It has been reported that Jeanne Kohl-Welles, state senator from the 36th Legislative District in Seattle, is supporting the bill in the state legislature to use King County tax revenues to build a new arena for the Sonics in Renton. This despite a recent election in Seattle which showed that 74 percent of Seattle voters are opposed to tax subsidies for professional sports.

King County would have to pay off $300 million of the bonds for the new arena. Over half of that revenue would come from general sales tax, which would otherwise be available for schools, police, roads, etc.

KeyArena, which is only 11 years old, is a great place for fans to view a Sonics game. But the Sonics say KeyArena no longer generates enough revenues to pay their exorbitant player salaries (which average over $4 million per year per player), so they want taxpayers to build them a new sports palace in Renton.

If you oppose this giveaway of tax revenues to the Sonics please call the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000, and leave a message for Jeanne Kohl-Welles, and your other state legislators, to let them know how you feel about tax subsidies for pro sports.

You may also want to phone the governor's office at (360) 902-4111 to let her know how you feel about the arena bill.

Greg Buck

Seattle