The city council of Glendale, Arizona, which was for years a bitter opponent of the Tohono O’odham Nation’s ambitions to build its Desert Diamond Casino, have in recent years taken a 180 degree turn in its relations with the tribe.
Last month the council gave unanimous approval for selling 11 acres next to the casino to help build a resort. The agreed upon price was $3.1 million. The land was a finger jutting into the reservation.
Before the vote, which occurred without discussion among the council Tohono O’odham Chairman Edward Manuel talked about the closer relationship the tribe and the city and nearby communities are developing.
What didn’t come up was the fact that two council members accepted tickets to major league sporting events in 2017, including the Final Four game, which they attended along with tribal officials.
The councilmembers, Jamie Aldama and Ian Hugh, put the tickets, with an estimated value of more than $500 on the annual gift disclosure that council members file with the city. The Arizona Republic obtained this information under the state’s Public Records Law.
Hugh said he didn’t think there was anything wrong about accepting the tickets. He told the Republic, “It’s nice having a working relationship.”
The tickets were not the only gifts from the tribe in 2017. They also were given a ride on the private jet of the Arizona Cardinals and Fiesta Bowl Tickets.
Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest Executive Director Daniel Adelman said that such gifts come with an implied quid pro quo. He told the Republic, “Philosophically, these entities are not giving politicians gift because they like them,” he said. “They are giving them for some reason that they think will help them.”
Adelman’s predecessor Tim Hogan, advocates a requirement that officials accept no gifts whatsoever. “Once you start making exceptions, the exceptions eventually swallow up the rule,” said Hogan. “I just don’t think it’s that hard to not accept gifts.”
Eight years ago, the then mayor of Glendale, Elaine Scruggs was one of nearly 30 lawmakers tarred by the Fiesta Bowl scandal in which they accepted gifts from the non-profit, including trips and stays at luxury hotels.
This prompted Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery to recommend that state and city official stop accepting any such gifts. However, state law allows officials to accept gifts, unless it would have an undue influence on their duties. They must disclose anything worth more than $500 and are not required to spell out the details, just to list the monetary value.
However, Glendale officials were not shy about detailing their gifts. For example, Mayor Jerry Weiers accepted a flight to Washington D.C. on the Arizona Cardinals’ private jet. The trip is part of an annual junket to talk to the state’s senators. Weiers said “It’s stuff I feel is part of my job.”
At the time of the scandal some members of the Glendale city council briefly floated the idea of tightening their own gift requirements, but nothing ever came of it.
The land the tribe acquired from the city won’t be used for gaming. In a press release the tribe stated: “This proposal is the result of positive and productive discussions with the city of Glendale. The nation is very proud of the partnerships we have built in the West Valley, and we are pleased to work towards an agreement that benefits the nation, Glendale and the entire region.”
Rudy Prieto, chief executive officer of the Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise, added, “This purchase would produce a cohesive property and assist in planning future development of the property that complements the existing amenities at Westgate and elsewhere in the sports and entertainment district.”
The tribe is continuing work on the $400 million permanent casino that is scheduled for a December 2019 opening. It will replace the original temporary casino that only offered Class II games. An agreement between all of the Arizona gaming tribes and Governor Doug Ducey ended a longtime battle between the state and the tribe and opened the way for Class III games.
