NewarkDevil5 Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 McGreevey and Zoffinger (head of the NJSEA) are attempting to block the Newark Arena by refusing to promise to close Continental Airlines Arena when the Newark Arena is built. The Devils' private backers on the project refuse to put in any money without the promise that the competing arena closes down following the completion of the Newark Arena because of the worries of reduced revenue (and possibly unprofitability) due to competition for concerts and shows. As it stands the arena in Newark would cost $300 million to build on city-owned land with $200 million of that coming from the city and $100 million coming from the Devils and whatever financing they can bring together. Without the financing it can't be done. The best part is that in 1998, the year that happened to have the highest attendance record for both the Devils and the Nets, the Continental Arena lost a reported $5 million for the NJSEA. It is unprofitable. I wonder how much it'll lose when all the teams have left it. WHAT IS THE POINT OF THE ARENA IF THERE'S ANOTHER ONE 15 MINUTES AWAY FROM IT?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizDevil30 Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 Why is McGreevy doing this? I think it's time for a scathing letter to this creep. Newark is OUR city and deserves our support. The Meadowlands is not place for an arena. Newark is the place. Time to invest in Our Town. Where do I send a letter to this bum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewarkDevil5 Posted January 31, 2004 Author Share Posted January 31, 2004 PO Box 001 Trenton, NJ 08625 609-292-6000 Drumthwacket 354 Stockton St. Princeton, NJ 08540 (609) 683 0057 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msweet Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 Ok...I'm not posting as a Season Ticket holder who likes his drive to the CAA over anything in EWR... I'm a lifetime Jersey resident and a huge Devil's fan. WTF is McGreevy's plan for keeping the Devils here? They are our pride. Ok,... he doesn't want EWR, so be it. I'm not married to that like some of you. I want to know what his friggin plan is...he's such a scumbag. Knowing McGreedy, he's spent tax payer money to survey Devil's fans, and he found out most of don't vote for them and he said f-em. McGeevy is only the governer of the people that vote for him. He's essentially said that before with many other policies. Our letters to him and protes to him IMHO should NOT be telling him to do Newark. It is too easy for him to find excuses why not. Put the burden on him to make a PLAN for the Devils. Any plan that keeps them here. If he decides EWR then fine. If he decides Hoboken, fine...whatever...just come up with a plan. All of you should not let your own agenda get in the way of the main purpose and that's to keep the Devil's here. Let's insist our leaders come up with a plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewarkDevil5 Posted January 31, 2004 Author Share Posted January 31, 2004 In this case it would seem that more or less the only way to keep the Devils in New Jersey is Newark and here's why: The Devils are now owned by Ray Chambers who has a majority holding in them. He is a Newark-born philanthropist whose primary purpose in buying any sports team at all was to move it to Newark. Given that, if he doesn't get Newark chances are he sells the team to the highest bidder and uses the money from the sale to build some other attraction in the city. Until some other New Jerseyan buys the team, its Newark or bust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'7' Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 McGreevy, don't give me a reason to vote republican. KEEP THE TEAM HERE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msweet Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 ND5, I have no doubt that is true... but that's not my point. Write McGreedy and tell him to come up with a plan. Don't just tell him EWR... it's easy for him to escape that by saying this or that is in the way and that's why it didn't happen. If the plan is his (and if you are right, he'll have to pick EWR after speaking with Chambers), then he'll have to make it happen. Pressure him into EWR, then he can sit and let it fail, or secretly sabatoge it, and then say he can say he was trying to do what the voters wanted, but it was not possible. Pressure him to come up with a plan, then he will also be repsonsible for making it happen. Don't be so blinded by your desire to get the team in EWR. Be smart how you achieve your goals. It sometimes takes many steps. Put the burden on McGreedy. Write him and tell him that we hold him responsible for making sure the Devils stay. He got a free pass (not in my mind) on the Nets, but he won't get a pass on the Devils. They leave, he becomes an enemy of state. That will get the desired result from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizDevil30 Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 Point well taken msweet. I have to take a deep breath before I write this letter or else it will be a rambling incoherant emotional rant. I too want to know his plan to keep the Devils in NJ. That is most important, but I still think investing in Newark is a good thing. Urban blight is just bad for everyone. I think Newark has the potential to be a great small city. Anyone see Camden lately? That city is dead and I don't think any amount of CPR will save it. The government let it fall deeper and deeper into decay because Philly is right across the Delaware. We can't let Newark slip, esp since it's come so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eheaps Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY ---- that would be nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewarkDevil5 Posted January 31, 2004 Author Share Posted January 31, 2004 That makes sense, msweet, but what is response will be is that there is no danger of the Devils moving out and that the CAA is adequate for what they need and that the Xanadu will cure cancer and effect world peace etc. Problem is that the Devils have made it clear they want a new arena and that renovating CAA is NOT going to cut it. Lets face facts too, the Newark Arena is really the