Sunday, October 18, 1998 BY LUCY MAY The Cincinnati Enquirer Broadway Commons advocates say: • Faster and cheaper to build • More-scenic location • Boost to city neighborhood • Broadway illustration • Broadway map Baseball on Main advocates say: • "Postcard" effect • Catalyst for growth • Superior access and parking • Main depiction • Main map The Issues • Access • Aesthetics • Benefits • Charter • Cost • Growth • Parking • Reds • Region • Sites • Support • Timing Tell us what you think Do you want the stadium at Broadway, Main, or somewhere else? Email readers@enquirer.com. Deadline is midnight Monday. In two weeks, Hamilton County voters will cast a ballot in the debate that has gripped the community for nearly three years: where to put a new Reds ballpark. Today The Enquirer outlines the issues and arguments for both sides. The question seemed settled July 1 when the Reds and Hamilton County announced a deal for a new riverfront stadium just west of the Crown at a site known as Baseball on Main. But the debate landed on the Nov. 3 ballot because of people like Dana Siegel. The Clifton woman was one of 45,000 people whose petitions forced the issue on the ballot. "I do think people should have a say in it," Mrs. Siegel said. "If you get to put in your 2 cents worth, and you don't do it, you shouldn't have a right to complain about it." The ballot measure is called Issue 11. It asks voters to create a county charter. The charter would prohibit Hamilton County officials from using county sales tax revenues to build a new Reds stadium anywhere but Broadway Commons, the site at Broadway and Reading Road. A "yes" vote is an endorsement of Broadway and of the effort to undo the deal between the Reds and county. Broadway backers argue passage of Issue 11 would nullify the deal. That position could be challenged in court. A "no" vote endorses the deal to build on the riverfront site, also known as the "Wedge" because it would overlap Cinergy Field's footprint during construction. Cinergy Field would eventually be demolished. A "yes" vote for Issue 11, while it would be clear expression of voter preference, may still require extra innings: • Local attorney Bill Seitz vows to challenge the constitutionality of the new charter in court if Issue 11 passes. His attempt to block the vote failed. • The Reds are campaigning hard for Baseball on Main. They say they have no interest in Broadway. They haven't said what would happen if voters insist on Broadway Commons. • The Reds have a lease with the county to play at Cinergy Field until 2010. The team could opt for a dramatic transformation of Cinergy rather than leave the riverfront. The language in Issue 11 allows for the renovation of Cinergy. Broadway backers say it would be foolish for the team to take a renovation in place of a new Broadway ballpark. Access | Aesthetics | Benefits | Charter | Cost | Growth | Parking Reds | Region | Sites | Support | Timing | Main page • Broadway illustration • Broadway map • Main depiction • Main map • Stadium story list Local Headlines For Sunday, October 18, 1998 Special Coverage: CLINTON UNDER FIRE Bellevue signs aimed at keeping the peace Big Brothers has big plans Broadway or Main: You make the call Butler doing better under Boehner Candidates for mayor trade claims Did aliens abduct the president? Dogs sniff clues to arson Gay life here mix of fear, anger, hope Getting hip to classical music GOP takes bite out of arts Health budget request shrinks Homestead takes place in history Hostage learned lessons Kenton in legal tangle over bid Local slice of federal pie larger Microsoft might face reckoning Mural unifies artists, people Reprimand for officer not enough, woman says Taft campaign foul-ups portray comedy of errors Teens discuss what matters TRISTATE DIGEST Vaccaro feasts on fashionable fare Wagon rolls on, without the welcome Williams in clear on deal, kind of