The more you learn about the Goldwater Institute the more wacky this whole story becomes. It's this small group of conservative activists who's "institute" has a budget of less than $3 million that's holding up the deal that would sell the Phoenix Coyotes to the Matthew Hulsizer and keep the team in Glendale. The GWI isn't a fly in the ointment as much as it is mosquito in the ocean.
In a meeting held Thursday afternoon between the city and GWI we learn just why they've stalled for so long in sitting down across the table with their adversaries. They are a joke and completely out of their league and unprofessional, uninformed, and clearly uninterested in a solution.
You do have to give GWI credit for two things: first, they have good taste in cupcakes and second, they have managed to stubble on a bit of leverage that's allowed them to parlay their small size and no standing in the sale into huge publicity.
The gathering on Thursday began with GWI's Darcy Olsen announcing that the meeting would called "The Cupcake Summit" and she produced cupcakes. The cupcukes, as can be heard on the audio of the meeting, were described as "ooey gooey" cupcakes from renowned Phoenix bakery, Tammie Coe.
One thing all sides can agree on is the quality of Tammie Coe baked goods. From there, things predictably went south as the Goldwater Institute raised points that would have been laughed out of a first year law school class.
[Note by Seth Pollack, 04/22/11 4:10 PM MST ]
Having listened to the audio of the entire meeting, what stands out is where the Goldwater Institute's passion points were. They didn't make a principled case for government involvement in the private deal. They didn't spend their time arguing the finer points of the who owns the parking rights and how much the city was paying for them.
What got Olsen and the GWI fired up was their complaint that the City didn't give them records fast enough. They seemed somehow personally insulted that Glendale treat them with enough respect and they are particularly miffed that an outside attorney, without authorization from the city, threatened to sue them.
That's not the behavior of a responsible public watchdog. That's the behavior of a grandstanding political organization who's most concerned with its own interests. They need to understand that this isn't a joke and it most certainly isn't about them.
It will be a tragedy if these clowns are able to force the Coyotes out of town.
Listen for yourself and read the GWI document..
Meanwhile, the Canadian vultures are circling:
Wait for the white flag, Winnipeg | Posted Sports | National Post
It might be prudent to hold off popping the corks for the Welcome Home celebration until you see the white flag officially go up in Glendale, and in the NHL offices, and wherever else a roadblock might be erected. In other words, don’t trust the Desert Dogs to come when you call. Wait until you see the whites of their eyes. And even then, be careful.Jets fans wait patiently as Coyotes might leave Phoenix
"It always has to be cautious enthusiasm . . . but we're more than prepared at our end," said Darren Ford, a 33-year-old wine and spirits dealer and de-facto leader of the Bring Back the Jets campaign. "Everyone is really optimistic that if one team isn't coming, Phoenix, then Atlanta is.