It wasn't supposed to hit the press so soon, but it's out there now.
Chris Van Dyk and Brian Robinson fought on opposites sides of I-91, on the same side of I-93 and now Van Dyk is sharing their formerly best kept secret.
Chris and Brian have been building a consensus plan for how to refurbish Seattle Center, build a new stadium for the Sonics and Storm, leverage the existing "tourist" taxes for hotels and rental cars, the existing sales tax on restaurants and augment it with parking revenue, retail and residiential leases to revitalize what should be a great Seattle treasure. They are still finalizing their summary which should be available soon.
The magic here is that Brian and Chris have found a set of common goals on which to build a foundation for a workable plan that is a win for everyone. They are starting with an antagonistic or adversarial stance, they are starting from a partnership position. They know that they will differ along the way, but they are willing to start from the stuff they agree on rather than focus on where they differ.
That is the way things get done. If you want to see the results of the other path, take a look at the Democratic Legislative Brance trying to get things done against the veto power of the Republican Executive Branch.
When you start from agreement, compromise on differences is possible. When you start with your differences it is a much longer road to find your common ground.
The best thing from my point of view is that more and more Bennett's claim that no one in Seattle is doing anything grows weaker by the day. It is becoming more and more clear that he is the roadblock, not the city. That helps the cause of keeping the teams local more than anything else.
For my part, I am willing to get behind ANY plan that keeps the teams here as long as it is a sound plan. I am simply thrilled to see ideas get out in the public view.
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