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Oklahoma City "MAPS for Millonaires" Let's get priorities in order
by Marcus Evans
Evans is director of the Dorothy Day Center, a food pantry located at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Oklahoma City, and operations manager of TheArchbishop Oscar Romero Catholic Worker Community. He can be reached at marcus_tresa@msn.com.
The city of Oklahoma City, the chamber of commerce and the local millionaires who purchased Seattle's Supersonics NBA team are
asking us to vote on a 1-cent sales tax to support improvements to the Ford Center, which will ensure our city a spot in the "big leagues.”
The pressing concerns I have with the proposal are the means by which Oklahoma City acquires this team and the burdens forced upon the most underprivileged of our community through this acquisition.
It seems unconscionable to provide millions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize a millionaire's private for-profit company while burdening the marginalized of our community with a regressive sales tax that doesn't support their concerns.
What Oklahoma City needs most is not an NBA team subsidized by taxpayer money, which will bring in minimum- and low-wage restaurant and entertainment jobs. If city government wants to place another sales tax on the ballot, then the city should first propose capital projects that have a positive effect on the quality of life of all our citizens.
Early in 2007, the city launched a Web site asking citizens to suggest ideas for the upcoming MAPS 3 vote. The most suggested idea was a much-improved mass transit system for Oklahoma City. Ideas included light and commuter rail, modern streetcars, improved bus service and bus rapid transit. Only 81 survey suggestions referenced the Ford Center or a sports franchise. Citizens made 668 suggestions about mass transit. Ford Center/sports franchise suggestions trailed city beautification, parks improvements, sidewalks and bicycle trails.
After publication of the survey results, discussions began within the pages of The Oklahoman by chamber of commerce officials, labor, environmental and social justice organizations. Indeed, improving the mass transit system was a major point in Mayor Mick Cornett's 2007 State of the City address.
How does a 1-cent sales tax supporting improvements to the Ford Center serve the common good when daily we are paying $3 a gallon for gasoline and pass unsheltered bus stops while the poorest of our community sit and wait on an inadequate transit system to transport them to their minimum-wage job?
The answer city leaders and the chamber give the citizens is to place a $121 million taxpayer-funded incentive on the ballot to assist a private, for-profit business.
Notice how quickly the chamber appeals to the "market forces” when the issue is increasing the minimum wage, ensuring a living wage or employee collective bargaining rights. But now it is asking the taxpayers to support a private for-profit business. We are told this is a referendum on whether the city wants an NBAteam. If Oklahoma City needs, can support or wants an NBA team, then let the "market forces” work and we will see if we get a team.
We have asked for substantial changes to a city service that will make Oklahoma City sustainable, progressive and attractive to business.
Let's wait on the Ford Center improvements until after we take care of this basic city services.
