Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne was on Good Morning Cleveland on Wednesday to discuss the Browns move to Brook Park.
Ronayne has been a vocal opponent of the proposed stadium project.
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He discussed his concerns about the feasibility of the proposal and how the county will help fund a project to stay downtown.
"I still hope there is a place for the Browns in Downtown Cleveland," Ronayne said. "One of the great things that we have with our city is our three major sports facilities for our three major teams within walking distance."
Ronayne said he has continued to convey that point with the Haslams and Cleveland Browns, including when he spoke with them last week.
He said the Browns were initially part of the plan to bring the lakefront back to life.
Ronayne wants the team to show the public their original downtown plans.
"It's pretty spectacular what they had planned for downtown," Ronayne said.
As far as public funding, Ronayne said he wanted the Browns to approach the county with their case to support a new stadium with public funding.
"We know the public is a part of the sports package and we at the county are part of the Rocket FieldHouse. We are a part of Progressive Field. We're proud of our Cleveland Guardians, we're proud of our Cleveland Cavs. We know that there is a public expectation, but it's a matter of how much," he said.
“This isn’t about Cleveland versus Brook Park,” Ronayne previously told News 5. “This is about Downtown. This is about everybody’s Downtown. … Whether you live in Warrensville Heights, or whether you live in Westlake. Whether you live in Solon, or whether you live here in the city.”
Ronayne and then president of Cuyahoga County Council Pernel Jones Jr. weighed in with an open letter last August, telling Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam that a $2.4 billion suburban stadium is a tough sell.
Ronayne said the Browns were seeking $600 million from county-issued bonds. Half of that money would be repaid using new tax revenues from Brook Park, representing the city's share of the public financing. The other half would be repaid using new county tax revenues.
