Sandy mayor: MLS strike would hurt my city

(by Martin Renzhofer sltrib.com 3-18-10)

Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan describes Dave Checketts as a straightforward, up-front kind of guy.

"He says what he thinks," Dolan said. "I take him at his word."

So, Dolan believes the Real Salt Lake owner when he says that the future of Major League Soccer looks bleak if the players go on strike Tuesday, barring a breakthrough in negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement.

Dolan says he also understands the potential economic impact on his city -- home to RSL's Rio Tinto Stadium -- should a work stoppage occur.

"We know it makes an economic impact when people come from out of town and fill up our hotels and restaurants," he said.

In one sense, Dolan calls the labor standoff "a typical situation" between the players and management.

But both Dolan and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon expressed disappointment that the situation has reached this point. A strike, both agreed, would create a serious economic hardship to businesses surrounding Rio Tinto Stadium.

"It would not be very good," Corroon said. "For Sandy, it is very important. The surrounding restaurants and retailers appreciate having them there."

MLS players recently voted 383-2 in favor of a strike should the owners not concede what the athletes call their basic rights, including more freedom to change teams and more guaranteed contracts.

The players set the strike deadline for midnight Tuesday if the sides cannot agree with the league on a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the one that expired Jan. 31.

"I don't know how Major League Soccer survives it, to be honest," Checketts told The Salt Lake Tribune . "It's that serious."

"If we don't play this year," Checketts said. "It's not going to be in anybody's best interest."

The looming strike deadline comes four days before Real Salt Lake's season-opening match at San Jose. RSL is the defending MLS champion.

"I'm surprised at this stage of negotiations that they haven't come together to work something out. This doesn't help anybody," said Dolan, who was a driver of the building of Rio Tinto Stadium and the political battles that preceded it.

Dolan said part of the blow of not having RSL games could be made up by other events, such as concerts. But the stadium was built on a foundation of 15-20 RSL regular season and exhibition games per year.

Sandy is working up a study on the stadium's financial impact.

Corroon, an RSL season-ticket holder, agreed with S.L. County's Debt Review Committee, which voted to oppose the stadium.

"The stadium has been built," he said. "We have a successful soccer team in Salt Lake and we want them to be successful. Salt Lake County is not involved anymore. We'd all be disappointed if we lost the team."