As reported by Greg Johns in the Seattle PI, the settlement between the City of Seattle and the PBC (Bennett) has been postponed from yesterday 8/6/08, until after the deadline to gather signatures for a referendum to stop the city. Signature deadline is 8/15/08, and the person promoting the idea is shocked that he is not getting free help from SaveOurSonics.
Deadline extended in Sonics accord
By GREG JOHNS
P-I REPORTER
Attorneys for the city of Seattle and Clay Bennett's Professional Basketball Club agreed Wednesday to extend the deadline for completing the settlement agreement that allowed the Sonics to end their KeyArena lease and move to Oklahoma City.
The PBC and city initially set an Aug. 1 date to wrap up their July 3 settlement, but now have asked Judge Marsha Pechman to extend that to Aug. 18. Additionally, Pechman's original Order of Dismissal listed Aug. 6 as the deadline to reopen the case. That date now would be Aug. 25.
The additional time is needed in part because of the possibility of a voters' referendum on the City Council's approval of the settlement. Private citizens have until Aug. 15 to file 15,000 signatures that would put the council's decision to end the lease to a public vote in Seattle, an issue brought up in mid-July by activist Jordan Brower.However, Brower said Wednesday he was stunned that he received no support from the Save Our Sonics organization concerning such a petition and expects the issue to die without financial and political backing from that group.
Save Our Sonics leaders prefer to work with Mayor Greg Nickels and his efforts to pursue KeyArena financing in the Legislature.
"They don't want to upset the apple cart," Brower said. "I think they're misguided. My whole point was to give Sonics fans a voice. But unless they want to kick in and do the rest, I'm not going to make the numbers."
Also, Bennett fears the truth.
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If this thread vanishes I find and post links to these stories on my blog.
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