All tax-paying adults want new paved roads and a stadium in town, but don’t build it near my neighborhood or my workplace!
Thursday night, Eastern High School in Washington, D.C., hosted a town hall (type) meeting where DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and some city representatives presented a vision for the former RFK Stadium site.
To her credit, when Bowser was asked if she would commit to not using public subsidies for a new Commanders’ stadium, the mayor did not hesitate to say, “No.”
However, on the other hand, though Bowser took questions from the residents in attendance, she then reportedly slipped out, dodging the earlier commitment to later take questions from the media.
After committing to talk to press after Ward 7 town hall @MayorBowser staff now telling reporters the mayor has left and won’t be taking questions pic.twitter.com/XmfQ3XThMx
— Mark Segraves (@SegravesNBC4) February 14, 2025
Surely, in 2025, there are no adults who actually think a new stadium in town is not going to include some sort of taxing of the citizens? It has become the way sports owners in America operate. Commanders owner Josh Harris is not going to be an exception.
Of course, a new stadium at the old RFK site would not be used exclusively by the Commanders. It would need to be used year-round, and thus, that is out for owners like Harris. Yet, on the other hand, dumping too much on citizens who already are taxed heavily is certainly not fair either. How much should owners like Harris, who have mega wealth, be expected to pay for stadiums they will use?
Harris has talked of 2030 as the date for a new Commanders stadium. But if 2030 is to be a possibility, this deal between the city and the Commanders needs to be finalized now.
The Mayor’s budget is due in April; therefore, either the two sides get the deal done, or Harris will continue his talks with Maryland (Landover site). Virginia is, unfortunately, out of the picture.
Where will the city come up with a billion dollars?
How much will they increase the taxes on the citizens?
Then, the citizens will complain and vote for the same people again at the next election.