Stadium Ally on Council Got Donations From the Jets
By MIKE McINTIRE, NY TIMES, September 11, 2004

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As chairman of the City Council's Finance Committee, David I. Weprin has emerged as a valuable teammate for the New York Jets, twice holding City Hall news conferences to release reports supporting the proposal for a new stadium on the West Side of Manhattan.

Mr. Weprin, a Queens Democrat, has credited the "simple arithmetic" of more jobs and tax revenues resulting from the stadium as the reason for his vigorous support. He has neglected to mention, however, another relevant part of the equation: that the Jets donated money to his re-election campaign around the time of both news conferences.

On two occasions, each within days or weeks of the news conferences called by Mr. Weprin, the president of the Jets, L. Jay Cross, wrote checks to Mr. Weprin's campaign committee, according to campaign finance reports. Mr. Cross had never before contributed to Mr. Weprin, who said he had only recently come to know the Jets president because of the stadium issue.

Mr. Weprin's first news conference was on March 15, when he appeared on the City Hall steps with Mr. Cross to present what he said was an analysis showing that the West Side stadium would provide an economic boost to the city. Questioned by reporters, Mr. Weprin acknowledged that the analysis was based on data provided by the Jets and said that he was speaking for himself, not the Council.

He also said at that time that he had not received contributions from the team but added that he would accept any that were offered. A few weeks later, on April 9, Mr. Cross wrote his first check for $1,000 to Mr. Weprin's campaign.

Then, on May 16, Mr. Weprin held another news conference, again to promote the Jets stadium, which would be partly financed by public money. That news conference was followed five days later by a second $1,000 check from Mr. Cross.

The maximum allowable contribution to a council candidate is $2,750, but because the first $250 of Mr. Cross's total contribution is eligible to be matched, 4 to 1, with public funds, Mr. Weprin could get an added $1,000.

There is nothing improper about Mr. Cross's contributions, which represent a small fraction of the $366,000 that Mr. Weprin's campaign reported having in the bank as of July 15, the latest reporting period. But given their close proximity to Mr. Weprin's two City Hall pronouncements, the checks from the Jets president could be seen as an unusually blunt example of a politician's being rewarded for his support.

Mr. Weprin, the most vocal supporter of the Jets stadium on the City Council, said he assumed Mr. Cross was "probably supporting me because of my advocacy of his proposal." But he insisted there was no direct connection between the two contributions and his news conferences, saying the timing was mere coincidence.

"My position on the stadium was well known long before I held those press conferences," he said yesterday. "It wasn't like I changed my position after accepting campaign contributions. The Jets do business in the city, I've been a Jets fan my whole life, and I saw nothing wrong in accepting contributions from them."

Matthew Higgins, a spokesman for the Jets, said there was nothing unusual about Mr. Cross's support for Mr. Weprin, adding that he had contributed to other candidates as well. Aside from the $2,000 to Mr. Weprin, the only other contribution by Mr. Cross to a city candidate in the last five years was $1,000 to C. Virginia Fields, the Manhattan borough president, in June 2003, campaign finance records show.

"Jay supports candidates on both sides of the aisle locally and nationally who likewise believe in creating jobs and fostering economic development," Mr. Higgins said.

The battle over the Bloomberg administration's plans to redevelop the West Side, which include the new Jets stadium, has been intense, with supporters and opponents sponsoring ad campaigns and enlisting the aid of politicians throughout the city.

Executives of Cablevision, the owner of Madison Square Garden and a major opponent of the West Side stadium, have contributed about $8,750 to city candidates in the last year, including $500 to Councilwoman Christine C. Quinn, a Manhattan Democrat who has spoken out against the stadium.

The Jets, whose only political contributions appear to be those made by Mr. Cross, wasted little time making the most of Mr. Weprin's exertions on behalf of the stadium plan.

At a Crain's Business Breakfast Forum the morning after Mr. Weprin's March 15 news conference, Mr. Cross delivered a speech citing the analysis released by "City Council Finance Chair David Weprin" the previous day.

"His conclusion, based on data prepared by Ernst & Young and supplied by the New York Jets, was unmistakable," Mr. Cross said. "The Sports and Convention Center is a great investment in New York's future that will more than pay for itself."