The council vote today, like those that have been held in cities across the country (hi Atlanta!), was simply a formality. The Pistons rolled out their marketing plan—DETROIT BOUND, their website screams—and plastered some pictures on the side of a downtown building months ago. This was a slap in the face to residents who believe they have a say in the process through their elected City Council members. Owner Tom Gores got his $20 million tax incentive for a practice facility. This was all by design. Roll out the marketing, then vote.
“That’s just part of the strategy of the mayor’s office and developers,” Castañeda-López told Deadspin. “To build public image and public support prior to being finalized by city council because then you have serious public pressure.”
We like to bang this drum a lot around here, but what the hell is with municipalities rubber-stamping every public-financing deal for billionaires who should be paying for their own stadiums? From Miami to Detroit to Minneapolis, there are countless examples of why cities would be better off spending their money on schools, infrastructure, housing, the kind of development that measurably improves people’s lives. Rather than, say, more money for criminally underfunded public schools, though, the city of Detroit is getting 41 Red Wings games and 41 Pistons games a year, and a string of Kid Rock concerts, all for the low price of more than $300 million in public financing.
This is not to say that the Pistons shouldn’t move downtown. They should! The Palace, in nearby Auburn Hills where the Pistons have played since 1988, is a wonderful place to see a basketball game. But with the renewed interest in downtowns across the country, it makes sense—strictly from an urban-planning perspective—that they would play downtown. That doesn’t mean the city has to pay for it.
Citizen complaints about publicly-funded stadia are so persistent that they just fade into the general din, which is perhaps the most ludicrous thing of all: When the literature and economists and constituents say it’s a bad idea, why are we still having this discussion? Not only are the Red Wings and Pistons getting a boatload of public money, they’re straight-up spitting in the face of locals who just want a shot at a job interview after their tax dollars paid for nearly 40% of an arena. We’ll let you know when openings are up on the job board is what they’ll agree to. This is nothing new, but it’s nonetheless still insanely misguided policy. And yet, lawmakers keep saying yes.
But the Pistons and Red Wings aren’t done dipping into the public coffers yet. The city council still has to vote on an amendment for another $34.5 million in bonds for arena upgrades to make it suitable for basketball. That, like today’s vote, is expected to breeze right through without much pushback.
Things don’t have to be this way. Cities can say no to these modern-day robber barons. Castañeda-López has been one of the few voices of reason on Detroit’s city council, alongside Brenda Jones, who also voted no today, and she’s going to come out on the right side of history. It will take a groundswell of politicians to change behaviors and norms. But we cannot continue to pay for stadiums and arenas when they serve no public good. Just ask Richard Sherman.
Bill Bradley is a writer and reporter living in Brooklyn. His work has appeared in GQ, Vanity Fair, and many other publications. Follow him on Twitter @billbradley3. Know something he should? Drop a note at w3bradley@gmail.com or DM him on Twitter for a way to securely contact him.
Article Appeared @http://deadspin.com/why-is-detroits-city-council-giving-away-free-money-to-1795850124