Kucinich Gets Tough On Dubious NYC Eminent Domain Projects

Say what you want about Dennis Kucinich, but one thing you may not deny is that he is a fighter. His latest quest focuses on publicly funded stadiums and the illegalities that surround them. New York is at the center of this investigation, as both the new Yankee Stadium and the Mets' Citi Field are costing taxpayers over $2 billion together. Also, the proposed and extremely controversial Atlantic Yards Arena hasn't even started going up yet costs Brooklyn dearly every single day that Ratner occupys that land. Kucinich wants to look at the details of these projects and see what we can do to put an end to the corruption that inevitably clings to these gargantuan 'public' facilities.

From The Atlantic Yards Report:

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who chairs Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, yesterday announced a hearing to be held September 18. It follows up on two public hearings the subcommittee held last year (3/29/07 and 10/10/07) that looked more broadly at some of the policy issues.

No witness list has been announced, but I assume someone from the New York City Industrial Development Authority, whose Seth Pinsky was on the hot seat July 2, will be among those present.

While no legislation has been proposed yet, the Subcommittee's concern may put pressure on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to clarify and finalize a proposed rule regarding PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes) to finance sports facilities. That rule could stymie tax-exempt funding for the Atlantic Yards arena--or the city and state could succeed in getting the arena grandfathered in under the ruling that allowed funding for the two baseball stadiums.

AY goes into more details about PILOT plans and ways of getting rid of them. If Kucinich can make small amendments to the tax code so that the rich robber barons of major league sports will have to pay for their own stadiums, then he gets major props from me. It is long past the time when city funding for sports arenas is put to an end and Kucinich is the man for the job to get it done. Sure, he's not the most likeable guy in the Democratic caucus (especially when it comes to running for President), but he sure is a fighter for the little guy...and that is what counts.