If you’ve been hoping the Goldwater Institute was going to file one of its patented lawsuits against the latest Phoenix Coyotes lease deal, looks like that’s not going to happen:
“Based on the information available to us at this time, we do not believe that the Glendale arena management deal would be held unconstitutional,” Goldwater said in a statement on their website. “Changes made to the agreement during the course of negotiations partially bridged the gap between the market cost of arena management and the amount of the payment to the team owner, thus bringing the deal into conformity with cases interpreting the Gift Clause of the Arizona Constitution.
“The initial deal proposed several years ago would have included not only a substantial annual arena management fee, but a $100 million up-front payment to subsidize the purchase of the team. We are proud to have played a constructive role in protecting the taxpayers and taking an illegal deal off the table.”
In other words, but getting their money one year at a time instead of all at once, the new Coyotes buyers have apparently gotten around any potential legal entanglements. Not that past Goldwater suits were all that effective, but it’s one less hurdle that the new owners have to worry about.