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Rooney II would prefer not to use end-around Friday, November 27, 1998 By Gerry Dulac, Post-Gazette Sports Writer
PONTIAC, Mich. - Art Rooney II stood in a corner of the Silverdome, looking neither like a person in danger of losing state funding for a new stadium or the cat who swallowed the canary.
One day after lawmakers unwittingly approved last-minute legislation that would allow new North Shore football and baseball stadiums to continue toward fruition, with or without House approval, the Steelers' vice-president and legal counsel said he still would prefer to see the process handled the way it was intended - by vote in the Pennsylvania Legislature.
Just don't tell him about it interfering with the start of deer season.
"The bottom line, as far as we're concerned, is we'd still like to see it go to a vote, preferably on Monday," said Rooney II, son of Steelers president Dan Rooney and the person who has orchestrated the team's quest for a new $238 million football-only stadium that would be adjacent to Three Rivers Stadium. "I don't want to be in a situation where people try to say we snuck through the back door."
Or, in football parlance, pulled an end-around. That's what critics are calling the obscure amendment sponsored by Sen. Robert D. Robbins, R-Mercer - and presented to Gov. Ridge by Mayor Murphy - that allows Ridge to authorize state spending for Pittsburgh's new stadiums, even if the House doesn't approve a separate bill that would raise the state's debt limit.
The House recessed in the wee hours Wednesday morning without voting on the bill that would have allowed the state to borrow $500 million for major building projects, including $325 million for four stadiums - two in Pittsburgh, two in Philadelphia. The measure has already passed in the Senate.
"We think we had the votes on Tuesday and at the last minute one of the Philadelphia contingents decided to walk away from it," Rooney said. "Even with that, I thought we had the votes.
"We're very disappointed they decided not to take a vote, very disappointed they decided to recess [until Monday]. I thought they should recess until Wednesday ... I don't know why that happened."
There is some concern among the Rooney family and Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy that the House will not reconvene to vote on the bill Monday, which is the last day of session for the year. Some legislators have said they don't want to come back because Monday is the start of deer season.
That, Rooney said, is a bunch of buck.
"Everybody says it's deer season, but it's deer season on Tuesday, too," he said. "It's their job. They get paid to vote. Monday is the last day of the session. As far as I'm concerned, they should come back and vote."
Rooney is well aware that if Ridge signs House Bill 907 -which includes Robbins' amendment that would, in effect, remove provisions of the Regional Renaissance Initiative that was rejected by voters in 11 Western Pennsylvania counties last year - the Steelers and Pirates would not have to worry about whether the House votes to raise the debt ceiling.
But, if Ridge doesn't, and the House decides not to meet Monday, then Rooney said he and proponents of Plan B have no more options, for now. Certainly none like the so-called "Plan C."
"I have a very big concern that if something doesn't get done, I don't know how we go forward from here, continuing to keep this plan alive, without firm commitment from the state," Rooney said. "We haven't really looked beyond getting this plan done. If this plan doesn't get approved next week, then we've got to sit down and look at what the options are."
Rooney agreed that any further delays would hamper both the Pirates and Steelers' intentions of being in their new stadiums by 2001. More important, he said, it could make it more difficult for the city to keep projects designated for the North Shore expansion on the budget. What's more, interest rates could also rise during that period, further escalating the costs of the new stadiums.
"Any delay will affect the budget," Rooney said. "And we're already on a fairly tight budget."
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