last chance of salvaging the Nets for New Jersey. If it gets built before Brooklyn does, thats where they end up and it'll be for good because the Brooklyn arena's going to hit just as many pitfalls as the Newark arena did (starting in 1998) but its begun its course 5 years later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheeps Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 McGreevy, don't give me a reason to vote republican. KEEP THE TEAM HERE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewarkDevil5 Posted January 31, 2004 Author Share Posted January 31, 2004 Here's what jmaxlaw posted on the Newark Forum at NJ.com: The New Jersey Section of this week's New York Times has a great column by Newark reporter Ronald Smothers. Unfortunatly, the "On Politics" column is NOT available online, but I urge everyone to go pick up a copy.For those of you who won't or can't, it has to do with the arena. Further, the McGreevey administration's position on the subject, through George Zoffinger. Here are some quotes from Mr. Zoffinger: "The concept of having a one-team arena makes it very hard to do... No, Newark is not asking the state to spend any money for them and their arena, but they are asking us to walk away from a positive cash flow at the Bergen arena." Mr. Smothers later notes that Zoffinger, and "presumably" the governor, denies the stand on the arena is "racial or political," with Zoffinger calling it a "business decision." Here's the kicker, from Zoffinger: "Newark has the right to spend money any way it wants to, but I don't think it is fair for the state to ask people in Bergen, Passaic and Hudson to give up the convenience of coming to the Bergen arena for the sake of Newark. Plus, we still don't see where the teams are willing to contribute money to the arena in Newark." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizDevil30 Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 Since when did NJ only consist of 3 counties? Newark would be convenient for Bergen, Passaic and Hudson and well as central and south Jersey counties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewarkDevil5 Posted January 31, 2004 Author Share Posted January 31, 2004 Since when did NJ only consist of 3 counties? Newark would be convenient for Bergen, Passaic and Hudson and well as central and south Jersey counties. Since Bergen County passed Essex in terms of population as the most populous county in the state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizDevil30 Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 Oh that explains why I hate living in Bergen. It is way overcrowded. The quality of life is plummeting rapidly. And the gov wants Xanadu. God help us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteyNice Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 Smothers has written a few columns about this. I did a Lexis search and read them. Basically, what Zoffinger means is that the white people in Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties would not go to a Newark arena and are against the CAA shutting down. Since those people represent a lot of money to the state politicians their opinion matters more than anyone elses. This is really what it is going to come down to. I cannot see Chambers holding on to the team to keep them in the CAA whether it is refurbished or not. I also do not think you will see NJ groups rise up to make bids on the team the way you did with the Nets as the money making potential for the NBA is much higher than it is for the NHL. Reading all thses articles, I also do not expect CAA to close. The state has shown that they do not care whether our sports teams leave or not. Why would the NJSEA close the CAA? With the whole Xanadu thing they feel they can make a lot of money on the CAA with or without the Devils. The NJSEA would not get a dime from the Newark arena. We were lucky in 95 that Whitman was a hockey fan and worked to keep the Devils from moving to Nashville, now we are not so fortunate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Puddy Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 (edited) I never liked McGreevy. He's a weasel, a pure-bred politician who cares about nothing else but his political career. The question that should be posed is what happens if the Devils are purchased by out-of-state bidders and decide to leave when their lease runs out? Can the arena survive with NO big league teams?! Edited January 31, 2004 by David Puddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 "The concept of having a one-team arena makes it very hard to do... No, Newark is not asking the state to spend any money for them and their arena, but they are asking us to walk away from a positive cash flow at the Bergen arena." Walk away from a positive cash flow?! How can the attendance be any worse in Newark than it is now in the middle of nowhere? There is NO cash flow if the Devils move. And there is ZERO possibility of them reupping at the CAA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyFan42 Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 The Devils' private backers on the project refuse to put in any money without the promise that the competing arena closes down following the completion of the Newark Arena because of the worries of reduced revenue (and possibly unprofitability) due to competition for concerts and shows. This bothers me. It shows that the investors have little or no confidence that a Newark arena, if built, will be successful. And if their confidence level is so low, chances are the arena won't get built. The reason I point this out is because if they were so sure that a Newark arena would knock the socks off the entire state, they wouldn't give a lick about what happens to the CAA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteyNice Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 "The concept of having a one-team arena makes it very hard to do... No, Newark is not asking the state to spend any money for them and their arena, but they are asking us to walk away from a positive cash flow at the Bergen arena." Walk away from a positive cash flow?! How can the attendance be any worse in Newark than it is now in the middle of nowhere? There is NO cash flow if the Devils move. And there is ZERO