CLEVELAND — Last week, with state legislators considering make-or-break funding for a new suburban Cleveland Browns stadium, Mayor Justin Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne pleaded with Columbus to help them keep the Browns Downtown. Today, the Browns sent a letter to Ronayne criticizing recent comments while standing firm on the team’s desire to build an enclosed stadium in Brook Park.
The letter, signed by Browns Chief Operating Officer Dave Jenkins, chides Ronayne for sharing “misleading information,” offers a bulleted list of reasons why local leaders should move forward with the team’s Brook Park plans, and then states:
“It is truly disheartening to see you, as County Executive, actively work against a potential $600 million investment from the State that would be paired with $2 billion+ in private investment for an unprecedented $3 billion+ economic development project centrally located in Cuyahoga County. These are the types of inexplicable decisions that keep the Greater Cleveland region from thriving, while other regions like Columbus and Cincinnati continue to grow and evolve.”
You can read the entire letter here:
In the letter, which was shared with News 5 today, the Browns state their preference to work with the county but say they can move forward without its involvement: “To further clear up misinformation, while we have not given up on our elusive goal of local unity, and the upside for the public is far greater with the County’s partnership, we remain undeterred and are not relying on the County’s participation to execute this project.”
Budget time
In a joint letter to members of the Ohio Senate last week, Ronayne and Bibb asked lawmakers to help pay for a renovation of Huntington Bank Field instead of ground-up construction of an enclosed stadium in Brook Park.
“The lakefront stadium transformation plan is a far more reasonable and responsible one for Ohio taxpayers,” Bibb and Ronayne wrote.
Local leaders and the Browns recently went back and forth on the issue:
Local officials push to keep Browns Downtown; HSG says Brook Park best solution
RELATED:Local officials push to keep Browns Downtown; Haslam Sports Group says Brook Park is best long-term solution
Bibb and Ronayne said there is a viable plan to keep the Browns in the central business district. They’re asking the state to kick in $350 million for $1.2 billion in renovations. They said Cleveland and Cuyahoga County will chip in, too.
The Ohio House has agreed to put $600 million worth of bonds for the Brook Park project in its version of the state budget bill. The Senate is working on its version of the budget now, with the goal of passing a bill by mid-June. Then the chambers will work out any differences between their versions before sending the budget to Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature. The deadline for signing the budget is June 30.
News 5 has reached out to Ronayne for comment.
With reporting from Michelle Jarboe.