National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman is in Arizona to once once more defend the Coyotes. Supporting the amphitheater project in Tempe, he sees the desert club settling there “forever”.
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The construction of a new entertainment complex, which includes the future “Yotes” arena, has been a major focus in Arizona in recent months. Two camps oppose each other, some not wanting this new building near Sky Harbor International Airport. A referendum on the question will also take place on May 16.
Obviously in favor of the project, Bettman moved on Thursday to support the efforts of local people with a press conference. At a cost of $2.1 billion, the complex will provide 6,900 new jobs, according to the “yes” camp.
On the sporting level, the commissioner sees the Coyotes settling there for good, following the difficulties in Glendale and the famous Mullett Arena.
“Once the draft passes, the Coyotes will never go anywhere else. They will be here forever,” he said.
“If you look at the substance, not the rhetoric…I can’t imagine why anyone would think that’s a bad idea,” Bettman added.
Vandalism
It does not suit everyone, since the designated place of the press conference, the parking lot of a charity organization, was vandalized during the night. Everywhere, slogans saying “Vote no” were found. The speaking engagement ultimately took place at the Tempe Chamber of Commerce.
“These are the actions of critics and opponents of this campaign. What we’ve been saying all along is that we’re here to invest in this community, to create jobs, to clean up a landfill, and people who pay taxes in Tempe won’t have to pay for it. Most importantly, we try to be leaders in this community,” said Coyotes President Xavier A. Gutierrez.
In March, the City of Phoenix threatened to sue the municipality of Tempe if it went ahead with this project, which would be too close to Sky Harbor according to a 1994 law. The builders, however, would hold an exception for the construction of 2000 soundproof apartments.
The Coyotes and their development arm, Bluebird Development, retaliated with a $2.3 billion lawsuit, accusing Phoenix of attempting to sabotage the arena project.
