Council: Dallas can proceed with Super Bowl bid talks
By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News
They pressured Roger Staubach enough to make him feel as if he were still a professional quarterback.
But after more than two hours Wednesday of grilling the Dallas Cowboys legend on a spectrum of topics, Dallas City Council members directed city staff to continue negotiating a participation agreement with the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Bidding Committee, which Mr. Staubach is leading.
The committee has asked Dallas to play a leading role in supporting its Super Bowl effort as it fights to attract professional football’s ultimate game to nearby Arlington in 2011.
“We are all excited about this. We all want to move forward,” Mayor Laura Miller told Mr. Staubach, adding, however, that, “the lead dog ought to get the lead events.”
Such was the theme of many council members’ line of questioning: If Dallas supports a Super Bowl effort in Arlington, what’s in it for Dallas?
Some council members urged staff to negotiate an agreement guaranteeing full cost recovery, and pledges from the National Football League that its major pre-Super Bowl events would be staged within Dallas’ city limits. Council members also sought assurances that the NFL’s headquarters hotel would be located in Dallas.
While the Super Bowl wouldn’t be played within Dallas city limits - a fact some council members are still smarting over since Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones decided in 2004 to build a $1 billion retractable-domed stadium 20 miles westward - Mr. Staubach urged the council to think regionally.
“The Super Bowl is going to benefit Dallas. It’s not going to be a drain on Dallas,” Mr. Staubach told the council, as other bid committee members, including former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, looked on from behind him. “We’ve got to be united. This has got to be a team effort. We have really good competition, and we’ll win if we’re unified. We need to make sure you’re in sync and understand all the issues.”
The North Texas bid committee must submit its proposal to the National Football League by April 2. The NFL's owners are scheduled to award Super Bowl XLV to one of the bidding cities May 23.
Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm says her staff will continue to vet Super Bowl-related issues and report back to the council by next month. The council expects to formally vote by April on whether to support the Super Bowl bid.
They pressured Roger Staubach enough to make him feel as if he were still a professional quarterback.
But after more than two hours Wednesday of grilling the Dallas Cowboys legend on a spectrum of topics, Dallas City Council members directed city staff to continue negotiating a participation agreement with the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Bidding Committee, which Mr. Staubach is leading.
The committee has asked Dallas to play a leading role in supporting its Super Bowl effort as it fights to attract professional football’s ultimate game to nearby Arlington in 2011.
“We are all excited about this. We all want to move forward,” Mayor Laura Miller told Mr. Staubach, adding, however, that, “the lead dog ought to get the lead events.”
Such was the theme of many council members’ line of questioning: If Dallas supports a Super Bowl effort in Arlington, what’s in it for Dallas?
Some council members urged staff to negotiate an agreement guaranteeing full cost recovery, and pledges from the National Football League that its major pre-Super Bowl events would be staged within Dallas’ city limits. Council members also sought assurances that the NFL’s headquarters hotel would be located in Dallas.
While the Super Bowl wouldn’t be played within Dallas city limits - a fact some council members are still smarting over since Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones decided in 2004 to build a $1 billion retractable-domed stadium 20 miles westward - Mr. Staubach urged the council to think regionally.
“The Super Bowl is going to benefit Dallas. It’s not going to be a drain on Dallas,” Mr. Staubach told the council, as other bid committee members, including former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, looked on from behind him. “We’ve got to be united. This has got to be a team effort. We have really good competition, and we’ll win if we’re unified. We need to make sure you’re in sync and understand all the issues.”
The North Texas bid committee must submit its proposal to the National Football League by April 2. The NFL's owners are scheduled to award Super Bowl XLV to one of the bidding cities May 23.
Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm says her staff will continue to vet Super Bowl-related issues and report back to the council by next month. The council expects to formally vote by April on whether to support the Super Bowl bid.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:20 PM
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