‘Blackmail’ Try Fries Legislators Seahawks Get Little Sympathy Because Of Unexpired Lease

If the Seattle Seahawks are hoping the state will cough up millions to renovate the Kingdome and keep them in town, the players might as well pack their bags, lawmakers say.

Legislators said Thursday they are not willing to loosen state purse strings to pay for stadium improvements demanded by the franchise.

The Seahawks, reportedly bound for the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., asked the Legislature last year to spend $150 million on the stadium, including luxury seating and a more attractive facade for the 20-year-old concrete structure.

Last year, Rep. Marlin Applewick, D-Seattle, was the catalyst behind a new baseball stadium for the Seattle Mariners. On Thursday, Applewick said that although he’d hate to lose the Seahawks, there is no movement to keep them.

“It’s not the same situation as the Mariners,” Applewick said. “They had already been bailed out by local owners who were operating at a loss and had reached the end of their lease agreement.”

Seahawks owner Ken Behring failed in his effort to have Kingdome improvements included in the package approved last year to build the Mariners a retractable-roof ball park.

Applewick said the Seahawks’ message of “fix it or we will leave” rubbed lawmakers the wrong way. “There isn’t a clamor over saving them,” he said.

Sen. Jim West, R-Spokane, said although he’s a longtime Seahawks fan, he wouldn’t support spending state tax dollars to keep the team.

“You know what Steve Largent told some of our members when they were in D.C.? Not to do it,” West said of spending state money for the team. “That says a lot.”

Largent is a former Seahawks wide receiver who now is a congressman from Oklahoma.

Sen. Valoria Loveland, D-Pasco, has attended Seahawks games since their first season in 1976. But she’s prepared to see them leave.

“It’s symptomatic of all professional sports in the U.S. following the dollar,” Loveland said. “I wouldn’t say I’m terribly surprised.”

Loveland, who voted against the Mariners stadium deal, said she wouldn’t back a measure to keep the Seahawks in Seattle.

“I just don’t think it’s right to use taxpayer dollars to support private enterprise,” she said.

Gov. Mike Lowry echoed the legislators’ comments, saying that because the team is breaking its Kingdome lease, it won’t get any state help. In fact, Lowry offered legal assistance to King County for a possible bid to force the team to stay in Seattle.

“It’s breaking a contract and it’s unfair to the very loyal Seahawks fans,” Lowry said. “We should not stand for that.”

Lowry said the state might be interested in joining negotiations between county officials and Behring, but not if it means being “blackmailed.”

House Speaker Clyde Ballard, R-East Wenatchee, agreed.

“This is just a raw, in-your-face decision by Mr. Behring. I hope the county takes every legal recourse available, including injunctions and everything else they can do,” Ballard said.

“There’s nothing that I can do, or the Legislature can do, other than give (Behring) a blank check and say, ‘Fill it in at your convenience,”’ he said.

Then again, some lawmakers aren’t sure what all the fuss is about. “The Rose Bowl?” asked Rep. Cathy McMorris, R-Colville. “The Seahawks can’t play there. That’s only for college teams.”

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: BYLINE = Tom Roeder Staff writer The Associated Press contributed to this report.