Glendale city council drama throws Coyotes into state of uncertainty
It’s a familiar sight, the fate of the Arizona Coyotes left to the courts or, in this case, another potential round of Glendale city council meetings. It just wouldn’t truly be the dog days of the NHL offseason without some drama out of Arizona. The Coyotes could be in trouble… again.
Glendale mayor Jerry Weiers believes that Arizona’s open meeting law was violated via private meetings between council members in the lead up to the vote that approved the Coyotes $225 million deal with the city last summer. Weiers, who voted against the deal, has reportedly asked the state attorney general to look in to the matter.
If Glendale city council members are found to be in violation of the state’s open meeting law, then the city’s deal with the Coyotes could be voided.
The what
Arizona State Legislature defines a meeting as “the gathering, in person or through technological devices, of a quorum of members of a public body at which they discuss, propose or take legal action, including any deliberations by a quorum with respect to such action.”
In this case with the Coyotes deal, Weiers alleges that Glendale city council members Yvonne Knaack and Gary Sherwood engaged in discussions with Nick Wood, an attorney who represented IceArizona, the group that purchased the Coyotes and would be in violation of the law. Emails between Sherwood and Glendale city council member Manny Martinez which were obtained by the Arizona Republic appear to indicate as much.
Weiers is insinuating that the public’s trust was breached in favor of building an alliance to see the deal through.
Sherwood also noted that council member Sammy Chavira was also in line with himself and Knaack in support of the sale. Chavira, Knaack, Martinez, and Sherwood all voted ‘yes’ to the deal, which was scored 4-3 in favor of IceArizona.
According to the Arizona Republic’s story, Sherwood claims there is no violation of the open meeting law because he and Knaack were riding in a car together while having the discussion with Wood over the phone, thus complying with the state law.
It doesn’t help Sherwood’s case that he had asked Martinez to delete their email correspondence.
The what’s next?
If Sherwood et al are found to be in violation of Arizona’s open meeting law, then the deal between Glendale and IceArizona could certainly be quashed.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Coyotes would be on their way out of Arizona. It does mean that the deal could still be finalized via a public meeting. Previous instances of the Coyotes’ status playing out in public meetings have been said to have “resembled the theatrics of professional wrestling.” So prepare for some drama if Weiers’ request for an investigation detonates the current agreement.
What does it mean for the Arizona Coyotes hockey team?
Simply put, it’s hardly a good look for a franchise that just can’t seem to get its footing in the desert.
With hockey hotbeds like Quebec City and Southern Ontario drooling for a franchise, and cities like Seattle and Kansas City continuing to pop up as suggested expansion/relocation sites, the Coyotes inability to find stability will push more folks to question Gary Bettman’s allegiance to chasing success in the greater Phoenix area and its television market.
Since 2009 the Coyotes franchise and the city of Glendale have been worked through bankruptcy filings/hearing, numerous failed sales, a sale to the NHL, an embarrassing collapse of a potential deal with Matthew Hulsizer, and a public battle with watchdog organization the Goldwater Institute.
The Arizona Coyotes are the NHL’s Thing That Should Not Be. City council infighting, a permanent residence at the bottom of the NHL’s average attendance numbers, and a continued state of uncertainty make for an unhappy marriage between Glendale and the Coyotes. You have to wonder if it’s a union even worth reconciling.