles and a new stadium would exacerbate this problem. In addition, nearby subways are already crowded. The proposed stadium site is near Madison Square Garden and the Paramount Theater, and simultaneous events at all three sites would cause unparalleled traffic jams. Parking in the area is scarce. In addition, a new stadium would jeopardize other important projects, like the expansion of the Javits Convention Center. Building a stadium on the West Side would be a long, drawn-out process, inevitably involving environmental reviews and numerous lawsuits. The current site in the Bronx would not require such legal wrangling. |
It is difficult for fans from outside the City to get to the current Yankee Stadium. There is inadequate subway, commuter rail, highway service, and parking. It is, for example, quite impractical to get to Yankee Stadium from Nassau County, except by car. One proposed site is near major access routes to New Jersey, as well as Penn Station, the main train terminal to Long Island. That proposed site is also accessible by foot from midtown Manhattan. Environmental reviews would be required for any renovations or a new stadium in the Bronx. |
A “yes” vote will send a message that taxpayers do not want to subsidize wealthy interests. |
A “no” vote will re-affirm New Yorkers’ commitment to keep the Yankees in New York. |
The Yankee organization is a wealthy private interest that does not need more corporate welfare from the City. Its current lease to rent the existing Bronx stadium from the City charges them what many people believe is a very low rent. |
A baseball franchise is a unique business. Municipalities routinely invest in new stadiums because they bring so much more to the city where they are located, both in actual dollars and civic pride. |
The Yankees will stay in New York even without a public subsidy for a Manhattan site. |
There is no guarantee that the Yankees will stay in New York City if options are closed off for a Manhattan stadium. |
The Yankees need New York as much as New York needs the Yankees. The Yankees have a rich history in the Bronx, hence the nickname “Bronx Bombers.” Yankee Stadium is one of the most recognizable sports venues in the world. New York does not want to demolish “The House that Ruth Built.” A “yes” vote will help ensure continuation of a rich New York tradition. |
If this referendum is approved it could push the Yankees to leave New York when their current lease at Yankee Stadium expires in 2002. Like the Dodgers and Giants, the Yankees could leave New York City because options have been closed off. If a stadium were built in Manhattan or elsewhere, Yankee tradition will continue, except with a new, better stadium and more fans. A “yes” vote might lose the Yankees for New York City. |
PRO AND CON STATEMENTS RECEIVED FROM
THE PUBLIC
City Council’s Referendum on Yankee Stadium
| PRO |
CON |
Peter F. Vallone Children Internationally Abducted,
N.Y.C. Inc |
None submitted |
STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC — PRO
City Council’s Referendum on Yankee Stadium
PETER F. VALLONE
Speaker of the New York City Council
This fall, as a voter, you will be able to lend your voice to how you feel about using public funds to build a new ballpark for the New York Yankees on Manhattan’s West Side.
A referendum question will be placed on this November’s general election ballot that will ask voters whether they would support spending as much as $1 billion or more in taxpayer money to move the Yankees from the Bronx to Manhattan. The referendum question also accomplishes the goal of getting public discussion focused on doing what is necessary to keep the Yankees in the Bronx.
Let’s look at some facts.
Building a new stadium on Manhattan’s West Side would be at least a 10 year project dragged out by environmental reviews, public protest and a variety of lawsuits. There is simply no way that building a sports stadium in one of the most congested areas of the city could reasonably be considered a serious option.
Additionally, at a time when the Bronx is experiencing a major economic and social renaissance, it just doesn’t make sense to move the Yankees.
Unfortunately, the more attention given to plans for a ballpark in Manhattan, the more the public is distracted from appreciating the gloried past of the existing Yankee Stadium.
We should explore ways to improve the stadium and the area around it. Even though the stadium is served well by three subway lines, a new Metro North station is essential to help attract fans from Westchester and Connecticut. New access roads from city highways, better parking and more economic investment in the surrounding area are needed.
Now is the time for the Mayor, and all city leaders, to be candid and honest with the Yankees about what proposals are achievable and real. However, nothing will be achieved if the negotiating parties insist on shutting out the public. The referendum ballot question is the way to get the talks pointed in the right direction.
I urge you to vote to keep the Yankees in the Bronx.
CHILDREN INTERNATIONALLY ABDUCTED,
N.Y.C. INC
Barbara Mezo
Yankee Stadium should stay in the Bronx and no politician payoffs by or for Steinbrenner.
C. VIRGINIA FIELDS
Manhattan Borough President
Vote “Yes” to Keep the Yankees in the Bronx.
The New York Yankees are wrapping up a fabulously successful season, both on the playing field and also at the box office. As fans look forward to the excitement of the playoffs, City and State government and the Yankee’s ownership should work together to keep the Bronx Bombers in the Bronx.
Baseball is rich in history, and many of the game’s most memorable moments have taken place at Yankee Stadium. But good, practical reasons also make their current home the best place for the Yankees to play ball. Existing mass transit and parking facilities give it enormous advantages as a stadium site. These facilities can and should be enhanced to accommodate fans of the Major Leagues’ most famous franchise.
The Yankees also bat cleanup in the continuing revival of the Bronx. Depriving the Bronx of the Yankees would be like depriving Manhattan of Broadway. Each borough needs a strong economy; if one borough suffers, the whole city suffers.
Building a new stadium on the West Side, on the other hand, would be a major league error. A West Side stadium would interfere with other projects important to all New Yorkers. The prospect of such a stadium has, for example, already jeopardized the much-needed expansion of the Jacob Javits Convention Center, hampering New York’s ability to compete for major national conventions. A West Side stadium would create nightmarish traffic congestion, mass transit tie-ups and worsening air pollution.
Constructing a West Side Yankee Stadium also would commit New Yorkers to spending up to half a billion in tax dollars, foregoing either tax relief or use of that money for school construction, affordable housing and other urgent needs.
Keeping the Yankees in New York is important to the city; staying in New York is equally important to the Yankees. Both parties profit from this partnership. Let’s keep New York and the Yankees a team--in the Bronx.
EDWARD C. SULLIVAN
Assembly Member, 69th District
Yankee Stadium, home of the Bronx Bombers, belongs in the Bronx.
STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC — CON
City Council’s Referendum on Yankee Stadium
None submitted
