West Side Stadium
Encyclopedia
The West Side Stadium was a proposed football
stadium
to be built on a platform over the rail yards
on the West Side
of Manhattan
in New York City
.
The arena would have been an all-weather facility with a retractable roof
, allowing it to be used as either a 200000 square feet (18,580.6 m²) indoor convention hall, or an 85,000 seat (75,000 post-Olympics) indoor/outdoor sporting event stadium. It was to be the new home for the New York Jets
of the National Football League
, who at the time of the proposal played at Giants Stadium
in East Rutherford, New Jersey
and were junior tenants to the New York Giants
. The stadium was to have served as the centerpiece of New York's bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but, after heated debate, the proposal was defeated a month before the International Olympic Committee
was to make its decision.
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The site was to link the transportation, hotel and business hub centered on Herald Square
and Madison Square Garden
with the Jacob J. Javits Convention Center. It was promoted by New York Governor George Pataki
, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
, and Congressman Charles Rangel, but opposed by most of the local elected officials representing the area. The centerpiece of the city's bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics
, the stadium would have been part of a larger project to revitalize
a long-underdeveloped area, including an expansion of the Javits Center and the 7 Subway Extension
. It was going to host Super Bowl XLIV
in 2010 along with a college bowl game with a Big East team to be known as the Big Apple Bowl.
. Though many of its opponents supported the larger West Side development program, they questioned the economic benefit of a stadium which would have spent much of its time unused, as well as the general premise of subsidizing a football team which generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for a private owner. Opponents felt that the budget could be better spent on mixed-use facilities. Supporters of the stadium said the cost to the city (over $1 billion) was an investment and would create thousands of jobs and billions in commercial revenue for the area, perhaps leading to increased tax revenue that could be used for vital infrastructure. However, powerful city unions, including the Uniformed Firefighters Association
and the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association
, argued that the inevitable tax-breaks for the stadium's developers would cut sharply into State funds that should instead have gone to salary increases.
, and Connecticut
were in favor of the stadium because they wanted the 2012 Summer Olympics
to be held in New York City. In order to host the Olympics, cities typically must build modern stadiums and prove to the International Olympic Committee
that they have the resources to support the event.
But many Manhattan and West Side residents did not want the hassle, traffic congestion, and resource drain that the Olympics would inevitably bring to the already overcrowded city. The New York Daily News
reported that 59% of New Yorkers were not in favor of holding the Olympics in New York at all. In December 2004, the commuter advocacy groups Straphangers Campaign
and Tri-State Transportation Campaign
filed a lawsuit which challenged the city's estimate that 70% of stadium patrons would use mass transit or arrive on foot instead of driving. Many Jets fans wanted the stadium built, no matter what the cost.
The stadium was also notably opposed by Cablevision, the sixth-largest cable television company in the United States and the owner of Madison Square Garden
(MSG)—home to the New York Knicks
and New York Rangers
—and the MSG Network
, which broadcasts most of those teams' games. A major new sports venue, particularly one on the West Side of Manhattan where MSG is located, would compete directly with MSG and thereby hamper the older venue's ability to secure concerts and other events. Cablevision went so far as to make a $600 million offer to redevelop the stadium site for housing and office space, and joined another lawsuit alleging that the city's environmental study was inaccurate. Cablevision's stance against the stadium proposal was cited as "a factor" in the NFL
moving its 2005 college player draft
away from Cablevision-owned Theater at Madison Square Garden
to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
, ending a 10-year run of the event at MSG. (The NFL moved the Draft to another Cablevision-controlled property, Radio City Music Hall
, in 2006.)
were also displeased, because they had tried for many years to build a stadium on virtually the same site before conceding defeat and reaching a deal to build a new stadium
and remain in the Bronx.
