By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – Local government is now lending support to Rochester billionaire Thomas Golisano as his bid to buy the Buffalo Sabres heads into the final period with the National Hockey League.
Golisano is not asking for any local taxpayer dollars to buy the Sabres and that is music to the ears of area politicians. Buffalo Common Council members say Golisano will continue to pay annual ground rent for HSBC Arena. But he is asking the city to forgive past ground rent debt owed by former team owner John Rigas.
Tuesday, Common Council members approved the plan. Delaware District lawmaker Marc Coppola says Golisano has also agreed to pay off small businesses that are owed money by the team.
"Mr. Golisano is agreeing to buy the assets of the Sabres. However, they are also agreeing to pay businesses the money they're owed," Coppola explained. "I was happy about that, because the little guy is usually forgotten in a bankruptcy."
Coppola says the agreement allows the city to negotiate with the new team owner on future issues.
Golisano is calling on Erie County to give up revenue generated from Arena ticket surcharges. In return, Golisano's spokesman Larry Quinn, says they've agreed to a non-relocation agreement. This will ensure the Sabres play at HSBC Arena for the next 23 years.
"We could have very easily come in and said we don't want the non-relocation agreement, we don't want the lease or to be obligated to pay vendors, and it would have been in our rights to do that," Quinn said. "It wouldn't have mattered to us and Adelphia. But I think both companies recognized a couple of important things -- that we did not want to disrupt the non- relocation agreement and the lease."
Under the current Arena lease deal, the County generates about $125,000 a year in surcharges. But Majority Republican members of the Legislature say that's a small price to pay to keep the team in Buffalo.
Republicans are predicting the full Legislature will approve the plan Thursday. Golisano's deal is expected to be finalized by the NHL April 10th.