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The battle over the Portland Trail Blazers' nearly $600 million Moda Center renovation has played out for months between team executives and local government officials.
Now, it's apparently entering the influencer era.
With Portland City Council preparing for another important vote in the arena negotiations, a coalition supporting the renovation has paid four local figures to publicly advocate for the project.
According to Alissa Gary of The Oregonian, comedian Ian Karmel, writer Ashtyn Butuso, Deadstock Coffee founder Ian Williams and shoe store owner Troy Douglass were compensated to post videos supporting the renovation effort.
The posts were made in partnership with We Are Rip City, a coalition of local businesses and organizations advocating for public investment in Moda Center, and included the "#warcpartner" disclosure.
Karmel's message was particularly direct.
"I believe there's a very real chance the Portland Trail Blazers will leave Portland if we don't get the Moda Center renovated," Karmel said, via The Oregonian.
Karmel later said he would've advocated for the project without compensation and planned to donate what he received. The payment was described as a "standard creator fee."
The paid campaign arrives during an important stretch in the ongoing arena negotiations.
The state of Oregon has already committed $365 million in bonding toward Moda Center and surrounding Rose Quarter improvements, while Portland officials have been considering a contribution of up to $120 million toward the project.
Multnomah County took another step Thursday, advancing a framework that would allow the county to contribute up to $101.6 million.
None of that means the nearly $600 million renovation is officially funded.
The county's framework isn't a final funding agreement, and Portland City Council still has its own decision approaching.
Councilors are scheduled to vote Aug. 12 on a non-binding term sheet that would establish a framework for continued negotiations with the Blazers.
That comes after the council declined to approve 19 proposed amendments to the term sheet Thursday, leaving another opportunity for changes when the document returns for its scheduled vote.
The negotiations are about much more than simply renovating the 31-year-old Moda Center.
Portland and the Blazers are attempting to reach a new long-term agreement that would keep the franchise playing in the city well beyond the expiration of its current lease in 2030.
And after months of negotiations, public testimony, proposed amendments and disagreement between the parties involved, the campaign surrounding the arena is apparently expanding beyond government meetings.
Now, some recognizable Portland voices are getting involved, too.
Continue reading...
Now, it's apparently entering the influencer era.
With Portland City Council preparing for another important vote in the arena negotiations, a coalition supporting the renovation has paid four local figures to publicly advocate for the project.
According to Alissa Gary of The Oregonian, comedian Ian Karmel, writer Ashtyn Butuso, Deadstock Coffee founder Ian Williams and shoe store owner Troy Douglass were compensated to post videos supporting the renovation effort.
The posts were made in partnership with We Are Rip City, a coalition of local businesses and organizations advocating for public investment in Moda Center, and included the "#warcpartner" disclosure.
Karmel's message was particularly direct.
"I believe there's a very real chance the Portland Trail Blazers will leave Portland if we don't get the Moda Center renovated," Karmel said, via The Oregonian.
Karmel later said he would've advocated for the project without compensation and planned to donate what he received. The payment was described as a "standard creator fee."
The paid campaign arrives during an important stretch in the ongoing arena negotiations.
The state of Oregon has already committed $365 million in bonding toward Moda Center and surrounding Rose Quarter improvements, while Portland officials have been considering a contribution of up to $120 million toward the project.
Multnomah County took another step Thursday, advancing a framework that would allow the county to contribute up to $101.6 million.
None of that means the nearly $600 million renovation is officially funded.
The county's framework isn't a final funding agreement, and Portland City Council still has its own decision approaching.
Councilors are scheduled to vote Aug. 12 on a non-binding term sheet that would establish a framework for continued negotiations with the Blazers.
That comes after the council declined to approve 19 proposed amendments to the term sheet Thursday, leaving another opportunity for changes when the document returns for its scheduled vote.
The negotiations are about much more than simply renovating the 31-year-old Moda Center.
Portland and the Blazers are attempting to reach a new long-term agreement that would keep the franchise playing in the city well beyond the expiration of its current lease in 2030.
And after months of negotiations, public testimony, proposed amendments and disagreement between the parties involved, the campaign surrounding the arena is apparently expanding beyond government meetings.
Now, some recognizable Portland voices are getting involved, too.
Continue reading...
