(MOBILE, Ala.) It only took a few words from council member Bess Rich to express her concern about a new six-year contract for the Godaddy.com Bowl.
"I don't see our resources as being a bank," Rich said during Tueday's council meeting.
"I don't want to fool with this contract," responded council president Reggie Copeland.
Any talk of even questioning the $1.1 million annual funding contract with the organization that runs the bowl was dangerous, he said.
Mayor Sam Jones echoed the sentiment.
"To have a discussion about our continuation with the contract when we are reaping over $20 million in benefits and at the point it's getting very competitive for bowl contracts, I do not want to put us at any disadvantage in negotiations," said the mayor. "Nor do I want us to be in a position whether we are tentative about it being on television. All of those things are spin offs of discussion I have heard here this morning, which in my opinion, was not well thought out."
Rich said she was thinking about "what if?"
Mobile does get almost all of it's investment back from the bowl sponsor each year.
But what if, somewhere down the road in this new six0year contract, GoDaddy.com bowed out and Mobile was left without a sponsor?
"To me, I look at priorities with our city take dollars. It's public dollars and you have to watch over it at all times," said Rich. "I just wanted this ability where it could be reviewed and renegotiated."
Rich's attempt to add an amendment to the contract allowing future review failed 6-to-1.
"The message is," said Jones, "here is something that has highly successful, that's been really beneficial to our community, and with the discussion, we could very well jeopardize our position here with the bowl game."
Could some other city go after Mobile's bowl, just because they're discussing its contract?
"It happens all the time!" said Jones.
