Cobb Commissioners Hold Town Hall Meetings on Braves Stadium

Some 200 people packed the county commission chambers, and more than 70 others were turned away at the door due to lack of space.

From the look of people’s t-shirts and posters, the crowd was split evenly between supporters and detractors of the plan. But most of those who spoke were against the project including Cobb resident Jim Daws. “The studies have indicated that the only people that really benefit from taxpayer subsidies for professional sports facilities are the owners and the athletes, and the taxpayers get stuck holding the bill,” said Daws. “It’s hard to believe that Cobb County is about to head down this road after we’ve had stable, level-headed government for so long.”

Among the other citizen concerns: traffic, crime, neighborhood property values, displacement of wildlife during construction, and the transparency of the process so far.

Commissioner Ott would not reveal how he planned to vote Tuesday, but it appeared he had already made up his mind in favor of the proposed stadium and entertainment complex. “What happens is you kind of give everything that people want in one place,” Ott told WABE. “So it cuts down on traffic, and when you have a good trail network or whatever, people can walk to where they want to go. So I’m a big fan of mixed use just because of what I’ve seen it do already.”

Ott has one of five votes on the Cobb County Commission.

Another commissioner in today’s vote is South Cobb’s Lisa Cupid. Around 200 people showed up for the town hall meeting she hosted in Mableton. Cupid spent the duration of the meeting clearly conflicted on which way to vote, often speaking as though she were asking for permission to vote no.

“It’s funny you say that because I was leaning towards no. I almost wanted permission to do otherwise and vote yes”.

Cupid emphatically believes the stadium is already a done deal and is wrestling with whether or not voting no even matters.

“Philosophically yes, I get kudos from those who want to see me stick to my guns, but at the end of the day, I ran for office because I knew the district needed work”.

Cupid, like many of her constituents last night still objects to how fast everything is moving. But she’s beginning to think having a new stadium in Cobb could bring about a positive change.

Cupid: “I’m gonna have to pray about it and again, my conviction says this is moving way too fast, and we’re not getting all we need. We may not be best positioning the county for success. But looking at this district and what we need, looking at the shape of this facility and the area you have to drive through to get here in Cobb County, we need a place at the table”.

AR: “So do you feel like voting yes will benefit this area?”

Cupid: “I believe it could, yes”.

The commissioners vote Tuesday night.