Common Cause Countdown to Falcon Stadium Referendum
susan mittleman
On Sunday, Common Cause Georgia was at the Grant Park Farmers Market for the third week in a row, trying to gain momentum.
The small non-profit organization is racing to collect enough signatures in hopes of giving Atlanta citizens a chance to vote on Public Funding for the new Falcons Stadium. They need 35,000 pen-to -ink signatures by August 10th in order for the City of Atlanta to put a referendum on the November ballot.
In that case, registered voters would decide if they want hotel-motel tax revenue to pay for part of the new billion dollar project.
They’ve been hitting farmers markets, festivals and neighborhood meetings, but with less than two weeks left, they are still a ways off, says Common Cause Assistant Director, Ryan Splitlog.
“We haven’t done an official count yet, we’re kind of throwing up a ‘Hail Mary’ in the last few weeks. We know we’re under, we don’t’ know how far under, but we’re trying to push hard through the last part of it and trying to see if we can make it happen.”
Southwest Atlanta residents Lea and Tommy Lesesne were happy to sign the petition. Lea thinks the stadium is a terrible idea and, she says “I’d rather be able to vote on it than have just shoved down my throat.”
“It’s a democracy, ” said Tommy Lesesne. “We should have a say in what goes and what doesn’t go. We are paying taxes to support the decisions of our governing authorities, we should have a say in these big decisions. This is not a small decision this is a big decision.”
The city gave Common Cause Georgia 60 days to collect the signatures and they’ve been at it since June 11, 2013.
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