(MTA), which originally negotiated privately with the Jets without seeking other possible buyers. After Cablevision presented a rival proposal for West Side development without a stadium, public sentiment against an apparent no-bid contract
for the Jets prompted the MTA to establish an open bidding process for the site. There were three bids, from the Jets, from Cablevision and from Transgas, a power company. On March 31, 2005, the MTA board voted to accept the bid from the Jets, even though the Cablevision offer included more cash up front. Attorneys for Cablevision announced that they would file suit to challenge the decision, and many other media outlets lambasted the MTA's decision as simply doing Governor Pataki's bidding rather than accepting a plan that would best serve the public.
suggested another location in Queens
, which has large open spaces and is home to other sports facilities such as Shea Stadium
(the former home of the Jets), as a possible alternative site for a stadium, but the Jets said that any site other than the West Side would be no better than remaining in New Jersey.
Two components of the stadium plan ($300 million in state funding and the MTA's transfer of the land) were subject to the approval of the state's Public Authorities Control Board. The Board's approval could be given only on a unanimous vote of its three members, who were representatives of New York State Assembly
Speaker Sheldon Silver
, New York State Senate
Majority Leader Joseph Bruno
, and Pataki. On June 6, 2005, although Pataki's representative voted in favor, Silver and Bruno directed their representatives to abstain on the vote, thus denying the needed approval and scuttling the proposal.
ballpark, Citi Field, as the centerpiece to the Olympic bid, but the 2012 games were eventually awarded to London
.
starting in December 2010.
After the West Side Stadium proposal was rejected, the Jets entered into a 50/50 partnership with the Giants to build a new stadium in East Rutherford to replace Giants Stadium. MetLife Stadium opened in 2010 and will host Super Bowl XLVIII
in 2014.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
to be built on a platform over the rail yards
West Side Yard
The West Side Yard is a rail yard owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the west side of Manhattan in New York City...
on the West Side
West Side (Manhattan)
The West Side of Manhattan refers to the side of Manhattan Island which abuts the Hudson River and faces New Jersey. Fifth Avenue, Central Park, and lower Broadway separate it from the East Side. The major neighborhoods on the West Side are West Harlem, Morningside Heights, Manhattan Valley, Upper...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
The arena would have been an all-weather facility with a retractable roof
Retractable roof
A retractable roof is a kinetic architectural element used in many sports venues, in which a roof made of a suitable material can readily be mechanically deployed from some retracted or open position into a closed or extended position that completely covers the field of play and spectator areas...
, allowing it to be used as either a 200000 square feet (18,580.6 m²) indoor convention hall, or an 85,000 seat (75,000 post-Olympics) indoor/outdoor sporting event stadium. It was to be the new home for the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, who at the time of the proposal played at Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
in East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
and were junior tenants to the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The stadium was to have served as the centerpiece of New York's bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but, after heated debate, the proposal was defeated a month before the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
was to make its decision.
The site was to link the transportation, hotel and business hub centered on Herald Square
Herald Square
Herald Square is formed by the intersection of Broadway, Sixth Avenue and 34th Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Named for the New York Herald, a now-defunct newspaper formerly headquartered there, it also gives its name to the surrounding area...
and Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
with the Jacob J. Javits Convention Center. It was promoted by New York Governor George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
, and Congressman Charles Rangel, but opposed by most of the local elected officials representing the area. The centerpiece of the city's bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
, the stadium would have been part of a larger project to revitalize
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
a long-underdeveloped area, including an expansion of the Javits Center and the 7 Subway Extension
7 Subway Extension
The 7 Subway Extension — Hudson Yards Rezoning and Development Program is the plan to extend the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway, which carries the 7 train service, westward from its current terminus at Times Square, adding one new station at 34th Street – Eleventh Avenue...
. It was going to host Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of...
in 2010 along with a college bowl game with a Big East team to be known as the Big Apple Bowl.
Public funds
The stadium proved highly controversial because it would have been a major construction project requiring public financingSubsidy
A subsidy is an assistance paid to a business or economic sector. Most subsidies are made by the government to producers or distributors in an industry to prevent the decline of that industry or an increase in the prices of its products or simply to encourage it to hire more labor A subsidy (also...
