Note to Seattle Times editorial board: The concerns over arena traffic in Sodo, and its potential impact on the port, are real. You haven't bothered to explain why; I will. But that's beside the point, because judging from your obsessive editorializing against the proposed arena, I'm guessing your boss has an ulterior motive.

So let me make one thing perfectly clear: Not a penny of Seattle money for Bellevue or Renton.

Honestly. Don't even think about. Should the Sodo arena proposal fail—a proposal that's about as good as we're likely to get from a financing perspective—don't expect Seattle taxpayers to pick up a penny of the cost of building an NBA/NHL arena in Bellevue or Renton or anywhere outside city limits. No increased taxes on car rentals, hotel rooms, or at restaurants, and no arena-financed city bonds. It's not gonna happen.

And that's not just a threat from me. It's reality. Seattle voters would not approve a taxpayer-funded arena in Seattle. We're sure as hell not going to approve one outside city limits that would compete for bookings with city-owned Key Arena. I mean, we're not stupid.

So if Frank's developer buddies think that killing an arena in Sodo will help pave the way toward building one in Bellevue or Renton, they better think again. Or better yet, they better be prepared to finance it themselves without a penny of public subsidy.