Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton yesterday "called for the city to pursue a deal to build a downtown sports and entertainment arena that would be shared" by the Suns and Coyotes, according to Dustin Gardiner of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. Stanton during his State of the City speech said that he "supports pursuing a deal ... with the help of taxpayer funding." Although the concept "has been debated for months, Stanton's comments signaled a new sense of urgency." Stanton: "I as mayor will do everything I can to pursue a course that makes a new facility home to the Suns, the Mercury and the Coyotes. Building two new sports arenas in our region simply doesn't make fiscal or common sense." Stanton said that his support will be "contingent on two principles: that a new arena brings more people and events downtown and that it is built without raising taxes." But Stanton's "aspirations for a new arena met with fierce opposition from some residents and council members." Hundreds of people also "took to social media to oppose building another taxpayer-funded sports arena." Many "questioned what would happen with the teams' existing arenas and how many millions of dollars it would cost" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 4/20). In Phoenix, EJ Montini writes taxpayers are "tired of paying to build the palaces of multimillionaire professional sports team owners." Montini agrees with Stanton's support of constructing a new downtown arena, but as "long as the owners pay for it." Coyotes Majority Owner & Chair Andrew Barroway and CEO & co-Owner Anthony LeBlanc "are wealthy and successful," as is Suns Owner Robert Sarver. Montini: "We don't ask these wealthy team owners to build our house or our places of business. They shouldn't ask us to build theirs" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 4/20).
AROUND WE GO: In Phoenix, Sarah McLellan notes Sarver, LeBlanc, Cardinals President Michael Bidwill and D-backs Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick on Monday came together for a panel discussion to "offer an update on their organizations and the challenges each face." For each team but the Cardinals, solidifying a future home "is an issue." Kendrick addressed the "discontent between" the D-backs and Maricopa County, "mentioning how a study sanctioned by the stadium district determined that this maintenance is necessary for Chase Field to remain operational for the remaining 12 years of its lease." Meanwhile, Sarver said that the Suns plan to honor their remaining five-year agreement at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Sarver: "At some point, we will need a new building to just keep up with the NBA standard." LeBlanc "named three 'plots of dirt' as possible locations" for the Coyotes while explaining the team is "seeking an economic development structure that is typical of sporting venues in North America" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 4/20).
