November 22, 2023 By: Mark Knudson

Politicians and voters pushed A’s out of Oakland

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Politicians on both sides of the isle never want to be the one to push for any sort of tax increase. It’s career suicide in most cases.

Except when you can actually demonstrate the win-win results.

Example: Back in 1991, politicians and advocates from all parties in and around the City of Denver found common ground to push for a very small tax increase that would end up becoming a win-win-win…and then some…for the locals.

Turned out even better than they said it would.

Denver wanted a Major League Baseball franchise. The city had been used as a bargaining chip in the late 1980’s when rumors were floated about the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox and the Oakland A’s all looking for a new home because they couldn’t get their current locales to help them build a badly needed new ballpark. Each was going to move to Denver to get that new ballpark. Denver newspapers began preparing special editions welcoming their new big league team.

Didn’t happen like that, of course. San Fran and Chicago got their new parks.

Oakland? More on that in a minute.

As for Denver, MLB let it be known they were ready to expand, and the folks in Denver decided to make that the focus instead. Smart move.

Commissions were formed, and someone who was very very smart came up with the idea of proposing a one-tenth of one percent sales tax on all non-medical and non-grocery items for the voters to decide on. They were asking the residents of the five counties in and around the city to agree to pay one additional penny on every $10 they spent that wasn’t groceries or medicine.

One penny on $10 dollars.

The campaigning began.

It was a closely contested fight. But with politicians and commentators from both sides of the isle coming out in strong support, the stadium tax increase vote passed. Plans for what would become Coors Field went on the drawing board. MLB granted Denver the expansion team that became the Colorado Rockies.

And you know what else Denver and Colorado got for agreeing to pay that extra one penny on $10? One of the best ballparks in America…and, since the tax debt was paid off far quicker than anticipated, the city people were able to use the existing revenue stream to build a brand new football stadium for the Denver Broncos too.

Two new stadiums for the price of one. A price of one penny on $10. And the tax was retired shortly thereafter.

Everybody won.

Bigly.

The previously run-down area of the city where Coors Field was built, close to where the new (Invesco Field at the time) Mile High Stadium was constructed became a thriving part of the Denver landscape and economy. The benefits of the new stadiums were almost immeasurable. This was – and still is – a success story for the ages. It also became evidence for other locales to use when they were asking a city or state to help finance the construction of a new facility.

Some places had open ears, like Arlington, Texas, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Brooklyn, Washington D.C. and Las Vegas. Those places had private and public funds combine to build state of the art new facilities that brought huge economic benefits to the surrounding areas.

Other places, like San Diego – and now Oakland – paid no attention to the potential benefits. They stupidly focused on the cost. San Diego area residents wouldn’t agree to a hotel tax on tourists, no less and lost the Chargers. Now the A’s are finally leaving the dilapidated Oakland Coliseum because voters and politicians there couldn’t come to grips with the realization that the best plans for the best facilities include taxpayers having some skin in the game.

Sure, owners are filthy rich guys and most could find a way to construct new facilities on their own dime, without public involvement. But that misses the point completely. Public – private partnerships on new stadiums and ballparks give the city and its residents some ownership stock. They have an immediate impact on things like property values and growth in the area around the new stadium. Previously run down areas (like Denver’s lower downtown) are transformed into thriving business regions.

Today Athletics fans remain furious with Owner John Fisher for agreeing to move the A’s to Las Vegas…where the folks are forward thinking and are going to build a gorgeous new ballpark near their gorgeous new football stadium using public and private funding. Certainly Fisher has many faults…just like the Davis family who moved the Raiders out of Oakland (for the same reason)…twice. But if the people – voters, residents, politicians – of Oakland REALLY wanted the A’s to remain part of their landscape, they’d have helped Fisher build a new ballpark in the Bay Area – at one of many of the proposed sites – and become his business partner rather than his adversary.

Pointing fingers and wringing your hands is fine, as long as you’re okay with ending up in a lose-lose situation.

Again.