Mayor Elaine Scruggs’
2006 State of the City Business Address

February 9, 2006
Glendale Civic Center

(Find a specific section of the speech by clicking the links below:
Introduction | Downtown | Jobing.com Arena | Westgate & Zanjero
Stadium | Annexation | Jobs | City Council Goals)

BEFORE ENDING MY RECAP OF ACTIVITIES IN WESTERN GLENDALE, I HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR YOU…

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!

C’-MON . . . . ARE YOU REALLY READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

THE CITY OF GLENDALE IS DEFINITELY READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL, AND KICKOFF IS DRAWING NEAR – THE FIRST NFL PRE-SEASON GAME
IS JUST SIX MONTHS FROM NOW IN THE NEW STADIUM IN GLENDALE.

FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS, WE’VE BEEN SAYING THAT WE ARE THE FUTURE HOME OF THE ARIZONA CARDINALS AND THE FUTURE HOME OF THE TOSITOS FIESTA BOWL. BUT NOW . . WE CAN FINALLY SAY THAT WE ARE THE HOME OF THE CARDINALS AND THE TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL!

THAT POINT REALLY HIT HOME WITH ME RECENTLY WHEN I PARTICIPATED IN THE OFFICIAL “HAND-OFF” CEREMONY WITH TEMPE MAYOR HUGH HALLMAN DURING LAST MONTH’S FIESTA BOWL GAME. THE ON-FIELD CEREMONY WAS HELD TO MARK THE BOWL GAME’S MOVE TO GLENDALE AND THE MANY CONTRIBUTIONS TEMPE HAS MADE IN SUPPORT OF THE GAME.

IT WAS AN OVERWHELMING AND HUMBLING FEELING TO REPRESENT THE CITY OF GLENDALE DURING THIS CEREMONY.

BEING FULLY PREPARED TO WELCOME MILLIONS OF NEW VISITORS TO GLENDALE AND ASSURE THEIR TIME HERE IS MEMORABLE AND SAFE IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE LIST OF PRIORITIES WE HAVE SET FOR OURSELVES.

I DON’T THINK THERE IS MUCH MORE I CAN SAY ABOUT THE STADIUM THAT YOU PROBABLY HAVEN’T HEARD BY NOW . . . THE FACILITY IS TRULY AMAZING . . . WITHOUT A DOUBT, IT WILL BE ONE OF THE WORLD’S PREMIER, STATE-OF-THE-ART, MULTI-PURPOSE FACILITIES!

OKAY, NOW IS THE TIME FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS A PDA OR POCKET CALENDAR TO TAKE THEM OUT SO YOU CAN WRITE DOWN THE DATES OF THE BIG GAMES AND START PLANNING AHEAD.

SEPTEMBER TENTH IS “OPENING SUNDAY” FOR THE NFL’S 2006 REGULAR SEASON –

THE TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL WILL BE PLAYED JANUARY FIRST 2007.

THE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WILL BE PLAYED ONE WEEK LATER ON JANUARY EIGHTH.

WE ARE EXTREMELY PROUD THAT WE WILL BE HOSTING COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IT WILL BE A SEPARATE EVENT FEATURING THE NATION’S #1 AND #2 RANKED TEAMS.

IT IS AN EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THE VERY FIRST NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN GLENDALE. IT IS ALSO VERY EXCITING TO KNOW WE WILL BE HOSTING THE TITLE GAME EVERY FOUR YEARS!

AND THEN THERE IS THE SMALL, LOW-PROFILE FOOTBALL GAME THAT WILL BE IN GLENDALE IN 2008 (PAUSE)

THE SUPER BOWL IS THE MOST-WATCHED TV PROGRAM IN THE UNITED STATES WITH ABOUT 100 MILLION VIEWERS. AND GLENDALE WILL BE HOSTING SUPER BOWL 42 ON FEBRUARY 3, 2008.

THESE UPCOMING “MEGA EVENTS” WILL JETTISON GLENDALE INTO THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT IN A BIG, BIG WAY, AND WE ARE ALREADY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES TO TELL OUR GLENDALE STORY.

I’D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO SHOW YOU A 30-SECOND COMMERCIAL THAT AIRED DURING ABC’S NATIONAL BROADCAST OF THIS YEAR’S FIESTA BOWL.

APPROXIMATELY 31 MILLION VIEWERS WATCHED THIS YEAR’S FIESTA BOWL ON THE ABC NETWORK AND HAD THE CHANCE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT GLENDALE AND ALL WE HAVE TO OFFER. AND IT SEEMS THE TV AUDIENCE WAS VERY INTERESTED IN DOING THAT.

