King County Executive Dow Constantine has proposed that $185 million in public funds from the Hotel/Motel Tax over the next two decades be used to upgrade Safeco Field, the Mariners’ stadium.
This revenue could be used instead to fund affordable housing and services for homeless youth. King County is in a severe affordable housing crisis, with unprecedented numbers of residents facing homelessness, housing insecurity, and displacement.
How can we justify taxpayer money to build an “upper-concourse kids zone” for baseball fans, when thousands of kids in our community don’t even have homes?
We are in a state of emergency, one that demands that our elected leaders make difficult and responsible decisions about priorities and the common good. With the repeal of Seattle’s big business tax, prioritizing existing revenue streams to address the crisis is more important than ever.
Councilmember Dave Upthegrove had stated his support for directing this revenue to housing and homelessness, instead of stadium upgrades. After the July 30 hearing, Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles announced her support for diverting nearly all the stadium money to affordable housing. We’re making progress, but we need at least five votes to change course!