The Journal’s Scott Sexton is quite disturbed by Winston-Salem’s recent study looking into naming rights for Joel Coliseum:
If city officials play the renaming game, let’s call it what it would be – blood money paid for the sacrifice of the 498 Forsyth County war dead whose names are engraved on memorial markers outside the coliseum.
…..Few, if any, council members wanted any part of a renaming scheme, no matter the price. ….kudos to Mayor Allen Joines for saying much the same thing when the study results became public last week. Still, the fact that $30,000 was spent to even commission such a study has to make you wonder whether the issue is a nonstarter or whether renaming could resurface down the road in another cash-strapped city administration.
Surprise, the Journal’s lead editorial echoes Sexton’s view, but adds that “council members should consider selling the name of two related sports venues for money that’s badly needed to get the coliseum in better fiscal shape.”
But let’s get real. The reason why the focus is on Joel is because it’s the only venue a company would pay to have its name attached to it. That’s why the issue will come up again. City leaders can say what they want to now, but the money eventually will be too good to pass up. I hope.
By the way, I wonder where City Councilman Dan Besse stands on the issue?
