7/13 News

[montgjules]

Anybody worth their rhetorical salt would know that unspoken threats can be as powerful as direct ones, and usually much more effective. All LHM would have to do is spend a lot of time schmoozing media and politicians to create a lot of positive energy in his direction. Combine that with the amount of money he can pump their direction, and they would quickly feel a sort of responsibility/obligation to see his interests succeed.

Combine that kind of mental atmosphere with one simple remark such as, "I think that Sandy plan is a really bad idea. I don't want to see it happen" and suddenly the message is clear to be understood. The comment wouldn't have to be a threat or a call to action for things to start happening. That's what a lot of money will buy you for better or for worse.

In a situation like that, the people who are being influenced wouldn't even have to be aware of the agenda they've set for themselves. And it would be absolutely impossible to prove that LHM was connected at all. And it would be equally accurate for Dave Checketts to claim that LHM was working against him. I can easily see both sides being completely honest on this issue, in a roundabout sort of way. 😉

[RSLfrontrowfan]

Originally Posted by luvmyboys

Somebody make me pic of LHM with a soccer cleat up his ###..... I'll make the T-shirts.

Or maybe a shirt that reads "LHM you know this wanker"

[Aerick]

Originally Posted by AreliusIV

Listen: RSL teleconference Thursday
Real Salt Lake Owner David W. Checketts and CEO Dean Howes will make themselves available to the media via teleconference call at 10 a.m. MT on Thursday, July 13. Real Salt Lake fans can listen in on the call LIVE right here at RealSaltLake.com.

Utah County, eh?

Calling out LHM, too!

This is GOOD STUFF!!!

[RSLfrontrowfan]

Originally Posted by Deuce

You see that is where it is so beautiful... a threat has no paper trail... so no proof... the only way it would be taken seriously is if one of the newspaper execs came out and said that the paper was coerced... and we knbow that isn't going to happen...

This is all speculation but he would certainly have the motive. Lets not forget that the Sandy stadium site is/was directly West from LHM headquarters. He would have had to look out the window of his office at Jordan Commons every day and see the development that Checketts built and think about all the things it represents. Surely that in and of itself is motivating enough to try make his influence felt.

[Jose Luis Luviano]

Aerick, you're killing those of us with no sound cards & jobs that frown on listening to MLS teleconferences.

All my dancing produce is belong to you!

More info, please!

[the Bardguy]

Esteemed Loyal RSL Season Ticket Holders, Fans, Sponsors and Supporters:

As I said to the news media 24 hours ago, Tuesday's Salt Lake County Council vote against building a stadium in Sandy is a setback for our club. I must emphasize, however, that it is NOT the end of the road.

We continue to have significant support from truly visionary business leaders throughout the Valley, and remain appreciative of the public support of Governor Huntsman, Mayor Dolan, Mayor Anderson, House Speaker Greg Curtis, Senate President John Valentine, and State Senator Curt Bramble, who have worked tirelessly with us to make the Sandy Stadium project and the surrounding development a possibility.

The council members who have opposed Tuesday's motion, along with the County Mayor, have in my view demonstrated a total disregard for the future of our community and our state. They believe, mistakenly, that they have protected the Utah taxpayer. In fact, they have only stood in the way of what would be one of the largest private capital investments ever made in state history.

We remain willing to invest significant private capital - in excess of a half-billion dollars - but, towards a project in which the RSL stadium would be the centerpiece. However, we - like sports and entertainment properties across the globe - require a public-private partnership to make this happen. Public entities are the benefactors, both financially and spiritually, of these types of massive developments, which raise property values, generate increased or entirely new tax bases, and keep the individual homeowners taxes down.

That is why we supported the opportunity to have the hotel room tax used solely to purchase land and build infrastructure while we build the stadium with private capital, an arrangement used numerous times in this community, most notably with the Delta Center, which received $27 million in tax funds for infrastructure and free land! Think about what that vision meant for the creation of Gateway.

We are extremely grateful to the fans of RSL who have turned out in record numbers. We appreciate our sponsors and the University of Utah who have shown great support. And, we thank our media partners who have made our games available to so many of our fans.

The vision my partners and I have always held is to create a community gathering place that would stimulate economic development and give the Salt Lake community a presence in the global sport of soccer. Many on the council have supported and in fact share our vision, one we will work feverishly to promulgate.

How will we do this?

The only way we know how, and that is to redouble our efforts to build the best front office in MLS and deliver the best on-field product we can. We need your continued support, as your passion for the sport and our vision, fueled by testimony in the court of public opinion, will prove to all the doubters out there how truly strong we - the Utah soccer community - remain.

As a season ticket holder, please know this:

* Real Madrid and David Beckham - yes, he will - will be here on August 12

* Rice-Eccles Stadium will be our home for the 2007 season

* We will exhaust every effort to find a soccer-specific stadium option in the Salt Lake Valley

* Head Coach John Ellinger, Captain Jason Kreis and the rest of the team need our support, both during the MLS regular season and the U.S. Open Cup, continuing August 2

* RSL is committed to THIS community, to each of YOU, and we remain steadfast in our mission to build a world-renowned soccer club in your backyard

Thank you.

David W. Checketts, Owner

Real Salt Lake

[Deuce]

Dave Checketts...

LHM when he took over the Bees re-negotiated the rent that was $800,000 a year to $1 a year.
No one is complaining about that...

[Jose Luis Luviano]

Originally Posted by Deuce

Dave Checketts...

LHM when he took over the Bees re-negotiated the rent that was $800,000 a year to $1 a year.
No one is complaining about that...

I think that LHM is also paying for some of the maintenance now that the city used to pay for. But I could be wrong.

[rabble-rabble]

Ironic that the team is thanking some people who have been inconsistent in their support. Rep. Curtis for example has been fully behind getting a stadium in Sandy, but then recently claimed it would cost “tens of millions” of dollars to give land at the Fairpark to RSL. And if it hadn’t been for Rep. Bramble blocking Salt Lake from using RDA funds (only to later allow it for Sandy) the stadium might already be under contruction in downtown Salt Lake and ready to open for next season.

[Aerick]

Originally Posted by Jose Luis Luviano

Aerick, you're killing those of us with no sound cards & jobs that frown on listening to MLS teleconferences.

All my dancing produce is belong to you!

More info, please!

Sorry man.

Dave said that he was approached by Utah County for an option to build down there by the same people that own the areas surrounding Geneva Steel. Perhaps the Thanksgiving Point people?

He essentially mentioned that Larry H Miller actively lobbied against the stadium. And he has that on good source from actual politicians who were recipients of this lobbying, although he didn't name names.