MLS threatens Mayor over Soccer Stadium Deal

Update:  At 4:30 this afternoon, the Dynamo called a hastily arranged news conference.  One of the TV photographers jokingly told me, "You know, it's all your fault, right?"  Hey, I just asked a question!  Anyway, Oliver Luck, GM for the Dynamo, downplayed the letter, saying it wasn't a threat, just a "Voice of concern" from the MLS commissioner.  Luck also said the Dynamo is committed to Houston, and to working out a deal to stay in the City.  The basic problem comes down to money, of course.  The stadium is expected to cost $105 million dollars to build.  The Dynamo wants the City to help out with some of the cost, the Mayor doesn't.  And now... here we still are...

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At the City Council meeting earlier today, I asked Mayor Bill White how the Dynamo stadium deal is going.  To my surprise, the Mayor told the gathered media that Major League Soccer sent a letter recently expressing frustrations over the stadium negotiations, and threatening to move the team again! Needless to say, we got a copy of the letter, and I'm working on a story for Eyewitness News at 5 and 6. Stay tuned.

Comments

[AR]

The last time a Houston mayor played chicken with a major professional sports team they left for Tennesse, and Bob Lanier had/has more power just on his left big toe than Bill White will ever have! So Billy Boy better play nice.

[Carlin]

Remember when Ollie swore up and down that Houston wouldn't have to cough up any money for the Dynamo? Hmm? Apparently lying through your teeth doesn't mean too much when it comes to running a professional sports franchise. What about the $16M (4 times the appraised value I might add) for the land a former councilman owned? Now they expect to extort some of the stadium construction cost too? White swears that no tax money will be spent on the Dynamo stadium deal. What about all of the lost property taxes on that parcel of land down the road. Oh, we didn't think anyone would catch that. Now we're supposed to cough up some of that $105M const cost? What taxpayer crock of excrement.

[SunTzu]

Let me get this straight people are concerned about a 109 million dollar stadium when the location of the stadium is forcing the relocation of the light rail at over 123 MILLION DOLLARS PER MILE! Please Please put the crack pipe away. Bill White is bankrupting the city faster than Lee.P.Brown.