The Browns want to build a new stadium in Brook Park. The powers-that-be in Cleveland are opposed to that plan.
Via WKYC.com, a new report commissioned by the city cautions that it will lose at least $30 million per year in economic output and roughly $11 million in annual tax revenue. Of the economic losses, $14 million relates to employee compensation, covering roughly 360 jobs.
It’s just the latest tune in the ongoing political dance between the Browns and Cleveland. Cleveland wants to keep the team in town, and the Browns want to move to Brook Park. It’s possible that the Browns are playing up the Brook Park project as a way to squeeze Cleveland to give the Browns the best financial deal possible for a new or renovated downtown venue.
The report is another piece of a predictable puzzle. It was prepared by Econsult Solutions, Inc. at the request of Squire Patton Boggs. That’s the law firm hired by the city to advance its interests.
And the city wants the Browns to stay put. So the lawyers found a consulting firm that would gladly accept payment in exchange for a report that says what the city needed it to say.
That’s not to say the consulting group didn’t provide an honest opinion. The reality is that good lawyers can find an expert consulting firm to support whatever conclusion needs to be supported. And Cleveland’s law firm of choice was wise to find a consulting firm that provided an opinion that meshed with the city’s broader objectives. After all, there are plenty of other law firms in Cleveland that could get it done, if the law firm Cleveland hired couldn’t.
Moving forward, remember to view every development through that lens. The Browns will push facts that support what the Browns want, and Cleveland will push facts that support what Cleveland wants.
At some point, a deal will get done. Whether it’s a good deal or a bad deal for the team or the city will depend on whether their hired guns do a good job or a bad job of building public support for their dueling positions.
