Letter: Look who’se backing Link, and you’ll vote ‘no’

I see that the proponents of The Link, which is Proposition 17-4 on the Nov. 7 ballot, have collected $30,000 from VenuWorks of Iowa, $5,000 from the Central Washington Building and Construction Council, and $300 from Bouten Construction of Richland.

Herald readers should know VenuWorks has a contract with the Kennewick Public Facilities District to manage the Three Rivers Convention Center, the Toyota Center and any other facilities on the Three Rivers Campus in Kennewick. Corey Pearson, the executive director of the facilities district, is an employee of VenuWorks and is in charge of the Prop.17-4 campaign to raise the sales tax two-tenths of a percent.

The new tax would pay for a $45 million expansion to the convention center, build a performing arts center and an ice rink. The major winners in this are hotels, restaurants and Columbia Center Boulevard retailers, the unions, VenuWorks and people who want their own ice rink at taxpayers’ expense. Vote no tax and no Link.

This story was originally published October 13, 2017 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Letter: Look who’se backing Link, and you’ll vote ‘no’."