News of the Arroyo
Title: | Anti-NFL faction targets Madison |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2005-06-02 |
Summary: | June 2, 2005 - The West Pasadena Residents Association is turning up the heat on Councilman Steve Madison in an effort to get him to cast the swing vote on the National Football League Rose Bowl bid. |
Author: | Gene Maddaus, Staff Writer |
Publication: | Pasadena Star News |
Content: | Subhead: \"Councilman seen as swing vote on Rose Bowl impact report\" Wednesday, June 01, 2005 - PASADENA -- Political mailers targeting Councilman Steve Madison were delivered Wednesday to some 9,000 homes in West Pasadena, as neighborhood activists attempt to convince Madison to vote against bringing the NFL to the Rose Bowl. The mailers ask \"Is the NFL worth it? NO!\' and \"Is our city council member selling us out?\' They were financed by Save South Orange Grove, an anti-development group. Similar mailers will go out today to targeted households in the districts of Councilmen Victor Gordo and Paul Little. Those mailers were paid for by the West Pasadena Residents\' Association. Madison, and to a lesser extent Gordo and Little, are seen as the likeliest swing votes who could halt the NFL bid at Monday night\'s City Council meeting. The environmental impact report, a prerequisite to the deal to bring professional football to the Rose Bowl, was approved by a 5-3 vote two weeks ago. Little, Madison and Gordo voted in favor. Opponents fear the deal itself also will be approved Monday by the same 5-3 vote. A 4-4 vote would kill the deal. \"Steve Madison intends to sell us out Monday,\' said Mike Vogler, executive director of Save South Orange Grove. \"The purpose of the mailer is to encourage every constituent in his district to call him and make him vote no.\' The mailers, which cost several thousand dollars to produce and distribute, went to all registered voters in Madison\'s council district. \"If it\'s Save South Orange Grove, I don\'t pay any attention to it at all,\' Madison said. \"As near as I can tell, Save South Orange Grove is not a real organization. It\'s a front for a partisan political agenda.\' SSOG and WPRA got technical assistance from Martin Truitt, a Republican political consultant who has worked on several school board campaigns. Over the weekend, Truitt reserved the Internet domain name \"recallstevemadison.com .\' The site has little content at the moment, but Truitt said it could be used after Monday\'s meeting if enough supporters can be found for a recall drive. The SSOG mailer depicts a construction crane working on a football stadium, above the caption \"eyesore,\' as well as pictures of traffic jams and empty beer bottles. Another picture shows a girl playing soccer and is titled \"parks closed to kids.\' The WPRA uses similar imagery in a mailer sent to 3,500 likely voters in the districts of Little and Gordo. The mailer, titled \"Sad Girl,\' shows a girl seated on a field with a soccer ball and concludes: \"The NFL just isn\'t worth it.\' The WPRA is also making automated phone calls to Madison\'s council district, urging residents to call Madison\'s council office and tell him to vote against the NFL. Fred Register, a political consultant who has worked for Madison and is a member of the Friends of the Rose Bowl, said the NFL opponents\' strategy could backfire. \"In my experience it\'s not usually a smart idea to send things out attacking people while you\'re waiting for their vote,\' Register said. Little said that the WPRA is \"not held in high esteem\' by his constituents. \"People in District 2 think they whine over little issues,\' he said. \"(Voters) are incredibly resentful over their influence on decisions.\' Madison said he had received hundreds of e-mails Tuesday alone, which leaned heavily against the NFL deal. The WPRA sent out a two-page letter over the weekend to District 6 voters, urging them to call and e-mail Madison. \"If it generates input from my constituents that is genuine and individual in nature, it\'s really helpful to me,\' Madison said. The WPRA also urged residents to donate to the \"Arroyo Protection Fund.\' Pasadena Heritage and the WPRA are thought to be preparing to sue the city if the NFL deal is approved on Monday. Pasadena Heritage has hired a Northern California lawyer who specializes in environmental litigation, and has raised nearly $25,000 for legal and other expenses. Gene Maddaus can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4444, or by e-mail at gene.maddaus@sgvn.com . |
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