Mark Davis Will Sign Oakland Raiders Coliseum Lease But Unhappy With Mayor Schaaf

Mark Davis Will Sign Oakland Raiders Coliseum Lease But Unhappy With Mayor Schaaf
Mark Davis Will Sign Oakland Raiders Coliseum Lease, But Unhappy With Libby Schaaf While Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf is basking in the public afterglow provided by the NFL Owner's decisions that caused the Raiders to remain in our city, there's once local who is not so jazzed: Mark Davis. So Davis' Oakland Raiders will enter into a new lease with the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum JPA, even though Davis has an issue with Mayor Schaaf. But if Libby doesn't solve the problem, Mark may become angry enough to try and move his Raiders somewhere, even if its Outer Mongolia (San Antonio is not happening, but more on that later). The basic problem is that Mark Davis and Libby Schaaf don't click when it comes to negotiations according to my friends. To Davis, Schaaf comes off with an arrogance that's not matched by a sound knowledge of technical matters with respect to stadium financing – and I'm being brutally honest here. The whole episode where Mayor Schaaf balked at giving Coliseum land to the Raiders but saying they were considering the use of tax increment financing (Which would call for private and not government ownership of Coliseum land so why not give it to the Raiders and collect property taxes from the team?) was completely embarrassing. It was countered just a bit by the public's incredible ignorance of public financing technics, but from the Raiders perspective it cemented the idea that Schaaf and her staff may be good politically, but are demonstrably terrible at the fine points of stadium and public financing. Also, this is not an issue of gender, and I say that because for a time I thought it was. Remember that former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan had a good relationship with Mark Davis, and the two regularly talked. There was never a hint of discord between the two of them – so that means the problem is with how Libby is not relating to Mark. That must change. Libby has to meet with Mark – and she has to ignore any advice to the contrary. Davis is also miffed that the NFL Staff (not the NFL Owners) seem to love her and reads that as her basically going around him and not working with him. (As a note, the NFL Staffers are, for the most part, mostly female, young, cool, and smart. This isn't a story of older men, as some sexist observers on YouTube have offered.) Fortunately for Oakland there are other relationships Davis has in the City of Oakland and County of Alameda, but he needs Libby and she needs Mark. Mayor Schaaf must meet with Mark Davis one-on-one and simply talk less than he does, ask questions, and listen to what he wants and take notes as he talks. And don't parrot what he already knows about public money not being desired – that song is old now, especially since it's clear to more and more people that stadiums can be built without public subsidies or the government serving as the catch spill for a bond default problem. Private placement financings are becoming all the rage and Libby should embrace them. Just ask Carmen Policy, Bob Iger, Stan Kroenke and Kofi Bonner. On on the matter of “just ask” Mayor Schaaf needs her own task force of experts, Oaklanders with institutional memory, and Raider Legends, fans, and those persons designated by Oakland City Councilmembers, and don't forget the JPA to help come up with a plan for a stadium for the Raiders and for the A's. This is for the practical reason of Schaaf not having any one on her staff who is focused only on this matter: Claudia Cappio, her point-person and the Assistant City Administrator, has other obligations and when Schaaf went to meet the NFL in New York City last November, Cappio was reportedly in Indonesia. Focus is required and a Mayor's Task Force would help. Stay tuned.
via YouTube http://youtu.be/5rpTymKfMxs