At the Assembly Appropriations meeting in Trenton, Thursday January 8, Bill A6306/S5031 sponsors Pintor & Speight —better known by its informal title, “give the Harris, Blizer, Sports, & Entertainment (HBSE) more free stuff make us pay for it, we could expand the light rail with this corporate giveaway”—was advanced in what could generously be described as a performance of public‑sector humility, and less generously as one of the most incredulous and undignified displays of begging I’ve ever had the misfortune of witnessing.
The legislation proposes to extend up to $300 million in subsidies for renovations at the Prudential Center and funnel an additional $2.5 billion into the state’s Aspire and Emerge tax‑incentive programs. The scale of the generosity was matched only by the eagerness with which it sponsors wanted to offer it.
Assemblyperson Eliana Pintor of Newark took the opportunity to thank Prudential for being such a good master, I mean community partner. Her remarks suggested, with startling candor, that her community had been a piece of shit until the great Prudential had arrived, and that now, thanks to their benevolent presence, people visit the city and children receive free tickets to games. I found myself thinking that, given the existence of a CBA, with all this emotion this CBA has to be fire. Here are some examples of some fire CBAs (keep in mind I LOATH public/private partnerships, but if you must make a good deal!!):
Affordable Housing & Anti‑Displacement—perhaps a 20–30%, even 50% set‑aside for affordable units near the site, or seed revolving loan funds for housing.
Direct Community Investment—funding for a grocery store, library improvements, bike lanes.
Ongoing Funding via value capture—something tethered to the arena’s success, a modest percentage of ticket & concession revenue (e.g., 2–3%), rather than a ceremonial gesture.
But no, she did not embarrass herself and her community for anything resembling the items above.
The spectacle of elected officials advocating for a sports stadium, notoriously a bad deal for communities AND the environment with such visible desperation was, in its way, informative of why I have so many issues here. I have never seen an official prostrate themselves with such abandon. That just isn’t how you negotiate and like honor, is that not allowed here? I would never deliver that kind of performance for free tickets and piece‑of‑shit jobs.
Here is the CBA, copy and pasted from the bill:
“Community benefits agreement with the authority and the
municipality in which the sports and entertainment project is
located. The agreement shall include, at a minimum, requirements
for training, employment, and youth development and free services
to underserved communities in and around the community in which
the sports and entertainment project is located.”
It amounts, essentially, to gifting HBSE $300 million in exchange for a chicken dinner. Assemblyperson Eliana Pintor Marin, are you OK?
