All right, Billy cunning in the Great American Welcome. This floor is Tuesday afternoon in the Tri State Reds Baseball believe it or not. Off today they have a three game set against the Houston but it's Monday, and then off today they're still in town and then Wednesday Thursday Business Special and Bengals of course starred on Sunday Jamar Chase. As of this a moment is not signed. We'll see
what happens down the road. But the person more or less in charge of the Bengals new stadium as far as the taxpayer contribution is Alisha Reese and she's joining you and I now this Tuesday afternoon. Alisha, welcome again to the Bill Cunningham Show. And there's been some reporting that you had a meeting with Governor Mike Dwine on Friday afternoon, and I would imagine this subject came up
of the state funding of the Bengals stadium. Can you tell the American people the results of that and where we go from here?
Yes, well, Willie, thanks for having me back on. It was started off as a rough day.
My Facebook page has been hacked and so I was dealing with that trying to get Mark Zuckerberg to shut this mess down. But then I said I had to go because I had to get to a meeting with the governor. And he came and met with myself. Jeff Aluno was in the meeting, our attorneys as well as his top folks from around the state that deals with
the budget and financing. And it was very important to us to have a meeting with the governor because you know, as you well know Cleveland, they had headlines saying Cleveland ownership and Cleveland folks were meeting elected officials as well. They're county folks meeting about the stadium in Cleveland. And coming from the state legislature where I serve for eight and a half years, I know that a lot of the money always goes up north and we get the crops.
And I said, wait a minute, we've got to get a meeting we're the governor, so that we can get to the table early and not be stuck with the crumbs. So anyway, I had a meeting with him on Friday. Of course, so what are the first things I talked to him about. I said, wait a minute, we've got to get these property taxes down. As you know, I've been trying to get him to put a freeze on property taxes so they can get it the reevaluation mess put together in the legislature. But I did tell them,
I said, I've been calling you. I've got to get these property taxes down. So that was the first thing I said. But then we talked about the Bengals Stadium belief that's going to be up in twenty twenty six. We're the first lease in the state that will be up before the Browns. But then also letting them know that we also have the RADS lease will be ten years right after that, and so we need to come with some type of funding model. We're the only deal in the.
Entire country that has a lease that is at.
Ninety five percent all the costs on the local taxpayers and only five percent on the ownership. There's no other deal in the country, and I don't even think they're offering those type of deals from what I've seen, and told them that we really got to work out of this because the average cost is about thirty three percent of local taxpayer money and the other that's what other states are doing.
But when you get to Cincinnati, where.
At ninety five percent, and we got a stadium that's that's in good shape, but as it gets older, you know, it's like an old car when you don't have the warranty. You certainly don't want the engine to go out, and you're stuck with repairing the engine, you know.
So we were able to.
Articulate that to him and also talk about like we're cut ahead of of what Cleveland's trying to do or what they potentially are proposing they're to propose.
You know, he said, well could you could you, you know, do a.
Tiff in the area. Well, they're going to the area they're looking at moving and going to an area that is underdeveloped. We're we're developing, have developed the banks, and we're using tiff dollars we've used on the.
Parking we also used.
Unfortunately, and I was not in favor of this, we took one of our tools off the table by giving away our hotel, motel tax, all of that going to uh the convention center face list. I was against that because that's a tool the Tennessee used and we needed we needed to keep that on the table as well.
So I thought it was a good meeting.
I thought it was very important because he said I had not heard from Cincinnati. I said, well, you hear it from us now, because we can't let Cleveland get all the all the funds and where where with the crumbs.
So I thought it was a very good meeting and.
We were able to show the we've got a master plan that mister Ludo said will have showed to the public in the next two weeks. We're looking at two weeks to be able to show that and what this thing is really going to cost. Well, we got to get to the exits and o's and we've got to come with something that will be both Cincinnati and Cleveland. I don't think we'll be able to do any type of deal that will be a loaner deal, but we got to dig out of.
As hole, and it's a pretty big hole.
It's because the tax players have spoken that you know, we've got we can't have this type of deal with we Well.
Alisha rees I met with John Baron on other issues on Friday. He pointed out to me the chairman CEO of Western Southern that you see, for example, has eighty percent of the attendance of Ohio State, but gets twenty percent of the money that Ohio State gets so Cincinnati and Covington wall. If you're Covington deals with Frankfurt and Cincinnati deals with Columbus. Both of them are short at repeatedly from Columbus, don't have the steams, don't have the power.
