From the beginning, my campaign has been about truth. Since June, we have focused on truth in elections, and attempting to verify the legitimacy of Governor Spencer Cox’s having been placed on the ballot as well the results of the primary election. These attempts have been met with nothing but obstruction and derision from Cox and LG Henderson, as well as other members of the Utah political establishment. We will continue to fight.
However, election integrity is not the only realm where the spotlight of truth needs to shine. Corruption runs unchecked in our state, as the same people continue to sit on the same boards, ensuring that they, and their friends, benefit most. Hidden under the veneer of baseball as America’s pastime, Big League Utah is one such operation.
What is Big League Utah?
Big League Utah describes itself as “broad-based coalition united to position Salt Lake City as a Major League Baseball expansion market and the ‘Future of America’s Pastime.’” This coalition working to bring MLB to SLC has both an honorary board and a community board. Honorary board members include Gail Miller of the Larry H. Miller company plus Governor Spencer Cox and other politicians like House Speaker Mike Schultz, Senate President Stuart Adams, and SLC Mayor Erin Mendenhall. The community board includes the chair and vice chair of the Larry H. Miller Company board of directors and its CEO in addition to other notable individuals including Todd Pedersen of Vivint, Scott Anderson of Zions Bank, Kem Gardener, and Natalie Gochnour. The executive team is composed primarily of Larry H. Miller Company executives.
Who is paying for this?
The project, which includes a baseball stadium in the Power District area, was supported by a majority of legislators during the 2024 legislative session. HB562 was run by Representative Ryan Wilcox with Lincoln Fillmore as the Senate Floor sponsor. Both Wilcox and Fillmore sit on the BLU honorary board. The bill creates the Utah Fairpark Area Investment and Restoration District, run by a five-member board, and uses tax increment funding in conjunction with state sales tax and rental car tax to fund the stadium. Half the cost of the stadium up to $900 million would be bonded and the stadium owned by the state, with an MLB franchise paying monthly rent of $150,000. The plan also includes private funding.
Is it worth it?
The Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen did a detailed analysis of these types of funding schemes and concludes that they are very rarely worth it in terms of costs to the taxpayer. However, those in favor of the project aren’t concerned. According to the Tribune, when Senate President Stuart Adams was asked about the legislation, he stated that he “understands if there is anxiety about a new land authority dominated by state appointees. ’They [the public] will find out,’ Adams said, ‘that it’s a real positive thing for them.’”
Conflicts of Interest?
It is also worth noting that since 2020, over three quarters of a million dollars has been contributed to Spencer Cox by several key members of the two BLU boards on which Cox himself sits.
As your governor, I will always work to represent the people, not the elites or the political establishment. We cannot let favoritism and conflicts of interest dominate policy or our economy. Utahns deserve better.
Sources/Read more:
Big League Utah advisory boards
Potential New Pro Sports Venues in Utah Would Come with Tax Increases
Final Inning: $900M MLB Bill Passes Utah House as Legislature Looks for Ways to Pay for Stadium
Andy Larsen: How Much are You Willing to Pay to Help the Millers and Smiths Build New Stadiums?
Utah’s MLB Ballpark Funding Bill Worries SLC; Key Council Member Calls it ‘Slap in the Face’