{coyotes} Organizers of Coyotes deal referendum 300 signatures short

Friday, 13 July 2012

{coyotes} Organizers of Coyotes deal referendum 300 signatures short

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Organizers behind an effort to refer Glendale's Phoenix Coyotes deal to the ballot delivered their signatures on Thursday, although the city has said that is three days after the deadline.

In another stumbling block for referendum supporters, the group was about 300 signatures short. They turned in about 1,568 signatures, but the city has said 1,862 signatures is the minimum number required.

Glendale residents Ken Jones and Joe Cobb spent three weeks gathering signatures in hopes of giving voters the opportunity to overturn the deal.

At the same time, Coyotes fans formed a political action committee to persuade residents the deal is best for the city in the long run.

Glendale officials have said the city would review the signatures but is unlikely to support placing the measure on the November ballot. The city review should be completed by early next week.

"Their 30 days was up on July 9," City Attorney Craig Tindall said earlier this week. "If they turn in signatures after that, they're going to be late and rejected for that reason."

Traditionally, referendum organizers have 30 days after an ordinance is passed to gather signatures. The Glendale City Council on June 8 approved a lease with interested Coyotes buyer Greg Jamison at the city-owned Jobing.com Arena.

Referendum organizer Jones has said he still should be able to turn in the petitions because the city clerk did not have paperwork available to launch the referendum campaign. The City Clerk's Office maintains that documents would have been available sooner if Jones or others had stopped by.

Jones has said he might pursue a lawsuit against the city to try to get the referendum on the ballot.

The Goldwater Institute, which has questioned the deal, has not said whether it will assist with the suit.

Election-law experts say the referendum backers are unlikely to prevail in court.

"That's a pretty uphill battle for these folks," said Andy Gordon, a Phoenix-based attorney who has worked on past referendums. "I think they're pretty clearly out of time."

If the referendum effort is sidelined, it might pave the way for the Coyotes sale. The NHL, which purchased the team out of bankruptcy in 2009, has yet to complete the sale to Jamison.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Thursday that the league has continued to work with Jamison despite the uncertainty a referendum presented. But he said removing "legal uncertainties" can only help the sale process.

Daly would not provide a timeline for when the team might be sold but said the league believes Jamison has the money to buy the team.