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Thursday, April 12, 2007

Staying Alive: The Sonics Bill

posted by on April 12 at 15:01 PM

Sen. Margarita Prentice is holding an executive session in her Senate Ways and Means Committee on her Sonics bill tomorrow morning in Olympia, 8:30am.

To help subsidize the Sonics’ $500 million stadium proposal (new digs in Renton), Sen. Prentice’s plan would shift expiring Qwest/Safco taxes (a hotel/motel tax, an admissions tax, a car rental tax, a restaurant tax) and extend them to float owner Clay Bennett’s plan.

The Seattle Times reported yesterday that another portion of the tax—the sales tax, was taken out of the package.

It’s not clear how’d they’d make up for that money, though.

Apparently, Sen. Prentice has the votes on her Committee and in the Senate to send the bill over to the House. The word from Speaker Frank Chopp is that he will not move the bill.

If, weirdly, something actually does come out of the legislature this session, it will ultimately be up to the King County Council, who have pledged that they will not okay a subsidy without sending the question to the voters.

RSS icon Comments

1

"If you love someone, set them free. Free, free, set them free." - Sting

Bye Bye Sonics, enjoy sterile OK City.

Posted by Max Solomon | April 12, 2007 3:04 PM
2

Man not that I have any love of the sonics or agree with any kind of subsidy for sports teams, but Chopp has really been a little shit this legislative session.

Posted by John | April 12, 2007 3:28 PM
3

God, I hate that bitch. She'll support anything as long as you throw money at her, whether tribal casinos buying her vote on online gambling bans or the team buying her vote on arena subsidies. Prentice is a whore. I almost want to recruit people to move to her District just to vote her ass out.

Posted by Gomez | April 12, 2007 3:40 PM
4

@3: She's a "bitch" and a "whore," and that's why she should be voted against? Even if you mean "whore" in a more colloquial sense in reference to the apparent ease in buying her vote, it's a loaded word and I think your anger could be better expressed with less hateful language. I don't know anything about the casino or gambling votes, and I'm against tax money going to an arena in any city, but a stadium could bring a lot of revenue to Renton, and from a Renton-centric perspective, she could be acting in the best interest of her district.

Posted by Aislinn | April 12, 2007 3:57 PM
5

You know, if they take out all the taxes and just leave in a Stupid Millionaire's Income Tax, that would be ok with me.

Otherwise, HECK NO!

Posted by Will in Seattle | April 12, 2007 4:23 PM
6

Isn't prentice based in Kitsap County?

Posted by Detox | April 12, 2007 4:31 PM
7

Sorry, whores accept money in exchange for tricks, so she's a whore.

She'll get my respect when she stops letting tribal gaming and big money interests buy her legislation, and works to undo the bullshit legislation she has passed during her tenure.

Posted by Gomez | April 12, 2007 4:34 PM
8

Detox, she's from south Seattle/Renton. The Sonics didn't necessarily have to buy her in this case, though they probably did.


Since it seems to be good for Renton, this won't cost her my vote. But don't worry because the whole Senator Moneytree thing already did. I hope there's some decent competition for her seat.

Posted by Mike in Renton | April 12, 2007 8:03 PM

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