San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, center, holds a press conference lobbying against City Council agreeing to a term-sheet with Spurs Sports & Entertainment for a new arena last week. Michael Karlis" class="uk-display-block uk-position-relative uk-visible-toggle"> click to enlarge San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, center, holds a press conference lobbying against City Council agreeing to a term-sheet with Spurs Sports & Entertainment for a new arena last week. - Michael Karlis
Michael Karlis
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, center, holds a press conference lobbying against City Council agreeing to a term-sheet with Spurs Sports & Entertainment for a new arena last week.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones — who spent significant political capital calling for a pause in talks to develop a downtown Spurs arena — still hasn't said whether she'll campaign against Bexar County's proposal to raise the visitor tax to 2% to help pay for the proposed facility.
The county vote is a critical one. If it fails, the term sheet the city last week agreed to with Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E) would become void, setting local leaders back to square one when it comes to negotiating for a $1.3 billion NBA arena at Hemisfair.
If Jones were to openly campaign against the county's visitor tax, she would be required to walk a fine legal line, University of Texas at San Antonio political science professor Jon Taylor told the Current.
"That would be like [Bexar County District Judge] Peter Sakai deciding to get involved in a city vote," he said.
Just the same, an entry by the mayor into the debate over the November vote wouldn't be the first time a Texas political leader has stepped up to the brink, according to Taylor.
"Given how this state operates — and how we seem to conveniently forget laws on a regular basis and the enforcement of those laws — my guess is she'll try to push the edge of the envelope if necessary," he added.
Last week, council voted 7-4 in favor of accepting SS&E's term sheet, which calls for the city to contribute $489 million toward a new arena, assuming voters approve the county's ballot measure. After the meeting, reporters asked Jones whether she would take a public stance on the November election.
"That's a good question," Jones replied. "I'm going to have to come back to you on that."
Up until that point, Jones told the Current and other news outlets that she "wants a deal" with the Spurs and isn't against the project as a whole. Instead, she emphasized that she called for a pause so the city could order up a second economic impact analysis on the proposed arena.
Under Texas law, a mayor can legally campaign against a county vote but only if they do so on their own time and use their personal resources rather than the city's, according to Taylor. State law strictly prohibits public officials from using government funds or resources for political advertising or campaigning, including in opposition to ballot measures.
Jones' office didn't respond to the Current's request for comment Monday whether she's decided to take a public stance on the county vote. However, during a Monday afternoon appearance on Texas Public Radio call-in show The Source, the mayor said she hasn't decided whether to campaign against the county tax change and urged voters to do their own analysis.
San Antonio political consultant Bert Santibañez, who worked on Jones' mayoral campaign, said the mayor would likely help her cause and boost her popularity among voters if she came out against Project Marvel — assuming that's how she feels — rather than appearing to sidestep the issue.
"If that's her stance, she should just be honest about it," Santibañez said.
Taylor agreed, telling the Current that Jones would likely improve her standing with voters by staking out a clearer stance on Project Marvel.
"If that's the case, come out and say it, specifically," Taylor said. "I tire of politicians who decide that they have to equivocate. Just say what you mean. Make your case and voters might understand. They may not like what you're saying, but at least they have a clear understanding of what side you're on — and that I think is where she's having trouble."
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