Legislators Await Revival Of Stadium Bill Public May Still Get To Vote On A Proposal To Build New Park For Nfl’s Seahawks

Far from being dead, the notion of building a new stadium for the Seattle Seahawks is still very much alive in Olympia, and has even picked up some East Side support.

“Nothing’s ever really dead,” said Sen. James West, R-Spokane, chairman of the powerful Senate Ways and Means Committee.

West’s refusal to cast the deciding vote for the stadium funding package in committee Monday sacked the football proposal for now. But new ideas and proposals are already under discussion.

West said most legislators want to see a solution to the stadium problem emerge.

“No one wants to see the Seahawks go. But so far they haven’t seen the package they like.”

It’s just a matter of coming up with a better financing plan, West said. To him, that means a plan that doesn’t raise taxes. Putting the entire proposal to a public vote, as billionaire Paul Allen has said he would do, has helped keep the stadium idea alive, West said.

It will also help get more Eastern Washington votes for whatever proposal is put together, West predicted.

“Putting it to a statewide vote provides a lot of cover.”

West noted that several proposals to build a new baseball stadium for the Seattle Mariners also crashed and burned before lawmakers clinched the deal two years ago.

Ground was broken for the $414 million baseball stadium last weekend.

West said he has yet to see rock-solid opposition to the football stadium. “People are still willing to see if there is some proposal they can accept.”

Even conservatives such as Sen. Bob McCaslin, R-Spokane, say they still may be able to vote for a proposal as long as it goes to a statewide public vote.

“I could vote for it so we could let the people decide,” McCaslin said.

He agreed the stadium debate is far from over.

“Nothing’s ever dead around here. Someone will pump life into it.”

Sen. Alex Deccio, R-Yakima, a prime sponsor of the stadium bill in the Senate, agreed.

“I feel pretty confident we will get a bill. I get a lot of calls from people at home that like football. I feel pretty upbeat. It’s a good thing for us to do as a state.

“I haven’t got any hate mail from Yakima for being a sponsor of this bill. I got 20 calls on it maybe, and only two were against.”

Some lawmakers say they don’t think there’s any stadium bill they can vote for.

“When I wake up in the morning I have a list of worries, and the Seahawks aren’t on it,” said Sen. Dan McDonald, R-Bellevue, the Senate majority leader.

Sen. Eugene Prince, R-Thornton, a key vote for the Mariners’ stadium two years ago, said even the prospect of a statewide election won’t help get his vote on the Seahawks proposal. He called sending the proposal to the ballot “passing the buck.”

Rep. Cathy McMorris, R-Colville, said she also has doubts. “If you were to ask me today, I’d have to say it’s impossible.

“I just have big questions as to whether this is our role at the state level to help major league sports teams prosper and survive.”

Rep. Barbara Lisk, R-Zillah, the House majority leader, said the current proposal has two flaws: It raises taxes, and worse, it affects children by taxing sports memorabilia, such as T-shirts and baseball caps.

Setting a deadline, as Paul Allen did Monday, will not help the cause, Van Luven said. Allen issued a statement saying he’ll drop his plan to buy the team if lawmakers don’t come up with a financing proposal by April 3.

, DataTimes