Thread by @SteveYeagerNV

A final 🧵 on #SB1 of the 35th Special Session of the #NVLeg. We spent 8 days on the bill, along with the time spent on it during the 82nd regular session. It received three separate hearings, two of which were committees of the whole. No other bill received that type of vetting.

https://twitter.com/SteveYeagerNV/status/1668469502282174464

After favorable amendments in both the Senate & the Assembly, 38 of 63 legislators voted for it. And the Governor signed it. While I can't speak for anyone else, I voted yes because I believe the investment is worth the risk to further solidify Nevada's economic future.

This was the only realistic chance for Las Vegas to obtain an MLB franchise, which was always going to require a public private partnership. While an expansion team might have been possible, I am certain the cost would have been much higher & it would have taken many more years.

I hear the criticism about public funding for stadiums, but nobody has been able to explain the success of Allegiant Stadium. Its projections were proven too conservative, yet they were criticized at the time for being pie in the sky. They weren't. Las Vegas is, indeed, unique.

The success of Allegiant Stadium has generated massive tax revenue that allowed us to add over $2 billion to our K-12 education budget & set aside $250 million for teacher raises in the 82nd Session. (Allegiant Stadium also required more than double the public investment of SB1.)

I understand that MLB is not the NFL, which is not the NHL nor the NBA. But each project must be evaluated on its own merits. Neither the NHL nor the NBA tend to operate on a public private partnership model. That cannot be said for the NFL or MLB, even if we wish it were so.

The projections relative to the stadium project are exactly that: projections. But I voted yes because I believe there is more than a reasonable chance the investment pays off, both by creating jobs & growing our revenue base, not to speak of the intangible benefits to Las Vegas.

I heard the concerns about the ownership group and their unwillingness to spend in Oakland. I believe that will be different in Las Vegas. There will be additional accountability to the Stadium Authority Board and we will have the best community benefits agreement in the country.

Vegas doesn't tolerate losing & the pressure to invest in a winning team will be immense, in addition to the obvious upsides that winning brings in terms of attendance and loyalty. See: VGK. (Go ahead and bookmark this tweet to throw back in my face if I am wrong about that.)

All that being said, I understand and appreciate why #athletics fans are upset and angry. No city wants to lose its team. No fans want to see their team move elsewhere. But that is not a sufficient reason for Nevada to turns its back on the opportunity to bring MLB to Las Vegas.

I also appreciate the comments and perspectives of my legislative colleagues who spoke out against this and voted no. They, too, are doing what they believe to be in the best interest of the state. You really can't ask for anything more than that from elected officials.

And the reactions from my friends and constituents have been equally mixed. Some have thanked me, excited that MLB is coming to Las Vegas. Others have sent me profanity laden emails expressing their disappointment or anger. I imagine I have lost a few friends along the way.

But I never went into politics to make friends or try to please everybody. This is the wrong line of business for that. Some decisions are exceedingly difficult and, no matter what you decide, you will be both praised and pilloried. That is simply the nature of the beast.

Anyhow, whether you agree with the decision I made or not, I hope this was at least helpful in illuminating my thought process along the way and that these twitter threads have helped shed light on the how, when, where, and why of the 35th Special Session. The end.