By and large, the furor over the injection of public funds to help build a shiny new nest for our (no longer undefeated) Falcons centers on the argument that such cash could help bandage other societal woes, like an embattled public education system. But the deal — which could divert about $300 million in hotel-motel taxes for the $1 billion project — has a potent cheerleader in Frank Poe, Georgia World Congress Center Authority executive director. Other power players like Mayor Kasim Reed are firmly in his corner.
The AJC's Biz Beat caught up with Poe, who asserts that public-private financing is a prerequisite for rising NFL stadiums from the soil these days. Poe also points out the 7 percent tax on hotel-staying visitors to the ATL could not be used to fund, say, roads and schools. "For 30 cents on the dollar, the public is going to get a new facility that will be sustainable for the next 30 or 35 years," Poe told the newspaper. Sound like a bargain?
· New Falcons stadium: Why Congress Center chief supports it [AJC]
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