If 20K of the 29K submitted signatures prove valid, there will likely be a referendum on a proposed ordinance in Austin. It's designed to make construction of the stadium at McKalla difficult. Group calling itself "Friends of McKalla Place" announces that it has filed a petition with 29,000 signatures opposing the stadium deal between Precourt Sports Ventures and @austintexasgov. #AustinFC #MLS2ATX pic.twitter.com/L3aSewDtGi— Chris Bils (@ChrisBils) January 3, 2019
Interesting that they saved this until after the sale of the Crew was done. It always seemed like the residents were somewhat lukewarm on the concept. And now there's organized resistance. It kinda makes you wonder about the odds of Precourt ever being able to have a MLS team in Austin.
PSV will no doubt claim signers were misled (there was video of a petition gatherer saying false things) or that it's a front for Epstein. But since council is unlikely to pass the proposed ordinance into law, it means PSV will have to win the election. Groundbreaking is likely to be delayed until after the referendum in early May.
It's possible enough signatures get disqualified to keep it off the ballot. Or maybe there is litigation over whether or not people were misled. But even if it does go to the ballot, there's a fairly good chance PSV will win. This looks more likely to delay rather than stop the stadium. If PSV is feeling cocky, they might break ground before the vote but would likely not make too much progress. The lender will no doubt not release very much money until this threat is behind them. PSV could start construction with its own resources but that seems unlikely.
While Austin may deserve a soccer team, nobody deserves Precourt. Saddling any sport or team with that loathsome creature ought to be a felony. As of today, the official Austin FC office address and phone number is at Elizabeth Christian PR, the local Austin agency which seems to be the only actual presence on the ground. (And the agency is so proud of their association with PSV that they don't even mention them in the long list of clients they claim on their website, although if you go find the clip of Precourt speaking to reporters after the Austin Council vote, the woman who grabs his arm and forcibly drags him away from the microphones is ECPR President Kristin Marcum. It's hilarious) The "owner" always was and always will be an absentee who lives in San Francisco. He now claims he's planning on buying a house in Austin, but a) he spent five years saying the exact same thing about Columbus and b) he has three school age kids who he's not going to uproot from the only home they've ever known for a PR stunt. So even if he does buy a house, he ain't ever gonna live in it. It's just a con that he figures the rubes will buy. Meanwhile, the office of PSV is a Regus shared space in San Francisco where they share a phone-message-taking secretary with 10 other phony businesses. You can look it up. Their deal does allow him the use of a 10 X 10 room "with a door" twice every month. The President of PSV, Dave Greeley, also has a Regus share in Chicago, where his deal lets him reserve a meeting room occasionally, for an additional fee. He really works out of his basement. In Chicago. Yesterday, to great fanfare, they announced that utterly failed, thoroughly discredited proven liar Andy Loughnane, formerly GM of the Crew, has been named President of Austin FC. It's his eighth job in ten years. Since there is no actual office, ECPR will probably have to clear off an old desk for him,so that he can effectively be the President of a soccer team which doesn't exist. I seriously would like to know how in God's name the league can pretend to take this seriously. Not even USL would stomach this, but when MLS held their Board meeting last month,there was Precourt at the table with actual, you know, serious people. This just makes no sense.
But he's got an office WITH A DOOR that he can use twice a month! Whaddayamean he's not legit! You can't very well have closed-door meetings without one, can you?
I'm so glad to see this thread. I hope that citizens group prevails. I would love to see Precourt get totally screwed. He deserves no less.
NEW: City of Austin spox tells me that a May 4 election on soccer petition disallowed under City Charter provision preventing 2 petition elections within 6 months of each other. Goes against "Friend of McKalla" wishes. #MLS2ATX #atxcouncil— Phil Jankowski 🌟 (@PhilJankowski) January 4, 2019
I love this thread! In the Crew forum, we’ve banned the word “Precourt”. In the Austin forum, they’ve banned “facts about Precourt”. So this is my new favorite place to be. There’s no PSV successful business factory with lots of employees. This is not the buisness man that builds a company, gets rich, and buys a team. He’s literally fake. Why wouldn’t the citizens of Austin want a carpet bagger to come to town? Beats me. Pictures speak a thousand words.
If the primary were a week later, it wouldn't conflict with this past general election. If Austin is not otherwise holding elections that day is it possible to move the date of the vote on this item back? If it is possible, who decides? This thing seems poorly written if it imposes burdens on SXSW or ACL fest. It should be easy enough to target long term leases of public land without catching unintended targets. Or do the organizers want the big fests out of Austin?
Seems crazy to do anything that would endanger SXSW or anything similar. That and the date both need fixed. Poor planning there. As much as PSV failing gives me joy, I do not think this is a stake through the heart.
Many Austin natives preface their conversations with you by starting out with, "Well, I'm from Austin, so, you know..." and go on to underscore their better understanding of life they have over you or other Americans not from Cal-Berkley. They are cute this way. So if Precourt falls in their lap and their local soccer aficionados are not clever enough to research this man and what he is bringing to the table and certainly spread the word to the rest of their own community, then super. It will be a match made in heaven for them both.
As someone from a family who's been in Austin for several generations, that sounds to me like someone who moved there five or so years ago, and are now calling themselves "native."
Still waiting on official confirmation, but it appears the #AustinFC announcement party is set for one week from today, Jan. 15. MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Mayor Steve Adler and team Chairman/CEO Anthony Precourt the main presenters. #MLS2ATX https://t.co/3hzjwu0kWI— Chris Bils (@ChrisBils) January 8, 2019