The fate of the Jets stadium, the centrepiece of New York’s bid for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, may still be unresolved before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decides on the host city for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, but there could be hope on the horizon.
The New York Jets are launching a major campaign Monday to convince key state officials that the proposed $1.9 billion West Side stadium will create thousands of permanent jobs, reports the New York Daily News.
The campaign, called “Vote Yes For Jobs”, is aimed at getting a three-member state panel to back the stadium in an upcoming vote.
The newspaper quotes a source close to the campaign saying, “the Jets and their coalition of supporters are launching this campaign because a vote ‘yes’ on May 18 means thousands of permanent jobs as early as 2009 and millions in new economic revenue from a 2010 Super Bowl, neither of which can happen without swift approval of the project”.
It would also give New York’s bid for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games a big boost.
The Public Authorities Control Board, a three-member state panel, is slated to vote on the stadium May 18 and must approve the project unanimously.
The campaign is to be unveiled Monday by Jets President Jay Cross and a broad coalition of elected officials and labour leaders at New York city hall. It features a Web site, www.voteforjobs.com, and a letter writing campaign.
As part of the campaign the team will add a tag line to TV ads already airing telling viewers to urge the three panel members, including New York Governor George Pataki, to “vote yes” on May 18th.
Also, the president of the Building Trades Construction Council will launch a radio ad urging workers to turn out for a rally on the steps of the state capitol on May 17.