. Though many of its opponents supported the larger West Side development program, they questioned the economic benefit of a stadium which would have spent much of its time unused, as well as the general premise of subsidizing a football team which generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for a private owner. Opponents felt that the budget could be better spent on mixed-use facilities. Supporters of the stadium said the cost to the city (over $1 billion) was an investment and would create thousands of jobs and billions in commercial revenue for the area, perhaps leading to increased tax revenue that could be used for vital infrastructure. However, powerful city unions, including the Uniformed Firefighters Association
Uniformed Firefighters Association
The Uniformed Firefighters Association is the main union of firefighters in the Fire Department of New York .Its president is Stephen J. Cassidy, a vocal critic of mayor Rudy Giuliani's decisions during the Rescue and recovery effort after the September 11, 2001 attacks.The union has made several...
and the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association
Patrolmen's Benevolent Association
Patrolmen's Benevolent Association or Policemen's Benevolent Association ' is the name of several labor unions representing police officers. One such union is the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association of the City of New York, which is the largest union representing members of the New York City Police...
, argued that the inevitable tax-breaks for the stadium's developers would cut sharply into State funds that should instead have gone to salary increases.
Mixed opinion
Public opinion was mixed. Some citizens of New York, New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
were in favor of the stadium because they wanted the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
to be held in New York City. In order to host the Olympics, cities typically must build modern stadiums and prove to the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
that they have the resources to support the event.
But many Manhattan and West Side residents did not want the hassle, traffic congestion, and resource drain that the Olympics would inevitably bring to the already overcrowded city. The New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
reported that 59% of New Yorkers were not in favor of holding the Olympics in New York at all. In December 2004, the commuter advocacy groups Straphangers Campaign
Straphangers Campaign
The Straphangers Campaign is a New York City-based transit interest group that critiques the operations and planning activities of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority and especially that agency's affiliate, New York City Transit, operator of the city's huge subway and bus system...
and Tri-State Transportation Campaign
Tri-State Transportation Campaign
The Tri-State Transportation Campaign is a non-profit advocacy and policy organization dedicated to reducing car and truck dependency and promoting a "more balanced, environmentally sound and equitable transportation network" in downstate New York, New Jersey and Connecticut...
filed a lawsuit which challenged the city's estimate that 70% of stadium patrons would use mass transit or arrive on foot instead of driving. Many Jets fans wanted the stadium built, no matter what the cost.
The stadium was also notably opposed by Cablevision, the sixth-largest cable television company in the United States and the owner of Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
(MSG)—home to the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
—and the MSG Network
MSG Network
The MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
, which broadcasts most of those teams' games. A major new sports venue, particularly one on the West Side of Manhattan where MSG is located, would compete directly with MSG and thereby hamper the older venue's ability to secure concerts and other events. Cablevision went so far as to make a $600 million offer to redevelop the stadium site for housing and office space, and joined another lawsuit alleging that the city's environmental study was inaccurate. Cablevision's stance against the stadium proposal was cited as "a factor" in the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
moving its 2005 college player draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
away from Cablevision-owned Theater at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is a large convention center located on Eleventh Avenue, between 34th and 38th streets, on the West side of Manhattan in New York City. It was designed by architects I. M. Pei and partners. The revolutionary space frame structure was undertaken in 1979 and...
, ending a 10-year run of the event at MSG. (The NFL moved the Draft to another Cablevision-controlled property, Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
, in 2006.)
Television ads
The controversy spawned a political ad war on local television, with rival campaigns financed by the owners of the Jets and Cablevision. Proponents of the stadium said that the opposition ran deceptive television and radio ads claiming that a large multi-organizational coalition opposes the stadium, while many of these ads were funded by Cablevision. Cablevision said that it was presenting arguments other groups had actually made and that it was within its legal rights in refusing to run advertisements supportive of the stadium on its local cable systems, while running many ads critical of it.Yankees
The New York YankeesNew York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
were also displeased, because they had tried for many years to build a stadium on virtually the same site before conceding defeat and reaching a deal to build a new stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
and remain in the Bronx.
