Soccer City seems to be slowly disintegrating. Public support for Soccer City has shrunk considerably since May. In the meantime, the NASL has placed a professional soccer franchise in San Diego ready to play in 2018. Does San Diego need two professional soccer teams? No. Will San Diego support two professional soccer teams? No. No is the exact point made by Kevin Acee’s criticism of San Diego (politicians, business people, voters, citizens, elderly, disabled, students, surfers and pet owners) from his 6/19/17 UT article, yet Mr. Acee found his uncomfortable truth in the word, “No”. Mr. Acee needs to stop grappling with political reality as well as wishing on a star that MSL will “wait to add more teams” in the hope that Soccer City will win enough votes November, 2018. No.
Mr. Acee’s comparing the Chargers hemming and hawing for years to the city council’s denial of a special election equates with comparing the Civil War to pushing and shoving. His claim that “we’re a joke” is nonsense. The citizens of San Diego know a tilted political favor when they see one. FS Investors was all too cozy with the mayor’s office as evidenced by a 3,000 page document (Soccer City) that not a soul in the mayor’s office read from the first page to the last page. Elected officials and staff need to make the time to understand what they agree to place on expensive special election ballots. Not having time to read a War and Peace sized document does not meet the challenge of effective public stewardship. Special elections are not doled out as praise for a job not done.
Mr. Acee writes, “But, dang, this city just won’t get out of its own way when it comes to accomplishing anything.” Perhaps Mr. Acee could lead the charge on behalf of SDSU in building and/or renovating the Q as well as the creation of SDSU West in Mission Valley so that the largest CSU campus in the state can accommodate 50,000 students by 2030? Perhaps?
Again, when he invokes the Chargers in comparison to Soccer City woes with “The Chargers could have gotten something done here”, Mr. Acee inadvertently points to the problem that is Soccer City: Much like Dean Spanos, who wanted everything for nothing, so to does Soccer City see an old-fashioned land grab at minimal expense to themselves as a legitimate method of developing the last piece of sizable land in San Diego without the challenge of competing ideas. Soccer City reeks of overbuilding, uncertain promises and Charger game day traffic seven days a week forever.
Mr. Acee disingenuously wrings his hands with the concern “. . . how long it will be before we get an alternative plan up and running at last. At least.” Please. San Diego State University is engaged in presenting its vision with or without partners. Also, other San Diego based development groups want to participate in the request for proposal process to compete against FS Investors (who seemingly seek to avoid competition). Plenty of options from interested parties will be ready for public vetting by summer’s end.
Finally, as this piece began with the word “no”, I end with “yes’ on behalf of San Diego and SDSU West.
tipmypitch 