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Stadium Debaters Accuse Each Other Of Not Playing Fair

Photo provided by John Lostumo

Rays employees hold pro-stadium signs and block an anti-stadium sign on Budd Risser's commercial property in St. Petersburg on Thursday.

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By CARLOS MONCADA | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 23, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - For a few minutes Thursday morning, it was hard to spot Budd Risser's red 4-by-8-foot sign along busy Fourth Street North, just south of 22nd Avenue.

The "No NEW Waterfront $tadium!" sign was obscured on either side by a Hummer and a Chevy Tahoe, both bearing Tampa Bay Rays logos and colors.

Rays employees parked their hulking vehicles on Risser's commercial property, climbed out and began waving "Let's Build the Ballpark" signs at passing motorists from the sidewalk.

"I thought, 'That's not exactly playing fair, being as it's private property,' " said John Lostumo, a garage owner who leases part of the site from Risser "I took a couple of pictures. As soon as the flash went off, they scattered like cockroaches."

As the debate rages over the $450 million ballpark the Tampa Bay Rays want to build downtown, some are resorting to ugly tactics, according to people on both sides.

It's the latest extension of the heated rhetoric the issue is stirring. More than 100 people for and against the new stadium spoke at a seven-hour city council public hearing Thursday night, which didn't end until 1 a.m.

Signs backing and opposing the ballpark are being stolen in growing numbers. Claims of unfair campaign tactics have been leveled. Some pro-stadium merchants are even getting threats of boycotts unless they change their positions, ballpark supporters said.

"It's unfortunate, and hopefully they're isolated incidents and are not widespread," said Kenny Locke, founder of Fans for Waterfront Stadium. "But we have had business people saying that to us, where people are coming in and basically threatening to boycott their business."

Hal Freedman, founder of the anti-stadium group Preserve Our Wallets and Waterfront, said any of his group's members who are making boycott threats to businesses are acting on their own. He said he knew only of one such incident.

At the same time, Freedman said he saw no problem with it.

"There's nothing wrong with going into a business and saying, 'You know what? I don't like your political stand,' " he said. "And if I have a choice of shopping somewhere else that advocates a political position I am in agreement with, I'm going to do it. I would do that myself."

As for the stunt with the Rays' vehicles blocking his sign, Risser e-mailed the photos to Mayor Rick Baker and city council members.

"I guess I'm disappointed that the Rays would do something like that," Risser said.

Risser said he confronted Rays Senior Vice President Michael Kalt about the incident before Thursday night's public hearing. He said Kalt denied Rays employees were involved.

Kalt, however, acknowledged to the Tribune today that Rays employees were driving the vehicles, but said they thought they were parking on public property. He said they left when they realized their mistake.

"It's really getting nasty out there now," City Council Chairman James Bennett said.

Jean Niccio, who supports the proposed 34,000-seat open-air ballpark at the site of Progress Energy Park, said she has had three of her blue pro-stadium yard signs stolen, as recently as last week.

"It's pretty rampant," she said. "I don't know what to do about it. You can't call the police when a sign is stolen from the front of your house. I was thinking of putting a camera up and finding out whose doing it."

Freedman said his anti-stadium group does not sanction sign thievery and that he did not know who was behind it. He estimated "a few hundred" anti-stadium signs have been replaced in the past few months. He also said some stadium opponents have had their houses egged at night.

"It's getting nasty, and from our side I don't know why," Freedman said.

It's more than loyalty that makes him doubt his group is involved, he said — "maybe because most of the people on our side are a little bit older and more mature."

Still, stadium supporter Niccio makes the same point from the other side.

"I'm an almost 50-year-old woman," she said. "I'm not going to go take somebody's sign in the middle of the night."

Reporter Carlos Moncada can be reached at (727) 451-2333 or cmoncada@tampatrib.com.

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