Phoenix mayor: Keeping Arizona Coyotes is important for Valley
Jun 11, 2015, 3:34 PM | Updated: 3:36 pm
PHOENIX — Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said keeping the Arizona Coyotes is not important just for Glendale, but the region as a whole.
The city of Glendale voted Wednesday night to cancel the team’s 15-year, $225 million lease, possibly opening the team to relocation.
Stanton said his first wish is to see the team remain in Glendale and at Gila River Arena.
“They happen to play in Glendale, but they’re important to the entire region,” he said.
“Most leaders in this community, both elected officials as well as the business community and the community as a whole, (say) ‘We want the Coyotes to stay here in the Valley of the Sun,'” he said.
However, if the team and the Glendale City Council cannot resolve their differences, Stanton said, as a leader in the community, he would do what he can to keep the team here.
“I don’t want to lose this regional asset and so I’m willing to do my part to make sure that that regional asset stays in our community,” he said.
What role Stanton and Phoenix might play in keeping the team here is unclear, as Stanton said it was too early to comment.
The Coyotes played at US Airways Center in downtown Phoenix from 1996 to 2003.
