Dallas City Council OK's North Texas Super Bowl XLV Bidding Committee's Plan

Dallas council OKs backing of Super Bowl bid
11:06 AM CDT on Wednesday, March 28, 2007
By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News

The Dallas City Council on Wednesday morning unanimously approved two resolutions backing the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Bidding Committee's efforts to score football’s grandest game despite several weeks of council members peppering the committee with various demands and threats.

Council members spent just four minutes offering conciliatory messages about the region’s bid before voting. The bid aims to attract the 2011 Super Bowl to the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium under construction in nearby Arlington.

Many council members had previously argued that because Dallas would front about four-fifths of local resources for a Super Bowl, Dallas should receive guarantees of receiving the choicest ancillary benefits - pre-game parties, festivals, headquarter hotels and the like. But the language contained in the council’s resolutions is decidedly supportive, with few demands on the bid committee, which must present its proposal to the NFL by April 2.

“The due diligence we did was good. We were looking out for the taxpayers’ money,” council member Ron Natinsky said.

“We don’t need to nitpick this to death. The PR is unbelievable in what it would produce for the region,” council member Mitchell Rasansky said.

Mayor Laura Miller concurred.

“We’re all very excited to help you bring the Super Bowl to this region,” she said.