New York West Side stadium supporters rally on eve of MTA vote

Wednesday, March 30th 2005, 5:33 pm

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ Olympic long jump recordholder Bob Beamon joined thousands of union members at a rally to support a West Side football stadium today, the eve of a key vote on the plan.

The stadium would be built on a platform over rail yards owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is scheduled to vote tomorrow on the Jets' plan and two competing bids.

Published reports today say most of the 14-member MTA board will vote for the stadium, which would also host the 2012 Olympics if New York is chosen for the Games. Beamon, who set the Olympic long jump record in 1968, said he'd like to see someone try to break the record in Manhattan.

Cablevision, in a letter today to the MTA, called on the agency to disqualify the Jets' bid because it violated the bidding requirements.

MTA spokesman Tom Kelly said the agency was preparing a response to the letter. A call to the Jets about the last-minute bid to scuttle the bid was not immediately returned.

With the Jets promising thousands of construction jobs as well as permanent jobs, building trades unions have been backers of the team's plan.

Organizers of today's rally outside the midtown Manhattan headquarters of the MTA estimated the turnout at 20-thousand. Most wore hats and jackets identifying their union locals and waved flags promoting the city's Olympics bid.

The Jets currently play home games at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.