An online petition has been started to oppose using public money to build a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills. Attorney Paul Wolf, the founder of The Center for Reinventing Government, says he is a football fan and enjoys watching the Bills. But Wolf says it is inappropriate to use taxpayer dollars to subsidize a successful private business.
"The Bills are a profitable business," said Wolf. "If they're going to build a new stadium, I think it should be paid for by Mr. Pegula or the Buffalo Bills. It really shouldn't be necessary to use taxpayers funds to pay for any part of a stadium."
Wolf says team owner Terry Pegula is among the wealthiest people in the United States with a net worth of $4.6 billion and the Bills generate more than $30 million in profit annually.
He says other teams, including the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers, built new stadiums without public money.
A state-funded report has suggested three downtown locations as possible sites for a new Bills stadium, including in the Cobblestone District, on Exchange Street and near South Park Avenue. It also proposes the possible renovation or reconstruction of Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park.
