City Of Frisco's Relationship With Dallas Cowboys Questioned
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FRISCO (CBSDFW) - The lap of luxury for city leaders and a slap in the face to taxpayers. That's what some Frisco residents are saying about the economic development corporations purchase of expensive tickets to Dallas Cowboys games at AT&T Stadium.
Frisco and the Cowboys already have a cozy relationship with the new training facility going up in the city.
But some residents wonder if city officials are taking advantage of that relationship for personal enjoyment.
The Frisco Economic Development Corporation spent $160,000 on a season long suite at AT&T Stadium.
That included 18 tickets to all eight Dallas Cowboy home games along with $1,500 worth of food and drinks for each game and five parking passes.
All with a view from a luxury suite.
Frisco resident Bret Sanders is among those upset that the city approved the "This is our money that they're spending and it doesn't seem like they have any regard for how they are spending it," says Sanders.
Frisco Tea Party President Toni Fabry also questions the purpose of the suite which was sold to the city as a recruiting tool for out of town businesses.
"I think it's a waste of honest hard-working taxpayers monies," Fabry.
"It's our job to promote Frisco," says Jim Gandy who is president of the FEDC and in charge of distributing the tickets.
Gandy supplied CBS 11 News with photos from the Frisco marketing room inside the stadium to show that the mayor and other city leaders work on game days and invite some local business owners to keep them from leaving.
"These include business prospects some of these folks are business allies that we work with on a regular basis," says Gandy.
But with the city contributing $130 Million to construction of the teams new headquarters, some wonder why the city should have to fork over so much for tickets.
The city says the stadium is a better way to recruit than the construction site because they are not allowed on it.
The economic development board says it could have signed a 10 or 20 year seat license agreement but instead chose to do one year so it can be evaluated.
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