| As many of our volunteers are aware, there are specific initiatives (I-91 for example) on the ballot in the upcoming elections which directly refer to the Sonics and Storm and public funding for arenas. Many of our volunteers have very strong personal opinions on both the initiative as well as some of the individuals campaigning for office in the upcoming election. While Save Our Sonics and Storm encourages our members to be active participants in their State, Local and Federal government's political process, we as an organization do not take official stands on either candidates or ballot initiatives as part of the political process.
Save Our Sonics and Storm is a non-profit organization composed solely of volunteers who have committed themselves to mobilizing the voices of professional basketball fans and supporters in the greater Seattle community. This diverse fan base of both men’s and women’s basketball has a variety of reasons for its support of professional basketball in the Seattle area, and as such has found its voice fragmented and in some cases lost in the public debate.
Save Our Sonics and Storm is committed to mobilizing that voice and unifying the fan base for professional basketball in our community to ensure that the voice of the fan is heard by the media, the public, political leaders as well as the current and future owners of the Seattle Sonics and Storm. This mission will involve demonstrating our presence at key Seattle area events such as town hall meetings, sporting events, requests for public input and other events as necessary to mobilize the fan base.
We will be creating signs, posters, bumper stickers, t-shirts and other personal items that fans will be able to display to show their support of professional basketball in its various forms, here in the Seattle area.
Our diverse fan base carries many different political views, and come from a variety of philosophical ideologies, and it is assumed that, as individuals, they will possess and likely share their personal views with others in public forums. However, any volunteer officially (or unofficially) representing the Save Our Sonics and Storm organization to the media or other public entities must refrain from commenting on or stating positions with regard to campaigns for elected officials or ballot initiatives on behalf of the organization.
We are a grassroots, non-profit organization that does not intend to influence the political process of any state, local or federal entity, including elections or ballot initiatives. If you choose to share your personal opinions on these issues you must clearly indicate they are your personal opinions and not associate them with Save Our Sonics and Storm as an organization. Our goal is to start fans thinking and talking about why professional basketball is important to our community, not to influence elections or voting on ballot issues.
If at some time in the future it becomes necessary for Save Our Sonics and Storm to hire professional staff to further the goals of our organization, paid individuals may not make statements of any kind with regard to supporting or opposing either candidates for office or ballot issues in any public forum.
Remember, it is important for the media, government officials, the general public, and ownership of the Sonics and Storm to know that there is strong, active and vocal support for keeping professional women’s and professional men’s basketball in the Seattle area. As an organization we want to make sure that supporters of professional basketball know how and when they can effectively share their opinion and that they have the right tools to share those opinions in the most effective manner.
Thank you again for your support of our organization, and keep up the great work! |