New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Suggests San Diego, Other Cities Contacted Bills Owners

Gov. Kathy Hochul says other cities were interested in the franchise if a stadium deal in Buffalo wasn’t reached.

The use of public money to finance new stadiums for professional sports franchises is always a contentious issue for taxpayers. That is certainly the case in New York after it was announced that $850 million in public funds would go toward a new stadium for the Bills.

Terry and Pegula and his wife Kim own the Buffalo NFL franchise, as well as the NHL’s Sabres. Per Forbes, he is worth nearly $6 billion. Even so, the state and local governments will foot a huge chunk of the bill on a stadium to replace Highmark Stadium and keep the franchise in Western New York.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Buffalo native, was asked about the use of public funds for the stadium—rather than aiding those experiencing mental health concerns or the unhoused—by a caller during an interview with WNYC’s Brian Lehrer. She said that she has to balance the needs of those upstate and downstate and that there is significant local support to keep the Bills in Western New York.

“In this stadium, we see very strong support from the local delegation in Albany. They’re very vocal in their desire to have a share of support go toward a team that is part of the identity of Western New York. It’s like Broadway is to New York City, this team is to Western New York,” Hochul said.

“They did have options to leave. That’s hanging over New Yorkers, Western New Yorkers in particular. So the decision was made to get the best deal we could for taxpayers.”

Hochul referenced years of rumors about the Bills moving to nearby Toronto, while also sharing that San Diego and other larger cities that recently lost NFL franchises had reached out to the Pegulas about relocating their franchise.

“I was aware that they were being reached out to by other cities that have lost teams before. That is real. Their stadium was starting to crumble. Something had to happen and if there wasn’t a decision done soon, they had definitely other options. My entire life, there was talk of them going to Toronto. In fact, a significant performer actually was coming forward with a plan to take them to Toronto. Buffalo’s a very small market. It’s quite extraordinary that they have a team at all, because there’s a lot more money to be had in larger cities like San Diego and others who would love to have a team.

“I was not going to give away the shop. The first question was, ‘Can we finance it 100% with public dollars?’ … I said, ’No, no way. We’re not doing that.’ So it ended up being 43% of the total cost is state money, but when you factor in the income tax we’re going to drive from the ballplayers, these are very highly paid athletes, we have that paid off just in new income for the state in 22 years.”

Hochul added that her budget has “unprecedented” money “on the table” for affordable housing and supportive housing for those with substance abuse concerns, mental health challenges and the recently incarcerated.

The new stadium in Orchard Park is scheduled to open in time for the 2026 season.

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