All things considered, boondoggle is a good word. And fun to say.
But, when referring to the contentious discussion of public money to help the private rich folks who own the Lookouts build a new ballpark, is it a fair one?
It is the word Mark Cunningham, spokesman for the Beacon Center, a conservative Nashville group, used to describe intentions from the county and city to add funds to a stadium project for a new Lookouts stadium at the former Wheland Foundry site.
Outgoing Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger told this paper that he’s open to putting public money into the project, which would include a baseball park for the Lookouts, as well as a nine-figure project that would be viewed as a gateway to downtown off I-24.
“It’s about the return on the investment we make,” Coppinger said in a telephone interview with Mike Pare and Dave Flessner of the Chattanooga Times Free Press business section this week. “These projects more than pay for themselves over time and help make our community better. I think that will be the case with what we’re looking to invest to help in this stadium project.”