Mielke wants to make one thing clear about baseball

A day after I blogged about the fact that opponents of a proposal to bring baseball to Vancouver seem very sensitive about making it clear they luvvvv baseball but just don’t like the tax, Commissioner Tom Mielke proved my point.

Now, while some local officials, including Vancouver City Councilors Larry Smith and Jack Burkman, preference their concerns by saying how much they would love to have a baseball team in Vancouver, I’ve yet to hear Mielke say anything positive. As I blogged about earlier, he’s always just been “NO.”

On Tuesday, Commissioners Marc Boldt and Steve Stuart voted to proceed with negotiations with the owners of the Yakima Bears. Mielke voted not to support a letter of intent.

In the story, I wrote, “Commissioner Tom Mielke, who does not support the project, voted against signing the nonbinding letter.”

Mielke challenged me on Wednesday, asking how I could write that he doesn’t support the project.

Because you don’t, I said.

But only because of the proposed tax, he said.

But the proposed tax is part of the project, I said.

He said he wants to hear financing alternatives. I told him that Bronson Potter, the county’s chief civil attorney, reassured Stuart and Boldt that just because the letter of intent talks about the admissions tax it doesn’t preclude the commissioners from considering other financing.

Mielke said that me writing he doesn’t support the project was as bad as if I had written a headline, “Mielke loves taxes.” (He doesn’t support new taxes, and that’s the point, and that’s why he doesn’t support the project.)

After the story ran, he was out in public and someone gave him a hard time about not liking baseball.

So, here it is, on the record: Tom Mielke likes baseball.

While I’m at it, I might as well add that I’m sure he also likes raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.