Mesa, AZ, voters "sacked" a ballot proposal by a 3-2
margin to build Rio Salado Crossing, a $1.8B stadium and
convention center for the NFL Cardinals, leaving Valley
leaders "scrambling for ways" to keep the team in Phoenix,
according to Robbie Sherwood of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC.
Turnout was twice as high as expected, as nearly 30% of
those eligible "flocked to the polls," particularly in areas
"dominated by retirees." However, stadium boosters did push
two alternative plans, with proposals hinging on a law that
allows state tax dollars to be "channeled to local
communities." One plan "would overhaul" Sun Devil Stadium
and could even include forming an alliance with Scottsdale
and the Coyotes. The other plan would call for a new
stadium that "wouldn't require" any tax increases. Tempe
Mayor Neil Giuliano "pledged to find a way" to renovate Sun
Devil Stadium. Meanwhile, AZ House Speaker Jeff Groscost:
"We need to go back to the drawing board and come back with
something that's lighter in how it hits people's wallets."
Cardinals VP Michael Bidwill said that the project "asked
too much of Mesa," the only community in the stadium
district that faced the quarter-cent sales tax increase
needed to pay for the $497M stadium. Bidwill: "There was
real support for the concept and people like it, but it
obviously was just too much of a burden for one community to
bear" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 5/19). In Phoenix, Polk &
Schoenfeld report the Cardinals' "options appear to be
limited." Michael Bidwill: "There was no Plan B. There is
no Plan B" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 5/19).
POST-VOTE ANALYSIS: In Phoenix, Dan Bickley wonders
"how long it will be until the moving vans arrive."
Bickley: "The Rio backers identified Bidwill's quest for a
stadium as a heavy liability, and therefore, kept him in the
background. What if they went the other way, marketing the
momentum and the progressive changes at Cardinal
headquarters? (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 5/19). CBS SportsLine's
Rob Miech: "Now, it's likely the Cardinals themselves will
probably be the ones who move, just when it appears they've
turned the direction of the franchise around. Insiders
predict Bill Bidwill will relocate the Cardinals within two
or three years" (CBS SportsLine, 5/19).
