The Public Authorities Board (PACB) has once again postponed a meeting and a vote on the West Side Stadium which would be New York’s 2012 Olympic Stadium if New York wins the bid for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, reports Newsday.
Senate Majority leader Joseph Bruno, one of three members of the board who has a vote on whether the PACB should approve a $300 million commitment of state funding for the stadium, said at a press conference less than an hour before the scheduled meeting that he would not vote in favour of the plan and that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, another voting member, was also still opposed.
Dan Doctoroff, founder of NYC2012 and deputy mayor of New York said, “we have, as they (IOC) pointed out, really one liability and that liability is thus far our inability to deliver a guaranteed done Olympic stadium”.
Earlier, sources close to Silver told NY 1 that without a major change in negotiations he would likely vote “no”. Sources also said Bruno was expected to abstain.
There was also a report in the New York Sun Monday that according to officials Silver and Bruno were considering introducing a resolution at the meeting today calling for the stadium to be built in Queens instead.
The New York Times reports that earlier Monday Bruno had said he was willing to have the state board approve the stadium funding contingent on the IOC approving New York City’s bid at its July 6 site selection session in Singapore.
Bruno said negotiations might continue beyond Monday reports the Times. He said, “who knows what tomorrow or next week brings”.