Bidding
The rail yards are owned by the Metropolitan Transportation AuthorityMetropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
(MTA), which originally negotiated privately with the Jets without seeking other possible buyers. After Cablevision presented a rival proposal for West Side development without a stadium, public sentiment against an apparent no-bid contract
No-bid contract
The term "no-bid contract" is a popular phrase for what is officially known as a "sole source contract". A sole source contract implies that there is only one person or company that can provide the contractual services needed, and any attempt to obtain bids would only result in one person or...
for the Jets prompted the MTA to establish an open bidding process for the site. There were three bids, from the Jets, from Cablevision and from Transgas, a power company. On March 31, 2005, the MTA board voted to accept the bid from the Jets, even though the Cablevision offer included more cash up front. Attorneys for Cablevision announced that they would file suit to challenge the decision, and many other media outlets lambasted the MTA's decision as simply doing Governor Pataki's bidding rather than accepting a plan that would best serve the public.
Politics
The stadium issue was also a political issue, as 2005 was an election year. Some individuals, most notably mayoral candidate Anthony WeinerAnthony D. Weiner
Anthony David Weiner is a former U.S. Representative who served from January 1999 until June 2011. A Democrat, Weiner held the seat previously occupied by Democrat Charles Schumer and won seven terms, never receiving less than 59 percent of the vote...
suggested another location in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, which has large open spaces and is home to other sports facilities such as Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
(the former home of the Jets), as a possible alternative site for a stadium, but the Jets said that any site other than the West Side would be no better than remaining in New Jersey.
Two components of the stadium plan ($300 million in state funding and the MTA's transfer of the land) were subject to the approval of the state's Public Authorities Control Board. The Board's approval could be given only on a unanimous vote of its three members, who were representatives of New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
Speaker Sheldon Silver
Sheldon Silver
Sheldon "Shelly" Silver is an American lawyer and Democratic politician from New York. He has held the office of Speaker of the New York State Assembly since 1994.- Personal life :...
, New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
Majority Leader Joseph Bruno
Joseph Bruno
Joseph L. Bruno is an American businessman, and Republican politician. He was the Temporary President of the New York State Senate and its majority leader. Most recently he also served as Lieutenant Governor of New York ....
, and Pataki. On June 6, 2005, although Pataki's representative voted in favor, Silver and Bruno directed their representatives to abstain on the vote, thus denying the needed approval and scuttling the proposal.
Olympic decision
Also on June 6, the International Olympic Committee released an evaluation of each city's bid, in which it noted that the New York City bid could not guarantee that the stadium would be available. With the defeat of the West Side Stadium plan, Mayor Bloomberg and the New York 2012 campaign shifted their focus to the construction of a new MetsNew York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
ballpark, Citi Field, as the centerpiece to the Olympic bid, but the 2012 games were eventually awarded to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Aftermath
In reaction to the state representatives' decision to reject the stadium's funding, the NFL decided on August 11 to reopen the bidding for the game site of Super Bowl XLIV. The eventual winner was Sun Life Stadium. The proposed college football bowl game (now called the Pinstripe Bowl) is played annually at Yankee StadiumYankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
starting in December 2010.
After the West Side Stadium proposal was rejected, the Jets entered into a 50/50 partnership with the Giants to build a new stadium in East Rutherford to replace Giants Stadium. MetLife Stadium opened in 2010 and will host Super Bowl XLVIII
Super Bowl XLVIII
Super Bowl XLVIII will be the 48th edition of the Super Bowl in American football, and the 44th annual championship game of the modern-era National Football League . It will be held on February 2, 2014 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey...
in 2014.
See also
- Barclays Center, a proposed sports, business, and residential complex over the MTA's Atlantic Yards
- MetLife Stadium, current stadium for the New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... - New York City mayoral election, 2005New York City mayoral election, 2005The New York City mayoral election of 2005 occurred on Tuesday November 8, 2005, with incumbent Republican mayor Michael Bloomberg soundly defeating former Bronx borough president Fernando Ferrer, the Democratic nominee. They also faced several third party candidates.This was the fourth straight...
where the proposed stadium was a crucial issue
External links
- A Stadium Story - Documentary Chronicling The Clash Over The West Side Stadium
- Another site speculating on the stadium
- List of stadium supporters
- Cablevision web page
- "Jets and Rivals Increase Bids for Railyards" New York Times, March 22, 2005
- "Gang greenbacks" New York Daily News, March 22, 2005