THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORTLAND - Some Oregon politicians are hoping the Montreal Exposwill relocate to Portland, but others say the state can't afford theteam while it's still tussling with a big budget deficit.
'They're looking for corporate welfare from the state of Oregon,'said state Sen. Lenn Hannon, R-Ashland. 'They can seek their welfarefrom somewhere else.'
Officials in Portland and the Washington, D.C., area werecontacted last week as major league baseball considers relocating theExpos. The team is the collective property of league owners, who wantto sell it and move to another city by the 2004 season.
The Expos, plagued by poor attendance, are planning to play 22games in Puerto Rico next season.
Portland Mayor Vera Katz said she would get 'directly involved'with any effort to bring the team to the city and would revive astadium financing bill.
Katz said she would work with the Oregon Sports Authority afterthe holidays to bring the Expos to Portland and persuade theLegislature to approve the financing - all by Major League Baseball's'soft' deadline of late February.
But she emphasized the cost would be a key factor.
'I've said loud and clear we will not sacrifice city services,'Katz said.
State Sen. Ryan Deckert, D-Beaverton, who spearheaded an effort tobring a team to Oregon in 2001, said he would lead a similar fightwhen the 2003 Legislature opens Jan. 13.
Deckert said he has met with baseball backers the last few daysand the proposal would be the same as the one that fell short in 2001- a revenue bond backed by income taxes to be paid by future majorleaguers in Portland.
Any use of other taxpayer money is 'not in the cards,' Deckertadded.
Deckert argued the proposal would result in a net gain for thestate budget because the jobs created by the stadium constructionproject would boost income tax revenue in a state that dependsheavily on personal and corporate income taxes.
Drew Mahalic, CEO of the Oregon Sports Authority, said thestrategy for the local government stadium share is the same as at thestate level: floating bonds to pay for upfront costs, then usingtaxes and fees generated by the stadium and the team to pay the long-term debt.
But Mahalic said the estimated $350 million ballpark proposal byPortland Baseball Group President Steve Kanter was premature. 'That'sdefinitely putting the cart before the horse,' Mahalic said.
The recruiting effort would stand a better chance if it was backedby a wealthy investor, supporters say, but attempts to attract a bigcorporate name have failed in the past.
