I've received several emails and tweets from Coalition members asking what can be done at this point in the Coyotes ownership situation to help the sale of the team to Mr. Hulsizer reach completion.
As you've likely heard or seen - Mr. Hulsizer was on the Fox Sports Arizona Coyotes broadcast from Chicago last Saturday night discussing the ownership situation. (You can watch the video here.) Mr. Hulsizer stated that he is ready to close the deal but the threat of suit by the Goldwater Institute is causing the interest rates on the bonds the city is trying to sell to sky rocket - thus causing Glendale to face millions of dollars in excess interest rates to be paid once the bonds are sold.
It's hard to tell what's true and what's false in this case not being privy to important information about the negotiations and stances of those involved - but I think its safe to say that Goldwater is slowing the process quite a bit - without a good basis for it.
When reading the front page of their site regarding the Coyotes deal - they state that there have been some media reports indicating that "the city of Glendale intends to offer some form of taxpayer subsidy to a new owner of the Phoenix Coyotes as an incentive to keep the hockey team in Glendale. This is a potential violation of the Gift Clause."
The deal that Glendale has put together with Mr. Hulsizer is NOT in violation of the Gift Clause and what Goldwater is doing to stall the sale is costing the taxpayers additional money in legal fees and this could cause the interest rates they would have to pay once the bonds are sold to be unreasonably high. This will do far more damage to the city and the taxpayers in the long run. Not to mention the empty arena that would be left behind if the team moved. It's simply unacceptable.
So what do we - as taxpayers and supporters of the Coyotes - want Goldwater to do? Back off - let the deal progress. Let the Coyotes go to the playoffs with their new owner in tact. Let the Coyotes fans renew their season tickets with confidence and watch the team flourish under good ownership. If and when a real law is broken, then Goldwater can sue - but it will not likely be necessary.
I'm certain that Goldwater has been receiving much feedback in support of their case against the City - seeing as there are so many who seem to want to relish in the demise of hockey in Arizona. Most of which is likely coming from non-Arizona residents to be quite honest - probably not even residents of the United States at all. There are also obviously some heavy-pocketed investors funding their little foray. It's time that Goldwater got some feedback from those of us who oppose their position on the Coyotes deal.
If you are an Arizona resident - I ask that you please take some time out of your day to email the Goldwater Institute and voice your support for the deal that the City of Glendale has arranged with Mr. Hulsizer. If you could forward this to our fellow Coyotes supporters and ask them for their help, it would be much appreciated. The more the better.
If you are not a resident of Arizona but have some feedback you'd like to share with them in support of the deal - please send in your thoughts in as well. Resident's of Glendale - they REALLY need to hear from you!
If you'd like to read up on the situation in preparation for your emails, there's lots of good information out there:
Arm yourselves with knowledge and hit 'em hard - but courteously.
The general contact email for Goldwater is: info@goldwaterinstitute.com. Tell them you're with the Coyotes Coalition and you want them to hear our side and protect our rights.
Here's some additional contact emails I've been able to locate that are or may be important people regarding the Goldwater vs City of Glendale case:
*Clint Bolick - Director of Goldwater's Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation (they are handling the case) - cbolick@goldwaterinstitute.org
*Carrie Ann Sitren - Staff Attorney for the Goldwater vs City of Glendale case - csitren@goldwaterinstitute.org
*Darcy Olsen - President and CEO of the Goldwater Institute - dolsen@goldwaterinstitute.org
Kara Caldwell - Executive Assistant to the President of Goldwater Institute - kcaldwell@goldwaterinstitute.org
Nick Dranias - Goldwater Institute's Director of their Center For Constitutional Government - ndranias@goldwaterinstitute.org
Mark Flatten - Goldwater Institute Investigative Reporter - mflatte@goldwaterinstitute.org
Matthew Ladner - Goldwater's Vice President of Research - mladner@goldwaterinstitute.org
If you want to cc me your email to them, feel free to do so. Be sure to cc coyotescoalition@yahoo.com and I'll keep a record of them all so that we have them if we need them.
Also - Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs held a press conference today - in which she addressed the economic atrocities that the Goldwater Institute would impose upon the taxpayers they claim to protect by blocking the sale of the Coyotes to Mr. Hulsizer. Literally billions of dollars in legal fees and then no team to keep the arena and Westgate afloat because the sale could not go through. It would be economic suicide for the city and their residents should the sale not go through. I personally highly doubt that the NHL would be willing to keep the team here for another season if the Hulsizer deal were to fall through now. The NHL has been very, very patient and they've been wonderful to the fans here - but they have the interests of an entire league and 29 other owners to keep in mind as well. It's now or never - and you can hear the urgency in Mayor Scruggs' voice. Have a listen - it's eye opening stuff. The Goldwater Institute has tried it's hardest to put the city in a negative light throughout this process, but they are the ones who are actually engaging in shady practices to obtain their goals. Here's the podcast of the Mayor's remarks from the Coyotes website.
One last note: I will be on Breakthrough Sports tomorrow afternoon on KXXT 1010 AM around 3:40 pm with Dave Isaac discussing the Coyotes situation. The show is very Coyotes oriented and Dave is a great Coyotes fan and a member of the Coalition. The show is on every Friday from 2-4pm. I'd love for you to tune in, call in and share your thoughts, ideas and support!
If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email anytime. I'll get back to you as soon as possible!
If you are a Coyotes supporter and haven't joined the Coalition yet, what are you waiting for? Go to our website at www.coyotescoalition.com - enter the requested information and viola!
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