Field of Schemes new post Hansen: NBA arena deserves public aid because "basketball is a performance art"

SeattlePI.com has more on Chris Hansen's testimony before the Seattle city council yesterday, albeit in an article that presents Hansen as "setting the record straight" on his arena deal. (The P-I looks to be taking on the role of defender of the arena deal, as opposed to the more skeptical Seattle Times; check out this blog post from Monday.) And some city councilmembers, it turns out, did ask Hansen about money issues:

• Asked why he needs city and county bonds to help raise funds for the arena, Hansen replied that it's "needed to make the project financially viable" (in the P-I's paraphrase) and that because the city would get tax revenues from an arena, "You should have some skin in the game. It's fair."
• Asked why the county should throw in an extra $75 million if Hansen lands an NHL team in addition to an NBA team, Hansen replied that an NHL team would bring in more tax money for the county, but he'd be happy enough filling those dates with concerts and other events.
• Basketball should get funding like other arts projects, because "Basketball is a performance art."
• Asked by councilmember Richard Conlin whether he'd then consider running his team as a non-profit, like many arts organizations that get public help, Hanson said no, but that an NBA team deserves different treatment from the typical for-profit because "They don't have people opening up the sports page every day."

If this was the best Hansen could muster, it wasn't exactly a standout performance, as some of it doesn't make sense (the NHL would bring in more tax revenue, but filling those dates with concerts wouldn't?) and the rest comes off more as spin than as a substantive reassurance that this deal will benefit the city. I'd have much rather seen some answers about the details of Hansen's calculations that the public will gain more in tax benefits than it will give up in arena funding: How much of arena spending would be cannibalized from elsewhere in the city? Elsewhere in the county? What, if anything, would happen to property taxes citywide if an arena were sited in SoDo? Maybe next hearing...

from Field of Schemes http://www.fieldofschemes.com/news/archives/2012/06/4988_hansen_nba_aren.html