Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett is “continuing to be coy” about the identity of the would-be MLS franchise ownership group but said that the group's local contingent will “likely be revealed imminently,” according to a front-page piece by Hayleigh Colombo of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Hogsett “would not name specifics," but he did not deny when asked if it could “include at least one member of the Simon family, particularly Herb Simon,” the owner of the Pacers and WNBA Indiana Fever. Hogsett and his Chief of Staff Dan Parker “stressed that it was not their role to put together an ownership group” and that MLS would have the “ultimate sign-off on vetting those involved in owning a proposed team.” Hogsett mentioned that it is "critically important" to both him and MLS that the ownership of the team “include people who are local to Indianapolis.” Parker mentioned Tuesday that there are "’multiple’ billionaire owners who may have already have a stake” in existing major league sports teams who could end up being part of the majority ownership. Those comments are the “latest sign that Hogsett's goal of bringing another major league sports team to Indianapolis is moving forward” without USL club Indy Eleven (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 6/26).
KEY APPROVAL: In a separate piece, Colombo reported Hogsett's plan to build an MLS stadium at the site of the Downtown Heliport “cleared a key hurdle” yesterday when a special taxing district to pay for such a stadium was approved by the Metropolitan Development Commission. The vote formally approved the creation of a Professional Sports Development Area, which would “capture new tax revenue that's generated by current and future development around the stadium.” The proposal approved yesterday also “rescinds the Professional Sports Development Area passed back in the winter,” which would have created the same kind of taxing district at the former Diamond Chain site for an Indy Eleven development. Now the next step in the process is a vote by the State Budget Committee (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 6/26).
