Circus invites city lawmakers to see show
By JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST, Staff writer : Friday, April 30, 2010
lawmakers have a formal invite to the circus.
(We know what you're thinking -- they already have front row seats.) Seriously, though.
In an effort to combat a proposed ordinance that would ban the display of exotic animals for entertainment -- a measure aimed specifically, if not exclusively, at Ringling Bros. -- the circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, has invited members of the Common Council's law committee for a behind-the-scenes look at how Ringling Bros. does business.
The Greatest Show on Earth is scheduled to begin an eight-show run at the county-run Times Union Center on South Pearl Street next week.
Councilman Anton Konev, singling out Ringling Bros. in his press release, proposed the ban earlier this month, saying the treatment of circus animals is often inhumane and that "the abuse is traditional, entrenched and begins when elephants are only months old."
Feld's vice president for government relations, Tom Albert, has responded by inviting council members to look for themselves.
And while Konev's proposal has won plaudits from groups like PETA and the Humane Society, Times Union Center General Manager Bob Belber and County Executive Michael Breslin's office are fretting about the potential economic impact on the county, which is already struggling with declining sales tax revenue.
"There are consequences and impacts," Belber said, noting the spillover effect the crowded shows have on nearby restaurants and bars.
And while Feld has not threatened to pull other programming, Belber acknowledged that banning the circus could affect whether the Virginia-based company would be willing to book its other shows, which include Disney On Ice, at the arena.
"It's not a case of well, if we can't bring the circus, well we're going to take our other shows and go away," Feld's Albert said. But, he added, "If the circus could no longer go there, that could become a factor in whether or not some of the other properties could continue to go there."
He said the ordinance would also seem to bar from Albany rodeos controlled by the company.
Albert said the circus alone typically plugs $1 million into the local economy in a week's run, a figure he said doesn't include peripheral impacts on restaurants, bars and parking garages.
But money aside, Albert said, the premise of the ordinance is flawed.
"They get the best of care. We're very proud of that," he said of the animals. "Even putting things like economic impact aside, that's why we oppose this. It's just wrong. ... The way our customers vote is they come to our shows, they buy our tickets, and that should count for something."
from the TIMES-UNION.com, Albany, NY
(We know what you're thinking -- they already have front row seats.) Seriously, though.
In an effort to combat a proposed ordinance that would ban the display of exotic animals for entertainment -- a measure aimed specifically, if not exclusively, at Ringling Bros. -- the circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, has invited members of the Common Council's law committee for a behind-the-scenes look at how Ringling Bros. does business.
The Greatest Show on Earth is scheduled to begin an eight-show run at the county-run Times Union Center on South Pearl Street next week.
Councilman Anton Konev, singling out Ringling Bros. in his press release, proposed the ban earlier this month, saying the treatment of circus animals is often inhumane and that "the abuse is traditional, entrenched and begins when elephants are only months old."
Feld's vice president for government relations, Tom Albert, has responded by inviting council members to look for themselves.
And while Konev's proposal has won plaudits from groups like PETA and the Humane Society, Times Union Center General Manager Bob Belber and County Executive Michael Breslin's office are fretting about the potential economic impact on the county, which is already struggling with declining sales tax revenue.
"There are consequences and impacts," Belber said, noting the spillover effect the crowded shows have on nearby restaurants and bars.
And while Feld has not threatened to pull other programming, Belber acknowledged that banning the circus could affect whether the Virginia-based company would be willing to book its other shows, which include Disney On Ice, at the arena.
"It's not a case of well, if we can't bring the circus, well we're going to take our other shows and go away," Feld's Albert said. But, he added, "If the circus could no longer go there, that could become a factor in whether or not some of the other properties could continue to go there."
He said the ordinance would also seem to bar from Albany rodeos controlled by the company.
Albert said the circus alone typically plugs $1 million into the local economy in a week's run, a figure he said doesn't include peripheral impacts on restaurants, bars and parking garages.
But money aside, Albert said, the premise of the ordinance is flawed.
"They get the best of care. We're very proud of that," he said of the animals. "Even putting things like economic impact aside, that's why we oppose this. It's just wrong. ... The way our customers vote is they come to our shows, they buy our tickets, and that should count for something."
from the TIMES-UNION.com, Albany, NY
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