The money goes to Columbus and Cleveland. Now, according to the Gensler report, the report that put together the stadium means about four hundred and ninety five, say, five hundred million dollars in improvements, and the Bengals have already put up about one hundred and twenty million. Do you have a sense that the Bengals lease, which is up in twenty twenty six, have they extended the lease yet for another five years?
Yes? Or no?
Have they not? At this point that is an option under this old deal. And as I talked to you before, you know that old deal was a really good deal for the Bengals because you know, lew else in the country's got a ninety five percent of the local taxpayers paying all the Beals and then they get all the revenue, and nobody else has those kind of deals. So you know that is a very I mean, if you're the Bengals, that's you know that's a good deal for you you're.
The ownership of the Bengals.
If you're the taxpayers, it's a terrible deal what we've been trying to do if you're looking at getting a new lease. I wasn't there for the original deal, and there were some other commissioners that were there and signed off and signed away the money of the taxpayers and handcuffed future county commissions. So when I show up, I got an old lease that I'm tied to and we're trying to get out of it, and we've got to
get a new lease. And i'd like to see if you're what you're saying around the country is fifty to fifty partnerships and you're seeing the upkeep off the backs of the taxpayers.
You know, we like to see.
Something like that. But you know, also, as you know, the NFL allowed for an equity component. Had our team voted no, our team ownership voted no. They don't want equity because they saw that as a way because the NFL is also having requirements for stadiums to to you know, look a certain way.
And so you know, when they come in.
With this this deal, this this one hundred and twenty million. Uh, you know, my my questions that I'm going to pass those questions in public in a public forum. That one hundred and twenty million that's being mentioned, is.
That on ticket sales?
Is that on season ticket holders? Is that only six how much is coming from the NFL? You know because or is it only sixty million coming from the NFL and sixty million from you know, season ticket holders? You know. So we've got we've got to get down to the to the nitty gritty. You could throw numbers around all
day long. That's what happened with the taxpayers. They went to the polls, voted for two stadiums, right, but then they got screwed behind the They got screwed in all the fine print in the least well, Mike.
Mike Brown beats the irs and tax score. Mike Mike Brown knows that going back thirty some years you were probably too young at the time, but there was such a feeling in nineteen ninety four, nineteen ninety five, Mike Brown goes to Baltimore, comes back here. Okay, we voted, but the devil's in the details, the devils and actually who pays the upkeep? Here we are now, and do you have a sense that Bengals. I guess you're dealing more with Katie Blackburn than you're dealing with Mike Brown.
He's almost ninety years old, for God's sakes. But do you have a sense that the Bengals are going to be willing to have like a fifty to fifty split, much less thirty three sixty seven? Do you have a sense that they're going to agree to have the Bengals and the county I have a fifty to fifty split or is that a pipe dream?
Well, I think coming out of a ninety five percent five percent deal that would be tough, that.
Would be ideal.
But that doesn't mean that we don't go to the table. I mean, when you start negotiating, you never come in negotiating from the compromising position. You've got to go in and our client is the tax Now, let me say this.
I am a huge Bengal fan. People know I love sports.
I'm pushing for a youth amateur sports facility that would be privately owned, but would be something that we can bring in amateur youth sports ninety three billion dollar industry. We're losing out. I love sports. However, when I am elected. I'm elected on behalf of the taxpayers of Hamilton County, and we've got to be very we've got to understand it. I don't think the people who were in office during that time as county commissioners, no one was there on
behalf of the taxpayers. Everybody was at the table, and it was a lump sided situation. And I'm saying that as we know to the table, I'm going as here's what the taxpayers. You know, what's the best deal for the taxpayers? How do we come out of there with a win win?
And I'm willing.
If people say, well, this is not what the people want, I'm willing to take it to the ballot and hear directly from the peace.
Now without happening in Kansas City, you might you know, the Chiefs went to the went to the people in Kansas City. Is the dominant franchise not just in Missouri or Kansas, but maybe in the entire nation. When the Kansas City Chiefs taxpayers after they won two consecutive Super Bowls, went to the ballot a few months ago, how what the taxpayers say in Kansas City.
Well, the taxpayer said no, they had to go back to the drawing board.
And now they might move but.
Well, we'll we'll see what happens with with that situation.
