EDITORIAL: Just “13% Strongly Support” Public Financing for PawSox Stadium

EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL: Just “13% Strongly Support” Public Financing for PawSox Stadium

PawSox attendance has struggled
A new poll conducted John Della Volpe, Director of Polling at Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics finds that just 13 percent of Rhode Islanders “strongly support” giving public funds for a new PawSox stadium.

You have probably seen Della Volpe on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” as a research expert. His clients over the years have included the United States Marines, the Boston Red Sox, political candidates, and a plethora of corporations and causes. He is regarded as one of the best pollsters in America.

The poll released last Thursday was his second as polling partner with GoLocal. The findings of this poll relative to the PawSox was similar to the finding of a poll conducted last October.

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Both polls find that the vast majority of Rhode Islanders do not want to use public money to support a private stadium. For many, the idea of paying for a stadium for the team's owners who combined are worth billions is simply not an appropriate use of public funds in a state with far greater needs.

For others, it may be that the range of funding schemes put both Pawtucket and Rhode Island taxpayers at risk while PawSox owners refuse to take on any of the financial responsibility for their own stadium.

The memories of the false promises of 38 Studios lingers. Promises of the success of the project seem hallow. Major League Baseball attendance is at a 15 year low. At one regular season game between Tampa and the Chicago White Sox drew less than 1,000 fans —  ironically in Chicago's new stadium. PawSox attendance numbers have proven to be unreliable.

All of the proposed stadium funding schemes kicking around the State House put the ultimate burden on the Rhode Island taxpayer as the ultimate backstop.

Rhode Islanders clearly, overwhelmingly and consistently do not believe they should pay for a private stadium for a group of wealthy businessmen — only one of the ten or so owners even lives in Rhode Island and who all clearly have the capacity to fund their own stadium with the proverbial "change on the top of their dressers."

Maybe, just maybe, the decision-makers at the State House will listen to Rhode Islanders and press the out-of-state owners for a deal that puts the ultimate funding burden on the privately owned stadium on their backs rather than on Rhode Islanders. Oh, just maybe.


GoLocal Statewide Poll - Conducted by Harvard's Della Volpe - June, 2018

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