OLYMPIA, Wash. — Thirty years ago this week, Washington state legislators delivered a crucial victory to keep the Seattle Mariners in Seattle, coming through with stadium funding after a dramatic defeat at the ballot box.
During the summer of 1995, while the Mariners were batting American League foes in the “Refuse to Lose” season, advocates for a new ballpark were trying to get a King County measure passed to raise money for a stadium.
U.S. Senator Slade Gorton, other members of Congress, and team officials led a campaign to raise sales taxes for a new retractable roof ballpark.
The team made clear they would leave without a new stadium—and it wasn’t just a threat.
“It was real. We either get this done or they were going to be gone,” said Sue Tupper, who managed the “Home Town Fans” pro-stadium campaign.
She said early polling suggested the measure would fail by 35 percent.
“They were like, ‘What? A baseball stadium? Are you crazy?’ You know, ‘You must be out of your mind?,’” said Tupper.
But the team’s late summer success helped generate interest for the cause.
”There was a coincidence of events that was preposterous,” said retired Seattle sports columnist Art Thiel.
The former Seattle P-I journalist, who wrote a book about the saga, recalled how close the team came to relocating.
“Late in the season, the rumors about a proposed move to Tampa were so strong that the players were being handed information about Tampa Bay real estate, condos and apartments,” said Thiel.
On the September election night, during the pennant race, the stadium bond measure initially appeared to win by 4,000 votes, but the final tally had the measure failing by just over 1,000 votes.
Then came Edgar Martinez’s legendary double against the New York Yankees in the team’s first playoff series.
”Governor Mike Lowry, at the time, said, I do not want to irk this fan base, even if that bond measure lost,” said Thiel.
The governor convened lawmakers for a special legislative session. After three days, legislators approved stadium funding through entertainment fees and rental car tax hikes to help get a new stadium built.
“I’m really proud of the fact that we waged that battle,” Tupper said.
In 1999 Safeco Field opened, securing the Mariners’ home in Seattle.
트위터 공유: 의원들이 매리너스를 구한 지 30년이 지난 지금 시애틀은 ALCS...