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Proponent of downtown arena "disappointed, but not surprised" proposal won't be on ballot in August

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Ken Miller - photo courtesy of Western Michigan University

The leader of a group trying to bring a downtown arena to Kalamazoo says he is "disappointed, but not surprised" that the Kalamazoo County Commission will not likely place a tax proposal on the August ballot to pay for such an events center. The Kalamazoo Gazette reported on Saturday that county commissioners don't plan to put the issue before voters this summer.

Ken Miller is the leader of the Suite Idea group which has proposed the downtown arena. He says the idea is "far from dead." But Miller says proponents of the events center would need more time for what he calls an "educational campaign." Miller says even placing the issue on the November ballot would not give his group enough time to make the case for a 1% tax on food and beverages, and a 1% increase in the county's hotel tax to pay for construction of the arena.