WE JUST GOT THE RESULTS THIS WEEK AND LEARNED OUR GLENDALEAZ.COM WEB SITE WAS VISITED MORE THAN 222,000 TIMES DURING THE MONTH OF JANUARY AFTER OUR COMMERCIAL AIRED. THIS MARKS THE MOST VISITS IN OUR WEB SITE’S HISTORY.

WE ARE CONTINUALLY ASKED WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE FANS WILL HAVE WHEN THEY COME TO THE University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. ---- WHAT WILL THERE BE FOR THEM TO DO?

THE ANSWER IS THAT GLENDALE WILL DEFINITELY BE A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE FOR FANS BECAUSE OF THE VAST ARRAY OF
SURROUNDING RESTAURANTS, LODGING AND SHOPPING THAT WILL SOON BE IN PLACE….

DURING THE 35 YEARS THE FIESTA BOWL WAS HELD IN ASU’S SUN DEVIL STADIUM, TEMPE’S DOWNTOWN HAD A CHANCE TO BECOME THE FAN FRIENDLY EXPERIENCE IT IS TODAY. MANY OF US THINK THAT IS THE SETTING FOR ALL FOOTBALL STADIUMS. BUT THAT IS NOT REALLY THE CASE.

. . . I GREW UP IN PASADENA CALIFORNIA, AND I KNOW THAT WHEN YOU COME OUT OF THE ROSE BOWL YOU MAY HAVE LUCK FINDING YOUR CAR, BUT YOU WON’T HAVE ANY LUCK FINDING A PLACE TO EAT OR SPEND THE NIGHT WITHIN MILES OF THE STADIUM.

ALSO AS THE MAYOR OF A FUTURE HOST CITY, I ATTENDED THE SUPER BOWLS IN HOUSTON AND IN JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA. WHEN WE WALKED OUT OF THOSE TWO STADIUMS, THERE WERE NO HOTELS. . . NO WESTGATE . . . NO ZANJERO….. NOTHING TO DO WITHOUT DRIVING FOR MILES.

ACTUALLY THE ABSENCE OF AMENITIES AROUND MOST STADIUMS IS THE REASON WHY TAILGATING BECAME POPULAR . . . FANS HAVE TO BRING AND COOK THEIR OWN FOOD AT MOST STADIUMS.

ONE OF THE REASONS WHY OUR SITE WAS SELECTED FOR THE NEW FOOTBALL STADIUM IS BECAUSE, UNLIKE ANY OF THE OTHER SITES BEING CONSIDERED IN THE PHOENIX AREA, GLENDALE’S LOCATION WILL HAVE SURROUNDING AMENITIES…..AND WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE.

BUT THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE DIE-HARD FOOTBALL TRADITIONALISTS, DON’T NEED TO WORRY – THE NEW STADIUM WILL STILL PROVIDE A FUN TAILGATING SETTING FOR ALL TO ENJOY.

BEFORE LEAVING THE SUBJECT OF THE UPCOMING BIG GAMES, I WANT TO SAY THE CITY OF GLENDALE REALIZES THE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT ROLE ALL OF YOU – OUR BUSINESS PARTNERS -- PLAY IN ALL OF OUR PLANS.

AT YOUR TABLES AND IN THE FRONT LOBBY YOU WILL FIND CARDS WE WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO COMPLETE. OUR GOAL IS TO BUILD A DATABASE OF FOLKS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN BECOMING INVOLVED IN THE “MEGA EVENTS” THAT WILL BE HELD IN GLENDALE.

THE CARD ALSO HAS A PLACE FOR YOU TO WRITE OUT QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE ABOUT THE EVENTS. I CAN SAVE YOU SOME TIME IF YOUR QUESTION IS WHETHER THE CITY OF GLENDALE CAN GET YOU TICKETS TO THE SUPER BOWL. UNFORTUNATELY WE WOULD PROBABLY HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF GETTING YOU A RIDE ON A SPACE SHUTTLE.

ALSO, I WANT TO PERSONALLY INVITE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU TO ATTEND A COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE THAT WE ARE HOSTING FOR OUR BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS. THE OPEN HOUSE WILL BE FROM 9:00 TO 11:00 A.M. ON SATURDAY, MARCH 25, RIGHT HERE IN OUR CIVIC CENTER.

AT THAT EVENT, YOU WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE ARIZONA SPORTS AND TOURISM AUTHORITY, ARIZONA CARDINALS, ARIZONA SUPER BOWL FORTY-TWO HOST COMMITTEE, TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL AND THE CARDINALS STADIUM, AS WELL AS CITY STAFF. SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO PLEASE RSVP AND ATTEND ON MARCH 25.