![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Brockie.jpg\")
Former Councilman Greg Brockhouse speaks to reporters in front of City Hall. Credit: Michael Karlis<\/p>\nFormer Councilman Greg Brockhouse speaks to reporters in front of City Hall. Credit: Michael Karlis<\/p>\n
Politics make for strange bedfellows.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Indeed, three former city council members \u2014 two conservatives and a progressive \u2014 made a final push Monday to urge Bexar County voters to reject Proposition B, which would help publicly finance a new Spurs arena. \u00a0<\/p>\n
If passed, Prop B would raise Bexar County\u2019s visitor tax to 2% to help publicly finance a new NBA arena at Hemisfair. The visitor tax hike will allow the county to contribute $311 million toward the project. <\/p>\n
Approval of the measure also would also validate the city\u2019s term sheet with the Spurs, which includes another $489 million financed by sales and property taxes at and around Hemisfair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although the Spurs and its pro-arena political action committee, the Win Together PAC, argue that only visitors will pay for the $1.3 billion arena, the three former council members convened a press conference in front of City Hall to say the deal doesn\u2019t pass the smell test.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not free money, folks. It\u2019s debt that has to be paid back by you and me here in this city,\u201d said former District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry, known as a conservative naysayer. \u201cDon\u2019t let them say it\u2019s going to be paid for [by tourists]. It won\u2019t, because we have to pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perry was referring to what would happen to the debt incurred by the county and the city if revenue from visitors, sales and property taxes doesn\u2019t meet expectations. Indeed, other cities that used similar financing mechanisms<\/a>, including Worcester, Massachusetts, had to dip into their general revenue funds to pay off a minor league baseball stadium.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Greg Brockhouse \u2014 a former District 6 councilman who ran two populist mayoral campaigns \u2014 accused the Spurs of running a politically divisive campaign and engaging in ethically questionable tactics.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe Spurs have divided our community, and they\u2019re pitting Republicans against Democrats,\u201d Brockhouse said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brockhouse was referring to a text message Win Together sent out last month<\/a> \u2014\u00a0allegedly to registered Democrats \u2014\u00a0warning that sales tax revenue would be returned to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott if voters reject the arena proposition.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAnybody who tells you this is not a tax increase is lying to you, and there are a lot of mouthpieces that the Spurs are paying right now,\u201d Brockhouse said. \u201cGo look at the campaign finance reports. They are buying loyalty across this city with dollars, food, free tickets and transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n Brockhouse continued: \u201cThose are major campaign violations. The Spurs and the people not filing these reports are violating campaign finance laws.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement to the Current, Spurs Sports & Entertainment Corporation Communications liaison Liberty Swift said the Win Together PAC had local content creators to promote Prop. B.\u00a0However, she said the franchise has meticulously followed campaign ethics rules. <\/p>\n \u201cThese sponsored posts were disclosed by the creators, followed Texas Ethics Commission rules and FTC guidance, and will be fully reported on the PAC\u2019s campaign finance filings,\u201d Swift said. \u201cTo be clear, no one was paid to vote or to vote on a certain way.\u201d<\/p>\n Professor Heywood Sanders, a UT-San Antonio professor emeritus of public policy, was also spoke at the presser. He told voters that before the polls open tomorrow, they should think about promises made about the Alamodome and Frost Bank Center, both of which city leaders said would lead to robust economic development in their respective neighborhoods.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes to this, realize you\u2019ve been taken advantage of before,\u201d said Sanders, who also writes a periodic column for the Current. \u201cYou\u2019ve been given unfulfilled promises before. Even if you deeply love and care for the Spurs, now is the time to say, \u2018This is the wrong deal at the wrong time.’\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Former District 1 Mario Bravo did not attend the press conference. However, he did air his concerns about the new arena and broader Project Marvel in a recent phone call with the Current.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a history of the city not negotiating good deals with major corporations, local corporations, and so we can\u2019t just trust the city and give them a blank check to do this,\u201d Bravo said.<\/p>\n Bravo continued: \u201cThere\u2019s this religion, almost like a disease, that we need to invest in downtown. We\u2019re going to revitalize downtown and do all this stuff. And investment is good. But, it\u2019s not a smart investment if it doesn\u2019t produce the outcome that they claimed it would.\u201d<\/p>\n Bravo said he tried to print his concerns in a San Antonio Report op-ed, but the publication declined because they said their coverage of the topic had been extensive.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe definition of comprehensiveness is that you covered all aspects,\u201d Bravo said. \u201cSo, the Report\u2019s coverage has been extensive, but not comprehensive, because it hasn\u2019t covered this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n Polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday. Information on polling locations is available at the Bexar County Election Department\u2019s website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Spurs will host a watch party at the River North Ice House for pro-arena voters, while activist group COPS\/Metro, which led the push against Prop B, will hold its election night soiree at Southtown\u2019s Friendly Spot.\u00a0<\/p>\n Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>| Twitter<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tA bipartisan group of former council members, including Clayton Perry, Greg Brockhouse and Mario Bravo have publicly come out against Project Marvel. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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