The Rays, the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County have a memorandum of understanding outlining the framework for a new Rays ballpark and a reinvented Hillsborough College Dale Mabry Campus, and Rays CEO Ken Babby & Hillsborough College President Ken Atwater in an op-ed for the TAMPA BAY TIMES wrote to “share what this moment means, and to express our gratitude to so many who have made it possible.” They wrote, “To the representatives of Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa, we extend our deep appreciation. You have worked diligently, in good faith, and with genuine commitment to ensure the final proposal is fair, smart, and benefits everyone in our community. You balanced an ambitious timeline with taking a measured approach that served all of us well.” The MOU represents “unprecedented opportunity” for the region and is the result of “hard work, thoughtful negotiation and always being cognizant that baseball is only a small fraction of the positive impact that awaits.” Babby & Atwater: “Now comes the critical part. We respectfully and urgently encourage the Hillsborough County Commission and the city of Tampa to approve this once-in-a-lifetime plan. Approval will signal to our region, and to the world, that Tampa Bay is ready. … The Tampa Bay Rays and Hillsborough College are committed to making this a reality” (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/18).
SHOULD SAY YES: Tampa Bay Times Chair & CEO Conan Gallaty in an op-ed writes this is “one of those moments when talk must give way to action.” The Tampa City Council and Hillsborough County Commission “should vote yes this week” on the memorandum of understanding. Gallaty: “Not because every question has been answered. … Not because public skepticism is unreasonable.” This is the step that “keeps open the possibility of something this region has struggled to secure for decades: a long-term home for Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay, a major private investment in the urban core and a chance to shape growth in a way that reflects both ambition and accountability.” Gallaty writes a yes vote on the MOU “is not the same thing as signing a blank check. It is a vote to continue.” Gallaty: “It is easy to say no to an incomplete deal. Sometimes it is even wise. But there are also moments when leadership means keeping a difficult but promising opportunity alive while doing the disciplined work to improve it. That is the moment Tampa and Hillsborough are in now. … Support the memorandum. Then scrutinize every line that comes next” (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/19).
CALL THEIR BLUFF: Former Tampa City Council members John Dingfelder, Orlando Gudes & Linda Saul Sena and former Hillsborough County Commissioners Mariella Smith & Pat Kemp write in a TIMES op-ed, “Wouldn’t we all like to be given 100 acres and a billion dollars? Chutzpah, cojones, nerve -- those words come to mind when hearing that the Rays’ new billionaire owners are demanding free prime land … and a nearly $1 billion gift from the public.” The former elected officials write they “believe the current elected officials should ‘Just say no.’” They wrote, “We are already a ‘major league’ community with two world championship sports franchises. While most folks would like baseball to stay in the region, there is no compelling reason that taxpayers need to pay one penny of public funds to keep it here. We are a proven sports market and the 11th largest media market in the nation. The owners of the Rays need to be in the Tampa Bay market much more than we need them to stay. So, elected officials, call their bluff.” The former officials added, “Understand that a ‘no’ vote this week doesn’t mean no to the idea of a new stadium; it merely sends a strong message to the owners and Major League Baseball that if one is built here, we will set the terms and we won’t be ‘played’” (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/19).
