Coyotes

Watchdog Group Seeks Restraining Order For Vote On Coyotes Lease Agreement

Published June 8, 2012

Conservative watchdog group Goldwater Institute officials said that they will "go to court Friday to try to stop a council vote" on the proposed $325M Coyotes lease agreement with the city of Glendale, according to Cecilia Chan of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. Goldwater President & CEO Darcy Olsen said in a statement that the group "plans to stop a vote because some documents central to understanding the arena proposal have not been made public." Glendale Assistant Deputy City Manager Julie Frisoni said that Goldwater "is wrong about the documents and the city has been transparent" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 6/8). The council is scheduled to vote Friday on a lease agreement that would pay prospective Coyotes Owner Greg Jamison $17M million per year for "arena operation costs and other items" (AP, 6/7). In Montreal, Pat Hickey writes the deal is "supposed to be the final step in transferring ownership of the team" from the NHL to Jamison, but "fans in Quebec City, Las Vegas or Seattle shouldn't abandon their dreams of seeing the NHL in their fair city next winter." Potential investors are "skittish because the Coyotes have been bleeding red ink since the franchise moved from Winnipeg" in '96. No matter what happens with the team, "the city of Glendale will be a loser." The problem is that the "city is in worse shape financially than Jamison." The NHL has "stubbornly insisted on standing by Glendale despite all the evidence that the franchise is not viable." If Jamison does not "come up with the cash, it's time to bring in the moving vans" (Montreal GAZETTE, 6/8).