Rams to Fenton, What?

Rams to Fenton, What? - The Missourian: Editorials

Posted: Saturday, May 19, 2012 6:32 pm

Mayor Dennis Hancock of Fenton scored a publicity touchdown when he pointed to 300 acres where the Chrysler plant was as a possible new home for the St. Louis Rams football team. This extra point for Fenton came while downtown St. Louis leaders and Rams officials are deliberating major renovations to the dome to ensure the team stays in St. Louis. Hundreds of millions of dollars for the rehab job are at the 50-yard line in discussions.

Mayor Hancock said he wasn’t actively planning a definite proposal to be presented to the Rams. In other words, he was letting the world know Fenton had that kind of space to be developed.

The publicity his “reminder” to the Rams generated was better than any PR firm could deliver about Fenton. Even though it was in the “Hail Mary” category of a pass, the “reminder” pointed to the flat land on Interstate 44 and its nearness to Interstate 270. All the infrastructure is there. It’s a great site for a major development.

But the Rams belong in downtown St. Louis. The sidelines outside the dome are important to the fans. The game can be incidental to some fans. It’s the sidelines where much of the action and fun will be found. Fenton can’t match that.

Mayor Hancock has established himself as the lead cheerleader for Fenton! He deserves to be named “Cheerleader of the Year.”