Paul Giblin

The Republic | azcentral.com

County-wide survey shows 54 percent of voters want Arizona Coyotes to remain in West Valley

Poll says voters are split on whether tribes should run casinos outside of traditional reservations

The Arizona Coyotes' desire to move to a new arena in downtown Phoenix, or elsewhere, will be a tough sell if a public vote is needed for such a facility, according to a recent survey.

Approximately 54 percent of frequent voters in Maricopa County surveyed believe the Coyotes should remain at Gila River Arena in Glendale, according to the poll that was conducted Dec. 29 for Phoenix-based public-relations firms MBQF Consulting and Marson Media.

About 46 percent believe the team should move to a new location in Phoenix or the East Valley.

Significantly, the survey question did not include a suggestion about how much a new arena would cost or how much taxpayers might be expected to shoulder.

The exact question: "The Arizona Coyotes hockey team have said publicly that they are in talks to leave the city of Glendale for a yet-to-be-built arena in downtown Phoenix or in the East Valley. Do you support the team remaining in Glendale? Or would you prefer the Coyotes move to downtown Phoenix or an East Valley location?"

Coyotes executives declined comment on the findings.

Barrett Marson, CEO of Marson Media, said the firms conducted the poll "to get the pulse of Maricopa County voters on several important issues."

Despite spotty attendance at the arena in Glendale's Westgate Entertainment District, voters don't support the Coyotes relocating, Marson said.

"For all the heartburn hockey fans have about traveling to Glendale for games, Maricopa County voters seem perfectly content to let the team stay in a state-of-the-art home rather than build a new arena," Marson said.

The Coyotes' owners last year broached the idea of moving to a new arena, but any details, such as a specific location, price and funding sources, have been scant.

The Milwaukee Bucks' planned new multipurpose arena could offer an example. The building is pegged at $500 million and is scheduled to open in 2018. The team is paying half of the construction cost; state and local governments are paying the other half.

Glendale Vice Mayor Ian Hugh said he thinks the survey's results are sound, and will be borne out.

"I fully expect the Coyotes to stay in Glendale and play hockey, absolutely," he said. "We have the best arena and, by far and away, the best arena for hockey in the state."

The Coyotes' quest to find a new arena follows a dispute with Glendale officials about how much — and whether — the team should be paid to manage Gila River Arena, the 18,300-seat arena that was built for the team.

Last year, the Glendale City Council voided a long-term arena-management agreement with the team and requested proposals from arena-management companies to take over operations at the city-owned facility.

The Coyotes opted not to participate in the process and instead to explore options to move to a yet-to-be-announced arena.

Coyotes executives have had preliminary discussions with Phoenix and Arizona State University officials about development of a new facility. Coyotes President Anthony LeBlanc previously suggested the new arena could serve as home for some combination of the Coyotes, the NBA's Phoenix Suns and ASU's Sun Devils teams.

Hugh said he was undeterred by LeBlanc's decision not to submit a bid to manage Gila River Arena in the future.

"Apparently, he doesn't want to manage the arena," Hugh said. "That's fine. It doesn't mean he doesn't want to play hockey in the arena."

Three out-of-state management companies submitted bids: AEG Facilities of Los Angeles, Spectra by Comcast Spectacor of Philadelphia and SMG of West Conshohocken, Pa.

Company representatives are expected to make presentations to city staff between Jan. 19 and 22, a few days later than previously scheduled. The City Council is scheduled to select one of the companies Feb. 9, with the selected company set to assume the arena's management July 1.

In another West Valley-related matter, the poll suggested county voters are split on whether American Indian tribes should open casinos outside traditional reservation lands.

Approximately 45 percent were in favor, 39 percent were opposed and 16 percent were undecided.

The Tohono O'odham Nation, a tribe based in southern Arizona, opened a casino on newly acquired land at the edge of Glendale last month after a years-long legal conflict that's not resolved.

The Desert Diamond Casino West Valley features gaming machines that look and operate like slot machines, but the gambling facility lacks table games such as blackjack that are standard at other Indian casinos in the state. The casino is about a mile north of Gila River Arena.

"Voters don't mind Indian casinos in the metropolitan area, even if they are operated by tribes far away," Marson said.

The automated telephone poll of 583 voters was conducted Dec. 29. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, according to the public-relations firms.

Neither MBQF nor Marson Media does business with the Coyotes, Glendale or any Indian tribes, Marson said.