Pima County re-establishes sports authority

TUCSON — Pima County brought back a sports and tourism authority Tuesday to help hold on to current major league spring training teams and possibly find new ones to train here.

Already training in Tucson are the Colorado Rockies, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox plan to move next season to Glendale, where they will share a spring training facility with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The supervisors were unanimous, but Ray Carroll, whose district includes Green Valley, said he had many questions about the funding of the authority. Pima County disbanded a previous attempt at a sports authority in the mid-1990s.

Also Tuesday, the town of Marana in northern Pima County indicated it’s trying to lure a team there for spring training, possibly the Colorado Rockies.

Much of the money that funds the Phoenix-area support for its spring training operations comes from what’s known as Arizona Sports Authority, which represents only Maricopa County.

County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry presented the resolution to the Pima supervisors.

It also listed the board members for the county sports authority, including Jim Arnold (representing the media), Tom Tracy (lodging industry), Jack Camper (Southern Arizona Chambers of Commerce), Edgar Soto (Pima Community College athletics), Mike Feder (professional baseball), Rocky LaRose (University of Arizona athletics), Kendall Bert of (regional economic development), Rick Vaughn (local tourism industry), David Sitton (youth sports), Carlotta Flores (Tucson-area restaurant industry), Dr. Sheila Blaze (high school athletics), David J. Cohen (private sector), Linda McNulty (private sector), George Favela (communications industry) and Justin Lanne (youth and amateur sports).

Supervisor Sharon Bronson said that under the resolution, 25 percent of its tax-generated revenues would go to support to amateur athletics in the county. The tax to raise the money would be levied mostly against tourist industries, restaurants, resorts and hotels.

There were opponents to the plan.

Resident Jim Handley said he was here “to oppose against the authority.”

He said creating the authority would mean “We relinquish part of the government” to a body with no political oversight.

He said the authority would represent “a very narrow audience.”

He said if the county takes part in the plan to attract and support major league baseball, “They’ll think we are hicks,” and if it passes, “We are hicks.”

The Chicago White Sox are legally bound to using Tucson Electric Park for spring training, and if they tries to bolt, supervisor Chairman Richard Elias said, the county would fight to uphold the contract.

The White Sox have an out. They can move, but must find a Tucson replacement.

There has been criticism that Tucson Electric Park on Ajo Way in southeastern Tucson is an undesirable location.

Originally, there was talk of locating the ballpark downtown.

But Carroll said baseball supporters tell him that downtown was never considered.

“It must be an urban myth. Downtown was never an option,” he said.

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