Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s name was “absent” from Cuyahoga County’s request of $350M toward the renovation of Huntington Bank Field, which is wholly owned by the city of Cleveland, according to Rich Exner of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. Bibb was “aware of the letter in advance” of Cuyahoga County Exec Chris Ronayne sending it to Senate leaders. A spokesperson for the mayor “did not answer” why Bibb did not jointly sign the letter. Ronayne -- and Bibb “to a lesser extent of late” -- has “publicly expressed opposition” to the Browns’ proposed move to suburban Brook Park, where the Browns want to build a $2.4B roof-enclosed stadium. Instead, the idea of renovating the 26-year-old lakefront stadium has been the “preferred option of the two political leaders.” Estimates have placed that renovation at “close to” $1B. Exner: “It would not have been unusual for Ronayne and Bibb to co-sign a letter.” Ronayne noted in his letter that the request he was making “matched that being made by Hamilton County commissioners for Cincinnati’s football stadium.” Paycor Field in Cincinnati is owned by Hamilton County, not the city (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 4/30).
MORE TO COME: Exner in a separate piece noted Ronayne’s letter “made no mention” of the county paying back the $350M. The Browns’ new stadium plan, in contrast, asks the state to borrow $600M to be “repaid through income, sales and business taxes generated at the Brook Park site.” The Browns said that their plan “contains substantial cushion to repay the loans, even if their projections end up being off.” Exner noted the governor’s office, however, has “raised concerns about the Browns’ projections.” And the legislature’s non-partisan research office said that the Browns have “failed to provide enough information to fully evaluate the team’s projections.” The Ohio House included the Browns’ request for $600M in borrowing in its version of the state budget passed in early April. The budget is “now in the hands of the Senate, where changes are possible.” The deadline to pass the budget is the end of June (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 4/29).
MAKING AMENDS: A Cleveland PLAIN DEALER editorial board states that there is “widespread and vehement opposition to anything resembling public financing for a new stadium.” The editorial board noted they suspect “much of the anger is a symptom of the dislike fans have” for Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam. The board wrote if any other developer came to town and offered to invest $1.2B “of their own money in a project, asking for matching public loans that would be paid back largely from the revenue of the project, Northeast Ohio leaders would be dancing in the streets.” The board noted they “endorse the Haslam plan, with conditions” (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 4/30).
