Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch's Proposition OK'd by Michigan Senate -NHL Update
The Detroit Red Wings are one of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) most followed teams and keeping that in mind, the Michigan State Senate has OK’d team owner, Mike Ilitch’s proposal on Wednesday, December 5, 2012, of using tax money to help him build a new hockey league.
Plans to build a new multiuse centre was proposed by the Detroit Red Wings owner earlier this week, which has a total cost of $650 million and according to him, would be beneficial to the area for years to come.
Ilitch sought nearly $13 million in tax payer money to help finance the project which he believes will crowd the area and allow for more business opportunities and energize people that love and follow the game.
"From the time we bought the Fox Theatre, I could envision a downtown where the streets were bustling and people were energized," Ilitch said in a statement, according to Detroit News.
Senate Democratic leader, Gretchen Whitmer, on the other hand, strongly opposes the idea by terming it to use funds that would have been allocated for educational purposes.
"This is a direct subsidy by school kids to allow a billionaire to build a hockey arena," Whitmer said. "That's the Republican agenda we all know and love. ... It makes me sick. I hear my colleagues say, 'Oh, this is for Detroit and we're all in favor of Detroit now,' because one billionaire called you."
In another side of the story, Senate Majority Leader, Randy Richardville, regards the project to be one which would be extremely valuable to the economic situation of the state along with proving thousands of new jobs to the construction sector.
The bill was approved by a landslide majority in the State Senate with a 27-11 vote and is said to be finalized in the upcoming days before the current 2011-2012 session comes to an end.
For many, allowing a billionaire to use public money would not go around on good terms, which has been happening a lot recently around North America, but looking at the long term benefits, a city like Detroit which has been hit hard by the financial crisis, just may need something like this to help get it back on its feet.
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