But I my goal is we like to keep our teams here. We want to get a better deal. And there are.
More tools that weren't available then that are available now. The NFL's got to put a lot more skin in the game like they're doing around in other other other areas. Uh, you know, and we just can't do the ninety five five percent now on the same lease. They have an extension. They have not indicated whether.
Or not they're going to utilize it.
But I think we're preparing just to try to go to the table and see if we're going to do a new lease, then we've got to get some we've got to get some things changed or be able to taxpayers. I mean, will these people are out here trying to hang on to their homes right now, right you know, they're getting killed out of here.
They're trying to hang on to their homes.
They're trying to be able to buy eggs and bacon, you know, if they want to be able to hold on to the stadium, but they also want to be able to hold on to their homes, and as you know, one of the things they advertised.
But never put in the lease. They never put it.
In writing, but they advertised that the people were supposed to get a thirty percent privaby tax rebate. They were supposed to be a win for the homeowners and a win for the team as well, and the homeowners got the taxpayers and homeowners got screwed.
It never happened, but three times in twenty plus years.
I was elected twenty twenty, came in in twenty twenty one.
I was able to get in twenty twenty one.
But every year it's a struggle because we have to vote on it every year. It's a struggle, and you know, the taxpayers are not getting what they were promised. Everything else was in writing, and I'm trying to get the taxpayers to get their stuff in writing, so now everybody has a fair deal. So that's what we're trying to do. I'm hopeful. I've asked the administrator and I think two weeks we'll get to the master plan that was asked before I got elected. They started on this master plan
and they're supposed to give it to us. But my thing is to the administrator. There is a proposal that you know, they've talked about an executive session, so I can't talk about it. But I'm trying to get stuff out of executive session, out into the open, get a timeline for the taxpayers, so we don't have what happened last time, where a lot of meetings behind the closed doors, behind the curtains, and the taxpayers got screwed for I wanted out O.
At least you're Race County Commissioner. Are you ready for the big question?
Uh? Oh, what is it? Willy?
Are you willing to let the Bengals leave Cincinnati if the taxpayer doesn't get a good deal.
I always start a negotiation in a pot of light.
We want to.
Keep the Bengals.
We would love to keep them here at any costs, at any cost.
Well, you keep them at any cost?
Well I would. I don't think. I don't think. I don't go in thinking at any costs.
Everybody has a part where we've got to say that this is this is the max.
But we ain't.
We haven't gotten there yet. But at the same time, don't want the people are able to keep their homes, so.
We've got to we haven't gone to the.
Table, so I can't really say what we would do because we haven't gone to the table. I haven't had a meeting at the table with their lawyers and our lawyers. We had a meeting with the governor to try to see if we can get some additional funds at.
The state level, but I haven't met with I haven't met with Roger Goodell.
I'd like to meet with Roger Goodell before we get to that point and find out.
You know, why is the NFL not given more to us?
They told us we couldn't have a watch party in our own stadium, so he's got to put in some more skin in the game.
Here's a big question here. We are Tuesday afternoon. Are you saying that you and your lawyers have not sat down at the table yet with Kadie Blackburn and their lawyers to hammer out a deal. You haven't got to the point of even having a meeting yet in person. Is that fair to say?
It's fair to.
Say that I am not, as the president of the County Commission, been in a meeting with their lawyers and our lawyers. I don't know if they've been tiptoeing behind the scenes, but as far as from my perspective. I'd like to have the same meeting I had with the governor, right, you're eyeball to eyeball, and then find out also what's going on with this NFL piece. But I'm saying, you know the deal we got right now, if I had to go and vote on it, the voters would not
want me to vote on this particular lease. Now they have more options to keep it going.
And I don't know where they where.
They are on that.
It begins with a meeting. It begins with to sit down with the power brokers at one table, sitting and working out the deal. And you're saying, that has not happened yet. And the time you know, they're going to push up to the water the last minute, and then here's the deal, take it or leave it at Leasta Reese, thank you, you're like the taxpayer watchdog. Once again, thank you for coming on the Bill Cunningham Show. Good luck and try to get to mar Chase signed by Sunday
at one o'clock. Alisia Reese, thank you very much. Get them signed all right, Thank you, Alicia, thank you. Let's continue with more. There it is Alisha rees the present into the commission, says any deal will be approved by the taxpayer, and that makes the Bengals very very very unhappy. Bill Cunningham News Radio seven hundred ww