Guest MINDSETTER™ David Norton: PawSox Owners Trying to Buy Support
Monday, June 29, 2015
Why are the PawSox owners buying support with a catered dinner at a Salvation Army food pantry in South Providence?
In terms of sinking the PawSox brand to a new low, this has to be the lowest imaginable for the new PawSox ownership in the very short time that they have owned the team. The announcement of an “informational” meet and greet dinner event Monday night, which will be catered, in the economically struggling community of South Providence and also in the same location as a food pantry for the Salvation Army, is shameful and careless.
The previous PawSox ownership, lead by Ben Mondor, intentionally and thoroughly created a legacy of family fun at reasonable prices for Rhode Island and neighboring Massachusetts. In contrast, the PawSox ownership, lead by principal owner Larry Lucchino, is not only no Ben Mondor, but the announcement of a catered dinner event in an apparent attempt to buy support is down right insulting to Providence residents and Rhode Islanders alike. It highlights the very strong disconnect between the PawSox ownership and the people of Providence and Rhode Island.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe difference between the previous ownership and the new ownership is most clearly visible in the light of the deplorable state of Providence recreation centers. This apparent move by the PawSox ownership to convince the very communities that rely on funding for the maintenance of recreation centers so completely can only be characterized as pathetic: them doing a catered event in a food pantry makes it even disgusting!
Buying Dinner While Rec Centers Crumble
The PawSox owners are going into a struggling Providence community that is in need of scarce tax dollars to fund vital community recreation centers, among many other things. They are trying to buy support for their outrageous and risk-free, tax-payer subsidized $120 million dollar stadium deal with catered dinners at a food pantry while Providence at-risk youth are making due with closed and broken recreation centers, which lack funding from already devastating tax short falls and cuts to programs. In fact, the City of Providence's nine recreation centers are crumbling and in a state of disrepair. These nine recreation centers have torn and worn down gym equipment, broken and missing lighting, unsafe broken bathrooms and water fountains, and are in a state of complete disorder. There are broken floors, and tears in fences that are big enough to walk through. There are shower rooms that can’t be used due to lack of storage space.
It would be an understatement for me to say that I do not like these new PawSox owners: I think they are just plain rotten, and they are blind to the struggles of so many Rhode Islanders! When I think of the $120 million dollars that they have asked for from the State of Rhode Island to be responsible for over a 30 year period, it makes me frustrated and angry. But, for the PawSox owners to be coming into Providence in a place that is so clearly in dire need of assistance and repair and asking for a $120 million dollar handout in a place where people may need a helping hand the most, like a food pantry, is absolutely revolting.
The PawSox ownership plan to do 39 meet and greet events across the State of Rhode Island over the summer to convince Rhode Islanders why we need to pay for a new stadium in Providence. I would say that this first meet and greet that they have planned has to be the clearest view of the complete and utter incompetence of the ownership group!
The group seems blind and or carelessly ignorant of Rhode Island, or perhaps they simply do not care! First, they fly an outsider in to tell us how things are, and how they will be. This minor league executive “consultant” came up to Providence to give a speech peppered with very strange and insulting Southern expressions, in which he called our beloved and historic McCoy Stadium “that pig”. Then, they have a guy (the same guy that will be doing this meet and greet at the Salvation Army food pantry) who gave a tour of the proposed stadium site who had no idea where our river is located( despite being just feet away).
This meet and greet planned for the 29th of June at 6:00pm at the Salvation Army in Providence, truly paints a terrible picture of the PawSox ownership group. This type of organization, that we Rhode Islanders are up against, is one that is ignorant to tax-payers, Rhode Islanders and also the needs of Rhode Island communities. Do we as Rhode Islanders and tax-payers really want to give people like this $120 million dollars in tax-payer subsidies when we have communities struggling to feed themselves and at-risk youth with no where to go and nothing to do? Do we really want to go down the same road as we did with 38 studios, when we understand that we don’t even have enough money to fix our bridges, recreation centers and even potholes on our roads?
David Norton is a Pawtucket resident and group organizer for Organizing for Pawtucket.
Related Slideshow: Leaders React to PawSox Owners’ Providence Stadium Proposal
The new owners of the Pawtucket Red Sox presented their vision for a new $85 million stadium in Providence -- including a lease agreement from the state that would require the owners be paid $4 million a year for the thirty year duration.
Now, elected officials and business leaders are weighing in on the initial proposal by the ownership group -- see below.
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