The city’s policy about the use of the luxury box is that it is intended for “official district purposes” so that the city does not “run afoul of any state and city laws governing personal gifts”.
It is as clear as it can be.
It is also important to remember that the luxury box belongs to the taxpayers and as such it is supposed to be used for the benefit of the city, as a whole. It is not intended for city representatives to use it for personal purposes.
Reviewing the use of the luxury box from the first game through this week there clearly are city representatives that feel they are exempt from the rules. I am sure you all know who they are, but for posterity sake let’s list them here.
- Emma Acosta invited her spouse. Although not listed in the list provided to me, Acosta acknowledged during the city council meeting that she had invited her “significant other”.
- Cortney Niland invited her spouse and family members as if it was her private box. In her case, Niland used the box as if it were her personal property. It shouldn’t surprise us as she clearly has no interest in the city’s taxpayers, treating them as if they were just checkbooks for her and her cohorts.
- Larry E. Romero, used it when it was allocated to Cortney Niland and invited a guest. Interestingly Romero used the luxury box during a game day that appears to have been allocated to Niland, according to the list provided to me.
Of course our list would be incomplete if I didn’t point out that former city manager Joyce Wilson has also violated the city’s stated policy by using the luxury box on two occasions. In fact it was Wilson who set the policy currently in place about uses of the luxury box. Apparently the rules only apply to others.
You can review the complete list by visiting this link. (It is a PDF document)
Clearly it is the same elected officials that continue to feel entitled.