Today's shameless greedheads: Newark's city council--what, no luxury box at the new arena?

[Lobster Martini]

(LM: This is just plain embarrassing. Newark's city council—or at least part of it—plans to boycott the opening of a new arena because it didn’t get a luxury box. Boo hoo.

The full article notes that the NJ Devils will give the city 5,000 tickets for children each year and that more than half of the 1,400 employees hired are Newark residents.

To be fair, Newark is not completely governed by the shiftless and the despicable. In August 2006, NPR noted that the new mayor chose to live in a public housing project with no heat. NPR also referred to Newark as the poorest city of its size in the United States.

The council president believes that not getting a luxury box at the new arena shows an appalling lack of respect.)

Arena doesn't meet Newark's suite desire
Some council members will boycott opening over lack of city luxury box

The thousands of invitations for the grand opening of the Devils arena in downtown Newark have yet to be addressed and mailed.

The final touches of a city celebration meant to toast the largest public-private arena partnership in Newark's history are still being perfected and finalized.

But with four weeks to go, some city council members are planning to boycott the opening festivities at Prudential Center arena. It has nothing to do with their aversion to Bon Jovi, the Jersey band that will be rocking "The Rock" on Oct. 25.

They are upset about their luxury suite: They don't have one.

<snip>

"To me, the height of disrespect is the city of Newark has put into the project $210 million -- which is the baseline -- and the Devils have not given us a box," Council President Mildred Crump said. "They're dissing us at a level that's disrespectful."

(link: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1190868320202880.xml&coll=1&thispage=1)

[asthmaticeog]

1. Mildred Crump? Seriously?

That's the kind of name a hack writer gives the mean old hag in a crappy short story.

[1932]

2. The Devil's old arena was one of the worst places I've ever been for a hockey game.

[Lobster Martini]

4. Had good seats for AHL games at Phila.'s Spectrum, but the Flyers' building...

I have to admit that the corporate boxes are comfortable, but it is like looking at satellite photos of a hockey game.

[tanyev]

3. Is it common that city councils get luxury suites in sports arenas?

Sounds like a good topic for an investigation.