Although he sent a letter to Gov. Jon Corzine asking the New Jersey Nets be forced to play at Pru Center should a Brooklyn arena plan falter, Newark Mayor Cory Booker downplayed the incident yesterday, saying it’s all a natural part of the political process.
Although he sent a letter to Gov. Jon Corzine asking the New Jersey Nets (NBA) be forced to play at Pru Center should a Brooklyn arena plan falter, Newark Mayor Cory Booker downplayed the incident yesterday, saying it’s all a natural part of the political process.
The issue: with a new Brooklyn arena for the Nets apparently on the rocks, Booker wants to make sure the team moves to Pru Center and not stay at Izod Center. The two arenas are only eight miles apart and engaged in a fairly fierce battle for bookings, a situation promoters love and arena operators hate. In fact, Booker says Izod Center should be torn down once the Nets move, to eliminate that competition.
But Meadowlands officials have a different plan: they’re looking at a renovation of the place. And that requires the approval of Corzine, who’s involved in a tight reelection race. A demand by Booker to scrap renovations and essentially force the Nets to Newark puts him in a tough situation, politically.
So it’s no surprise Corzine downplayed the politics of the situation as he made a scheduled appearance at Pru Center yesterday, with Booker by his side.
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