FWIW: Emails run heavily against Cobb stadium

Nov. 25: 7 p.m., Board of Commissioners room, 100 Cherokee St., Marietta

Host: Commissioner Bob Ott

Nov. 25: 7 p.m., South Cobb Community Center, 620 Lion Club Dr. S.W., Mableton

Host: Commissioner Lisa Cupid

Cobb County’s top elected officials received four times as many emails opposing the plan to help fund a new Atlanta Braves stadium as he did emails in support, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution review of his correspondence in the days after the announcement.

The 178 emails about the stadium plan, most to Commission Chairman Tim Lee, were released by county officials Tuesday. Of the total, 124 criticized the idea of spending $300 million in public money on the new Braves ballpark near interstates 75 and 285.

The most recent of the emails were sent Nov. 14, three days after the Braves announced they are bolting from Turner Field after the 2016 season.

Many emails were threatening: “You will be out of a job next election if you go through with this.” Some were funny: “This isn’t managing Cobb County … this is buying a pony.” Some were insulting: “What a dumb idea.” A bunch were written in all caps: “NO, NO, NO STADIUM.”

And some were all of the above: “I will be at the forefront in pushing to rename I-75/I-285 interchange after YOU. That way people can cuss you out for many years down the road.”

There were notes of support as well. About 30 of the emails were from people congratulating the commission on landing the Braves.

Sixteen emails were neutral or simple asked questions, while eight sought work related to the deal.

Supporters also showed a flair for the dramatic: “Best kept secret since the bomb. What a coup.” A propensity for capitalization: “WOW! This is GREAT!” And buck-ups: “Hope you make it through the political wringer.”

One solicitation came from a Florida firm that makes custom wall plaques out of newspaper or magazine articles. She offered to give the chairman a mounted copy of a Marietta Daily Journal page featuring a picture of Lee and commissioner Bob Ott in a Braves jersey with gloves and bats.

The emails include a few exchanges between Braves Vice President of Operations Mike Plant and county officials and indicate Plant and Lee started discussing the possibility of a Braves move in July, over a lunch at the Marietta County Club. Most of those emails were short, cryptic exchanges — one asking the other to call with no indication that they were negotiating a bombshell agreement.

Cobb officials kept the discussions secret until the Braves’ announcement, then waited three days to share how much public money would go toward the ballpark. They scheduled no public hearings prior to the commission’s scheduled vote Tuesday.

However, Commissioner Helen Goreham said her previously scheduled Town Hall meeting Thursday night will be mostly dedicated to the new ballpark. Commissioner Bob Ott, whose District Two in Southwest Cobb will be home to the stadium, and Commissioner Lisa Cupid announced they will hold a Town Hall meetings Monday.

The process is in contrast to drawn-out talks between the Atlanta Falcons and state officials over a new downtown football stadium. Those negotiations stretched over two years before Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed took the reins in early February and announced the city would help partially finance the $1.2 billion stadium. The Atlanta City Council held a flurry of hearings and work sessions over the course of several weeks to discuss the project before the March 19 vote. The city has since spent months in meetings with people in affected communities.

Many emails to Lee were critical of the speed with which the Braves deal proceeded and the lack of a public forum.

“Gentlemen, you have lost my faith in the governance of this county if a vote on a project of this magnitude is pushed through on the reported timetable,” wrote Beth Warren.

“I understand that a public referendum is not feasible on all matters of county governance. But certainly a reasonable amount of time for open, honest communication between the citizens of Cobb County and our elected officials is not too much to ask regarding a multimillion dollar expenditure that will impact traffic, air quality and established local businesses.”

William Perry, head of watchdog group Common Cause Georgia, said citizens had relatively little time to review details of the Falcons deal, despite the series of public meetings. He said the Cobb deal is of equal concern.

“The final deal has not been released in Cobb County and they’re voting in a matter of days,” he said. “With the Falcons … there were a lot of complexities in the deal that didn’t come out until after the vote.”

One email to Ott suggested Cobb’s handling of the Braves deal amounted to a “bumrush.”

“So, in closing, I thank you with as much sarcasm as you can read into this sentence for the future problems that my family, my co-workers, and many other residents will have while trying to get home to our families,” wrote Joshua Carstens. “Now, and without the aforementioned sarcasm, I look forward to voting against you at every chance in future elections.”