Politics and the SWB Yankees
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For the first time since the election a Republican commissioner speaks out about his party's defeat and also reveals a plan for Lackawanna County that involves a new baseball stadium.
The new Yankee Stadium will be built on the site of the current stadium on Montage Mountain.
Lackawanna County Commissioner Bob Cordaro still doesn't know the final count from the election Tuesday. The votes are still being tallied.
There are only 65 votes that separate Cordaro and A.J. Munchak in the race for minority commissioner. Cordaro vows not to accept the position as minority commissioner but he hopes the new majority doesn't put a huge building project for a new stadium in jeopardy.
In his first public statements since election night Commissioner Cordaro confirmed Friday what has been rumored for months, that part of the deal to bring the Yankees farm team to Lackawanna County included the county building a new stadium for the team.
He said he wants the public to know about the plan because he fears the new Democratic commissioners want to renege on the deal.
Cordaro said a deal is already in place with the Yankees and Mandalay, their management team, to put a new stadium on this site where the current stadium sits, along with much more.
Lackawanna County Commissioner is concerned the Democratic commissioners will jeopardize plans for the new Yankee stadium.
"Mandalay and the New York Yankees have committed to developing a 20,000 square foot Yankees museum here. To put it in perspective, the new museum at Yankee Stadium is 6,000 square feet. They're also going to put a Yankee-themed hotel on this stadium site," Cordaro said.
The commissioner explained the deal like this: once the financing is in place and the county makes the commitment to build a new stadium, Mandalay and the Yankees exercise their option to buy the team. With the profits from the sale of the team, the county reinvests that money into the new stadium project, meaning no tax dollars are used. Then, Mandalay and the Yankees fulfill their part of the commitment by building the hotel, the museum and other commercial properties on the real estate.
Cordaro said he's coming out now with news of the deal because he fears the new Democratic majority will try to renegotiate what is already a done deal.
Democrats Corey O'Brien and Mike Washo said negotiations with Mandalay are at a sensitive stage, and any comments on any project are premature.
Cordaro said the Yankees farm club left Columbus because of political problems there. He fears if this deal goes south the Bronx Bombers will wave goodbye to Lackawanna County too.
"I would be very concerned that they would leave. This is something we can't play politics with," Cordaro added.
As for the election, Cordaro said he won't accept the position of minority commissioner if the votes go that way and added he's looking forward to a life outside of politics.
Thank god Cordaro lost. Him and his Yankee-loving attitude can go fuck themselves. Instead of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, I now have the Yankees and their corporate interests grubbing every penny, catering to the well heeled and providing no excitement or incentives in return. The Yankees provided NO giveaway items this year. The atmosphere is completely dead, and the ONLY selling point is that these are the AAA Yankees.
The history in Lackawanna County is that the commissioners tend to stick their noses in the baseball team for publicity. In this case, Cordaro has negotiated a deal where an outside entity can buy the team. If they do, there is nothing stopping that entity from then moving the team. Which is likely, because Scranton is NOT in a class with Buffalo, Louisville or Columbus as far as cities go.
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs open up next season. They may be the lowly Phillies and not the mighty Yankees. But their management provides baseball for the FAN.
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