Comments on Advance Indiana™: Ozdemir Returns To State House Seeking Approval Of $100 Million Soccer Stadium Heist

It sure paid for Ersal- once awarded the chair of ...

2015-01-29T10:01:23.174-05:00

It sure paid for Ersal- once awarded the chair of GIRFCO- to develop a warm and personal relationship with Tom John, David Brooks, Bob Grand, et al.

There is far more to Mr. Ozdemir than meets the eye and it is only in Mr. Welsh's blog that we see the truth revealed.

Welsh... you would make a great mayor for this City. No wonder the corrupt Democraps and Repubs detest (read as: "fear") you.

Do you think that any legislator will ask Huston a...

2015-01-29T09:57:13.311-05:00

Do you think that any legislator will ask Huston and/or the Indy Eleven representatives for documentation on ticket sales, since the funding assumptions are based on what appear to be grossly inflated numbers and projections. Is there anything called "due diligence" on the part of legislators anymore?

I think Todd Huston has made the list of "top...

2015-01-29T09:55:40.177-05:00

I think Todd Huston has made the list of "top 5 legislators likely to be indicted." If we had a county prosecutor and / or a US Attorney genuinely interested in corruption, Huston would have been indicted while at the DOE, for participating in Tony Bennett's various schemes as well as that boondoggle TV/Video system purchase he orchestrated for his employer....

Government's Constitutional design is its only...

2015-01-29T09:35:44.822-05:00

Government's Constitutional design is its only purpose; not fraudulent collection schemes weakly disguised as taxes.

Doesn't MikeC at 11:36 totally miss the point?...

2015-01-29T09:29:14.756-05:00

Doesn't MikeC at 11:36 totally miss the point?

And doesn't MikeC totally spout the idiotic refrain that people with valid opposing views are "against everything"- whatever that actually means) heard from many who support taking millions from the poor workers to funnel to the wealthy connected players?

It's great to know that MikeC can completely void sensible arguments with his emotion based, fact=free "you guys are against everything".

Excuse me if I prefer to keep my hard earned income instead of giving it up to politicians to use for their campaign donors and
for themselves.

They have Carroll Stadium, Mike C. which was built...

2015-01-29T07:08:16.398-05:00

They have Carroll Stadium, Mike C. which was built just for the Pan Am games and then conveniently abandoned. Indianapolis has more than enough publicly-financed sports facilities. We're sick and tired of having our tax dollars pilfered for sports facilities while other basic services go unfunded.

...and why can't Ersal Ozdemir get his soccer ...

2015-01-28T23:48:29.908-05:00

...and why can't Ersal Ozdemir get his soccer field in his Homeland, Turkey?

We can be certain that our phony conservative RINO...

2015-01-28T23:47:20.417-05:00

We can be certain that our phony conservative RINO Governor Pence will bend over backwards to give them their soccer stadium! I urge all my fellow Indiana Republicans to oppose the sellout who is Mike Pence and most of our state legislative caucus and to encourage all True Liberty Republican's to run! Down with the RINO Establishment! Let us elect only Ogden and Welsh Republicans to office!

You guys are against everything. I think you woul...

2015-01-28T23:36:45.320-05:00

You guys are against everything. I think you would be happy with nothing but parking lots. Of course you need tax money to build these things that make a city viable and attractive. Private businesses can't do it themselves. This is 2015 not 1915.

The Eleven are a minor league soccer franchise, an...

2015-01-28T23:30:51.206-05:00

The Eleven are a minor league soccer franchise, and no offense to soccer fans, professional soccer does not attract the attention (and therefore money) that football, basketball, baseball and hokey collect in the US. I speculate that starting a minor league soccer franchise is a very risky business endeavor. The Eleven have just one season under their belt. They are therefore not a proven business.
The NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL have been around for a long time. In the sports world their franchises are generally stable businesses with consistent revenue and expenses. Nobody is worried about the Colts or Pacers declaring bankruptcy and folding up shop which would leave Indy with vacant taxpayer funded stadiums. IMS may be losing its fan base but the stadium and its signature race have been around for a century.
I can (grudgingly) live with financing a stadium or improvements to an existing facility where the costs are covered by admission taxes that are conservatively estimated on proven attendance figures. The Eleven are not a proven business, making this a very risky bet for taxpayers. Their attendance figures are inflated and unsustainable as many have reported they gave away thousands of tickets last season in apparent attempt to pad attendance numbers. Attendance projections are more glamorous than similar soccer franchises in much larger markets.
HB 1273 is a very risky bet on an unproven business - it's financially stupid. Period.

So what is the backstop if (when) the ticket taxes...

2015-01-28T23:29:39.244-05:00

So what is the backstop if (when) the ticket taxes don't produce enough cash to cover debt service and annual expenses?

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/soccer/2015/0...

2015-01-28T22:45:26.531-05:00

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/soccer/2015/01/28/indy-eleven-soccer-stadium-indiana-legislature-indianapolis/22454537/?hootPostID=%5B%27acefba6d0c002adb9d015dac40950d8f%27%5D

Gary, given the position of the buildings, which may be simply non-representative renderings, go to 344 W. 11th St. on Google Maps, change to StreetView, and look back at the skyline.

What City-owned land is available around there? Is Crispus Attucks in danger of the wrecking ball?

Also go to 392 W. 14th. There's an empty field there that would look great from the highway as a lighted stadium.

Rep Huston ought be sued by disaffected Marion Cou...

2015-01-28T22:36:07.787-05:00

Rep Huston ought be sued by disaffected Marion County residents...

...I hear Westfield likes soccer. Maybe they'...

2015-01-28T22:20:17.358-05:00

...I hear Westfield likes soccer. Maybe they'll TAX AND SPEND for a Turkish rich guy, Ersal Ozdemir's goal?

Come on now! Indianapolis paid for a profession...

2015-01-28T22:18:01.037-05:00

Come on now!

Indianapolis paid for a professional football stadium at taxPAYER expense. The team gets the concessions & parking revenue from OUR stadium. -Just wrong.

Indianapolis paid for a professional basketball fieldhouse at taxPAYER expense. The team gets concessions, parking, and revenue from rental for events (concerts, circus, etc). -Just wrong.

Indianapolis paid for a cricket field. Nobody in Indianapolis wants cricket, nor plays cricket, but we have a field because pay-to-play developers paid. TaxPAYERS get a wasted land out of this deal, and the area homeowners got new wells dug because The City drained their wells making a stupid cricket field.

Now this rich guy wants us to pay for his soccer field????? -Give me a break! Take that somewhere else. NO SOCCER FIELD! He can rent from IU and play there. That field is more than appropriate. TaxPAYERS do not want to waste money on another loser!