A new poll shows considerable opposition to public funding of a new Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark for a High Class A Carolina League team, as voters prepare to decide on the issue in next Tuesday’s elections.
The poll, from the conservative Civitas Institute, reports 59 percent of Wilmington voters said they were certain to vote against the bond issue and the tax to pay for it. Twenty-six percent said they were certain to vote for it, and 15 percent were not sure. In addition, 72 percent of the voters said their taxes should not be used to pay for a ballpark, while only 23 percent favored the idea. Most ominously for ballpark supporters, the majority of those surveyed opposing a hike in property taxes to pay for the ballpark have already voted.
One thing to note: the robocalled poll was limited only to randomly selected land lines. No cell phones — turning into the province of younger voters — were called, and no live interviews were tallied. Whether that makes a difference remains to be seen; there’s a debate in the polling community over the use of robocalls and their accuracy, but in a case where there’s such considerable opposition to a ballot question, this debate may be pretty meaningless.
The results are different than an August poll from Civitas, where 80 percent polled were against the ballpark and public funding. Going from 80 percent to 59 percent in less than four months is a lot of movement. However, this perhaps isn’t a fair comparison, as the August poll was done before there was a firm proposal in front of voters and the most recent poll coming after voters had a chance to evaluate a firm proposal. We’re not necessarily talking apples to oranges — it’s more like red apples to green apples.
In general, Wilmington is regarded as have more than its share of anti-tax residents, so the results of a poll showing opposition to a tax hike to pay for a new ballpark isn’t very surprising.
RELATED STORIES: Sweetening the pot in Wilmington; Lease officially approved in Wilmington; Mandalay, Wilmington, Braves agree to ballpark lease; Second ballpark site emerges in Wilmington; Nasty ballpark fight emerging in Wilmington; No lease, but ballpark funding will go before voters; Wilmington, Mandalay delay ballpark decision; Outline of Wilmington ballpark deal emerges: $37M, 5,500 seats; Negotiations fail to yield agreement on Wilmington ballpark; Wilmington ballpark to go before voters this fall; New Wilmington ballpark: uncertainty reigns; Wilmington officials: Proposed ballpark lease won’t happen; Wilmington to ask voters to approve new-ballpark bonding; NSS: New ballpark would generate $172 million in new spending; Third time’s the charm: petition opposing Wilmington ballpark funding succeeds; More signatures tossed in Wilmington anti-ballpark petition drive;Opponents of Wilmington ballpark fail in petition drive; No ballpark money in upcoming Wilmington budget; “Free” land not so free in Wilmington; Referendum on horizon for new Wilmington ballpark; Wilmington ballpark sites down to three; poll indicates support; Mayor slams Wilmington ballpark financing proposal; Preferred site emerging for Wilmington ballpark?; Mandalay, Braves to update Wilmington on ballpark; Five potential ballpark sites under discussion in Wilmington; The race is on: NSS given marching orders in Wilmington; Wilmington bypasses Ripken Design as ballpark project manager; NSS is hired; Ripken Design chosen to oversee Wilmington ballpark planning; controversy ensues; Mandalay, Braves to pursue private financing for new Wilmington ballpark; Business leaders to push for new Wilmington ballpark; What should Wilmington expect for new-ballpark attendance?; Poll: Wilmington residents overwhelmingly oppose public financing of new ballpark; Proposed Wilmington lease: Mandalay would pay 12 percent of debt service; Atlanta Braves have tentative deal to buy Lynchburg Hillcats; New Wilmington ballpark would be part of hotel, marina complex; Wilmington to move forward with ballpark talks; Wilmington to discuss new Braves ballpark tomorrow night; Wilmington looks at development deal with Mandalay, Braves; Wilmington ballpark dead on arrival?; Another new effort for Wilmington minor-league baseball?
—-
Share your news with the baseball community. Send it to us at editors@augustpublications.com.
Are you a subscriber to the weekly Ballpark Digest newsletter? You can sign up for a free subscription at the Newsletter Signup Page.
Join Ballpark Digest on Facebook and on Twitter!
Follow Ballpark Digest on Google + and add us to your circles!