Lot being made of the final PR hits being taken by and against the Port of Seattle in their unsubstantiated claims that this arena will put them out of business.
Reports from both council and @SonicsArena that ongoing negotiations are moving positively. There is substantial hope that we get a positive resolution next week. Nobody is leaking details of the ongoing negotiations and that is a really good thing.
So should we be encouraged by the positive dialogue or worried about the smear campaign?
The answer is of course BOTH.
We have to remain encouraged but also really be aware that the Port has a much easier job than we do. It is easier to block something than it is to get approval of something. they have a simple goal right now. STALL.
My big concern right now is that the city council decides at the last minute that they are going to try to have their cake and eat it too. That they will decide that they intend to support the arena, but want to cater to the Port by showing due process and delaying the decision as a way to show they take the concerns seriously. They will say to themselves "What is the harm in it? We'll build the drama further, make it harder for the port to attack our decision, and maybe get a little more from everybody in this deal?"
If they do so they are taking an unacceptable risk. Pushing this past next week opens it up for another 2 weeks of Max Vekich and ILWU to put lies in the newspaper. It opens up the door for further delays which could be endless. We need to be ready for a strong reaction in the event that they start asking for more time. They got the time. They need to close this deal.