Last week, Chairman Mendelson scheduled a hearing for June 26th on the DC United stadium legislation. That happens to be the same day as a very important game in the World Cup group stages: The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team versus Germany. This would present a huge conflict for many fans and stadium supporters who want to testify in person.
Given that the stadium legislation involves multiple agreements and four Council committees, it is important that DC Council begin reviewing it soon — ideally before the Council’s recess starts mid-July. However, changing the June 26th date by just a few days or weeks would be important to supporting full public participation.
The majority of DC United fans and stadium supporters are also supporters for the U.S. National Team. Major League Soccer has ten representatives on the national team, and a few players have ties to the DMV area. Since the World Cup only comes around once every four years, the game is a rare opportunity for fans to watch their nation and players compete at the highest level of the sport.
The game does not begin until 3 p.m. that day, but with the nature of the hearing — a joint session of the Committees of the Whole, Government Operations, and Finance and Revenue — and the large turnout expected to testify, it could last well into the afternoon.
For these reasons, we hope that Chairman Mendelson will consider moving the hearing to another day. It is important for fans to have a voice, and we hope the Council can find a new time that meets their needs while being mindful of the legislation’s time constraints.
