I sent this out to my advisory committee yesterday. It feels very appropriate to share with the people of this site as well. A lot of great friends on this site. Hope we all get together at a game one day.
Friends and Colleagues,
I want to apologize for the lack of recent communication. Our organization has been extremely sensitive to the ongoing negotiations between Chris Hansen and the Seattle City Council. It has seemed inappropriate as a third party to contribute to the public speculation any more than we have to.
Please do not take this silence as a sign that we have not been active. In recent months, ArenaSolution Advisory Committee members have met with both City and County Council members to advocate the proposal. Several members have engaged with Chris Hansen and his team to provide individual support to his efforts. Most importantly, a large number have lived up to the committee's name by providing much appreciated advice, information and valuable counsel. I cannot stress strongly enough how much I have benefited from this advice. It has made a huge difference.
Today, ArenaSolution will host a table at Attorney General Candidate Bob Ferguson's campaign luncheon. Bob voted in favor of our arena while his opponent Reagan Dunn voted against it. I will be joined by one of our founders (and great political strategist) Dean Nielsen as well as some friends from the Seattle Nightlife and Music Association. We expect other great political allies like County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes to be in attendance. Legislative candidate Noel Frame, who came out in written support of the arena may also attend. Noel is running against Gael Tarleton, who has been one of the most significant opponents of the arena. Later this evening, I will also be speaking at the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish County about our efforts.
I want to take a moment to sincerely thank you all. Because of each member's willingness to contribute based on their available time and resources, we have cumulatively made a substantial difference in this process.
• ArenaSolution has become a recognized source for education and news on the arena issue
• Our strong display of community wide support has been recognized by politicians at all levels
• Our pragmatic messaging and forward facing philosophy has substantially influenced both the political and media reaction to the NBA's return
ArenaSolution was formed because we felt that a strong independent advocacy group was a necessary component in getting this done. As a stakeholder who is not bound to or paid by any of the participants, we can engage and support a variety of stakeholders including Hansen's group, the city, and the county as well as labor organizations and other interested parties. Over the last several months we have done so with a lot of credibility because of our commitment to the organizations core mission and established values.
We continue to receive a lot of acknowledgement for the difference we have made. The participants at the highest level really have noticed and they say thank you often.
Thank you to all of you who continue to give what you can to this cause. Whether it is simply lending your name, lending me your ear and advice or some greater form of contribution you are still very much appreciated. We have had good people contributing to our strategy, messaging and decision making.
This is not done yet. Lets close it out together. If you have ideas about how you or your network can help with ArenaSolution or contribute to Chris Hansen's cause, please send me an e-mail and see if we can make it happen.
Best regards,
Brian Robinson
President