San Antonio Spurs rep refuses to say whether team will leave town if arena vote fails next month

Spurs General Counsel Bobby Perez speaks during a Project Marvel Town Hall hosted by District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo. Credit: Instagram / Councilwomantericastillo

During a lively Wednesday night town hall, San Antonio Spurs General Counsel Bobby Perez refused to say whether the team would leave town if voters reject a publicly financed arena deal in November.

“We’re totally focused on Nov. 4,” Perez said in response to an audience inquiry about whether the NBA franchise would consider relocating. “We hope that when you look at the numbers, when you look at the facts, you’ll vote for ‘Yes’ for Propositions A and B. That’s what we’re focused on.”

Perez’s dodge didn’t satisfy the packed and vocal audience at the West Side’s Mexican American Unity Council building.

“Answer the question!” members yelled at Perez.

“Liar!” another attendee called.

Indeed, the gathering organized by District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo crackled with a contentious energy different from similar events held by other council members to answer constituent questions about the upcoming election.

Unlike some of those town halls, for example, the questions for Perez and San Antonio Rodeo CEO Cody Davenport weren’t pre-approved by organizers.

What’s more, Castillo also invited vocal Project Marvel opponent Heywood Sanders, a UT-San Antonio professor emeritus of public administration and Current columnist.

City Manager Erik Walsh and City Chief Financial Officer Ben Gorzell also were in attendance.

“What we know about teams is that if they see an opportunity for a larger return, they will move,” Sanders said of the relocation question. “But, the NBA at this point is not necessarily interested in the Spurs moving. They’re not necessarily interested in any team moving. They may well consider expansion.”

Sanders brought up the case of the Philadelphia 76ers franchise, whom NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reportedly pressured to remain in its current arena.

Perez didn’t just deflect when quizzed about whether the Spurs will stay put. When asked whether jobs at the new arena would be union positions, Perez said those hired would be “paid prevailing wages.”

When asked about Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones’ proposal that the Spurs enter into a revenue-sharing agreement with the city in exchange for public financing, Perez said such an agreement would be impossible.

“We have to pay $25 million a year to operate [the arena,]” Perez said. “That’s overhead, that’s our responsibility.”

“What’s your profit?” some in the audience shouted in response.

Although Perez stuck to the script, Sanders wasn’t shy about sharing his thoughts on the new arena and Project Marvel. One of his primary concerns is the proposed land bridge attached to the $4 billion sports and entertainment district.

Although voters are only deciding next month whether to spend visitor tax dollars on the NBA arena component of Project Marvel, the project’s backers also hope to include a convention center expansion, Alamodome upgrades and land bridge over I-37. Sanders argued that it makes no sense to vote on the arena, which would be built on the site of the former Institute of Texas Cultures, without securing funding for the rest of the projects.

“If folks are going to park on the east side of I-37, my doubt is they’re going to levitate themselves over the highway,” he said. “So the big, important question is: who’s going to pay for the land bridge? There’s the possibility of federal grant funds. But there’s no certainty of those funds.”

Sanders also took issue with Perez’s reassurances that only visitors, not residents, would foot the bill for the new area. In addition to the visitor tax, the arena is being financed by a mix of property tax revenue around Hemisfair, also known as a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ).

“A ‘No’ vote [in November] is not a vote against the Spurs,” Sanders said. “It’s not a vote against progress, it’s not a vote against private investment and it’s not a vote against making San Antonio a great city. It’s a message that says we need to do the public business in a better, more thoughtful way.”

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