San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, right, speaks during a Town Hall on Monday hosted by District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears, left. Credit: Michael Karlis
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones didn’t hold back during her first Town Hall of the new year, blasting Spurs owner and Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell for making a $6 billion donation in December to the White House’s Trump accounts program.
“Michael Dell is an owner of the Spurs,” Jones said. “I wonder if he was able to do that because the city gave up — and the county gave up — so much money for the [new Spurs] arena. Because if you can give $6 billion for these accounts, you could have paid for your own arena.”
Jones, a Democrat, added that Austin resident Dell’s move “really pissed me off.”
The mayor unleashed her fiery remarks Monday evening at the Walker Ranch Senior Center during a District 9 Town Hall alongside conservative Councilwoman Misty Spears.
Dell and his wife Susan donated a total of $6.25 billion to establish investment accounts for 35 million American children under the age of 10 as part of the Trump accounts program. A number of top U.S. corporations made pledges to the initiative following a months-long push by the White House.
The Texas Tribune notes that Dell’s donation was unusual in that few of his charitable donations over the past 25 years have exceeded $1 billion. Also raising an eyebrow, Dell’s contribution essentially lays the foundation for the program, which promises to give each qualified child $250 for a government-approved investment account.
Dell’s donation to Trump’s scheme came less than a month after Bexar County voters narrowly approved $800 million in public financing for a new downtown Spurs arena as part of the larger Project Marvel sports-and-entertainment district.
Campaign finance records show the Spurs spent nearly $8 million to sway voters, making it one of the priciest arena campaigns in U.S. history.
Dell, who owns a 10% stake in Spurs Sports and Entertainment (SS&E), has an estimated net worth of $98 billion, according to Forbes.
Although voters approved the financing for the Spurs arena project, Jones told town hall attendees that she won’t stop asking tough questions. She added that she’ll continue requesting data to back up the promised economic benefits of the new facility as City Manager Erik Walsh finalizes a term sheet for the deal with SS&E.
“I’ll continue asking these questions and making sure that we have the data and are asking for more, because we deserve more,” Jones said.
Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
Related Stories
The news comes as Bexar County residents head to the polls to decide whether to approve a new Spurs arena.
Despite that bid, City Council has yet to acquire the 13 acres of land where the new basketball arena for the Spurs is expected to be built.
Although voters narrowly approved a new Spurs arena, many were unaware they also could be asked to cough up another $500 million for the development.
This article appears in Local politics, San Antonio News, Misty Spears, Michael Dell, Project Marvel, and Gina Ortiz Jones.