possibility of them reupping at the CAA. it is a positive cash flow on concerts, family events, etc that use the CAA. It is a lot of money for the Devils owners to invest. Why invest $100 million (or whatever) for an arena that will have competition a few miles away. If the CAA closed the Newark arena would be almost guaranteed to be successful (assuming it picks up all the events the CAA had). That is the only way the arena can make money. If it doesn't get all of the CAA events it will not be profitable. With the CAA still open it is certainly possible that some or even many events that are held there will continue to be. If that is the case then it is not worth investing that much money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheeps Posted February 1, 2004 Share Posted February 1, 2004 Oh that explains why I hate living in Bergen. It is way overcrowded. The quality of life is plummeting rapidly. And the gov wants Xanadu. God help us. Yep. Overcrowded is the right term. I love cities, don't get me wrong, and I love living right in downtown Montreal. But Bergen County has way too many people for the way the county is set up. Routes 17 and 4 simply can't handle the traffic, at all. And the public transportation isn't good enough to get people off the road. I dunno. I still want to live in New Jersey after school, but who knows? Right now Albany seems nice B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewarkDevil5 Posted February 1, 2004 Author Share Posted February 1, 2004 The Devils' private backers on the project refuse to put in any money without the promise that the competing arena closes down following the completion of the Newark Arena because of the worries of reduced revenue (and possibly unprofitability) due to competition for concerts and shows. This bothers me. It shows that the investors have little or no confidence that a Newark arena, if built, will be successful. And if their confidence level is so low, chances are the arena won't get built. The reason I point this out is because if they were so sure that a Newark arena would knock the socks off the entire state, they wouldn't give a lick about what happens to the CAA. I interpret this as them being less than sure that the Newark arena will actually ever get done. They don't want to put money into something that'll end up languishing on the drawing board due to backroom politics the way it has the past 5 years. In any case, the Newark arena is the only sure thing to keep the Devils in New Jersey the way I see it. I'd suggest writing letters both to Zoffinger and McGreevey to voice complaint with the fact that they're more or less going against their own pledge to keep the Devils in New Jersey as long as it doesn't require NJ taxpayer money. This isn't taking NJ taxpayer money, the team appears to have worked out financing along with the City of Newark. There is absolutely no reason for it to go forward at this point. This state does NOT need two arenas 15 minutes away from each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizDevil30 Posted February 1, 2004 Share Posted February 1, 2004 (edited) ND5 every time I look at the pic of Newark you have in your sig I can't help but think how great it would look with an arena in it. How terrific it would be for the cameras to pan over that City, instead of a swamp in the middle of nowhere, when the Devils play. Edited February 1, 2004 by devsRgreat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewarkDevil5 Posted February 1, 2004 Author Share Posted February 1, 2004 "The concept of having a one-team arena makes it very hard to do... No, Newark is not asking the state to spend any money for them and their arena, but they are asking us to walk away from a positive cash flow at the Bergen arena." Walk away from a positive cash flow?! How can the attendance be any worse in Newark than it is now in the middle of nowhere? There is NO cash flow if the Devils move. And there is ZERO possibility of them reupping at the CAA. it is a positive cash flow on concerts, family events, etc that use the CAA. It is a lot of money for the Devils owners to invest. Why invest $100 million (or whatever) for an arena that will have competition a few miles away. If the CAA closed the Newark arena would be almost guaranteed to be successful (assuming it picks up all the events the CAA had). That is the only way the arena can make money. If it doesn't get all of the CAA events it will not be profitable. With the CAA still open it is certainly possible that some or even many events that are held there will continue to be. If that is the case then it is not worth investing that much money. Thing is, the CAA ran at a $5 million deficit in 1998 when the teams were both getting their best attendance records and, presumably, so were concerts and shows. That means that we're subsidizing that arena with at the very least $5 million in taxpayer money yearly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swamptrash Posted February 1, 2004 Share Posted February 1, 2004 Point well taken msweet. I have to take a deep breath before I write this letter or else it will be a rambling incoherant emotional rant. I too want to know his plan to keep the Devils in NJ. That is most important, but I still think investing in Newark is a good thing. Urban blight is just bad for everyone. I think Newark has the potential to be a great small city. Anyone see Camden lately? That city is dead and I don't think any amount of CPR will save it. The government let it fall deeper and deeper into decay because Philly is right across the Delaware. We can't let Newark slip, esp since it's come so far. have you actually been to Camden lately? the city is re-building big time. they just built a baseball park, they already have a great concert venue, the Battleship NJ, the Aquarium etc. There are big companies leaving Philly for new office space on the Camden waterfront. There is also a new condo complex being built near the Rutgers campus sorry to interject off topic, but I dont want the rest of the board to think that Camden is not attempting to revitalize, because it clearly is. I think both cities can be vital important parts of the state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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