59% oppose Real funding

Voters in Salt Lake County support Mayor Peter Corroon's decision to deny Real Salt Lake millions in public tax money.

A Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll of 450 county residents shows 59 percent oppose giving the soccer team $35 million in hotel tax funds to build a stadium in Sandy. The poll, conducted May 1-4 by Dan Jones & Associates, has a margin of error of 5 percent.

Corroon on Wednesday rejected Real's funding plan for a $145 million stadium in Sandy, saying interest payments on a proposed bond were "too costly." The plan would have required the county to ultimately pay $87.5 million to give Real $35 million.

"Corroon is King Kong," said Stephen Pace, a Salt Lake City resident who has opposed other publicly financed projects like the Olympics and light rail. "This is Corroon doing what needed to be done — putting the bullet in the carcass."

Even soccer fans agree.

"As a big soccer fan, it appears that Mayor Peter Corroon is thinking clearly without being distracted by the glittering prize of the professional sports franchise residing in Sandy," said Dallin Millington, a speech and language pathologist for Nebo School District.

Utah's top politician also supports Corroon's decision: "The stadium funding proposal is an issue that local governments must be comfortable with before they proceed," Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said through his spokesman, Mike Mower. The governor does, however, want the team to stay in Utah.

With finger-pointing and accusations flying between the county and the team, the bad blood may blow up at a planned press conference Saturday. The team says county officials violated a confidentiality agreement after team financial documents were leaked to the media. But Corroon says no such agreement was signed.

Real CEO Dean Howes declined comment on Corroon's decision, other than a brief statement saying Real officials are "completely focused on our upcoming game this weekend."

No matter what Real says at the press conference, Corroon said he is happy to see that county residents are behind him. According to the poll, Corroon has a 62 percent job approval rating.

"It's nice to see the public opinion in our favor," Corroon said Thursday after learning of the poll results. "Hopefully that means that the decision was not a political one, but one that was made in the best interest of our citizens."