BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - An open government group in Buffalo wants Erie County, New York, and Pegula Sports & Entertainment to be more transparent about the ongoing negotiations regarding a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills.
PSE wants to build a $1.4 billion stadium to replace Highmark Stadium across Abbott Road. A significant amount of public dollars will be used for the project. Some lawmakers want to it as a 50/50 split, though PSE wants the stadium to be funded mostly through tax dollars.
"The whole basis of those closed door negotiations is this study, which everyone has except for the public," Paul Wolf, President of the New York Coalition for Open Government, a non-profit group which seeks more transparency in government. "The public is being kept in the dark as to what this study says, yet that is the whole foundation and the whole basis for these dollars that are going to be asked for from the public."
The organization is specifically calling out Governor Kathy Hochul for saying she will have a transparent administration. Earlier this month, a spokesperson for the governor's office said "Negotiations are ongoing, and her administration looks forward to sharing details with the public as soon as negotiations are completed".
Empire State Development has denied public records requests from news outlets about this project due to the ongoing negotiations.
"In New York, there's a presumption that any documents held by government officials are presumed to be open and available to the public," Wolf said. "There are nine exemptions that can be reasoned for withholding documents. The reason given by Empire State Development is releasing the study would impair an eminent contract. It's my position as an attorney who is very familiar with freedom of information law, this reason is a mis-application of the law."
The coalition on Tuesday forwarded a letter to the governor which included a court opinion from 1991 and opinion from the committee on open government which supports releasing the stadium study.
Wolf argues the study should be made public because there is no competition about building a new stadium, saying if the Pegulas were competing with someone else to build a stadium, it would make sense to not release the study.
"That's not the situation here," he said. "The only person negotiating for a stadium are the Pegulas. There are no competitors. Everyone has the information except for the public. The court decision clearly supports the stadium study should be released."
Wolf also believes the public should have a say in how their dollars will be used on a new stadium, saying San Diego had 50 public meetings about a new stadium.
Pegula Sports has said publicly they will not extend the stadium lease, which expires in July 2023, with the county until there is an agreement reached on a stadium. They stressed urgency to get a deal done due to crumbling infrastructure like Highmark Stadium's upper deck, which already could cost $500 million to renovate.
