A group of Arizona state legislators is “asking fellow politicians to say ‘no’" to another hockey arena for the Coyotes, according to a front-page piece by Jessica Boehm of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. State Rep. Anthony Kern yesterday said he wanted to "make it clear that the Coyotes have a home at Gila River Arena and that is where they should be playing for years to come." Kern and other politicians at a press conference “criticized a bill that would create a special taxing district to generate revenue for a new Coyotes arena.” That would “enable the team to leave Glendale, where taxpayers still owe” nearly $145M for the team's current home. Sen. Bob Worsley “introduced that bill last week, aiming to build ice rinks” for both Arizona State Univ. and the Coyotes. When ASU backed out of the plan late Friday, Worsley said that he would “retool the legislation so that the Coyotes could use this same funding mechanism in one of the other locations the team is exploring.” Glendale spent $186M on infrastructure and to “construct the arena,” which opened in ‘03. Taxpayers will “continue to pay” an average of $13M per year until ‘33 to pay off that debt. The Coyotes' current lease “allows them to continue playing at Gila River Arena” through next season. The team “pays the city $500,000 for annual use of the arena” (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/7).
