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Mayor Hardberger is da man!!!
Don't Phuck with Phil!!!
Mayor won't be pushover in talks with Saints
Web Posted: 10/25/2005 12:00 AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
George H. Spencer Sr., the dean of San Antonio defense lawyers, can't imagine the New Orleans Saints outmaneuvering Mayor Phil Hardberger at the negotiating table.
"The city couldn't get anyone better at negotiating than he is, I can tell you that," Spencer said.
Spencer should know. Hardberger, once an ace trial lawyer, usually bested Spencer during their courtroom showdowns.
"I've paid him a lot of money over the years," Spencer said. 'I tried two cases against him early in his career and won both. But I had more experience then.
"After that, he got so good, I had to pay him off all the time."
Spencer described Hardberger, former chief justice of the state's 4th Court of Appeals, as a well-prepared, forceful negotiator.
"He doesn't fool around," Spencer said of Hardberger, who wants the Saints to make a permanent move to San Antonio, a desire Hardberger says is shared by team owner Tom Benson. "He's a superb lawyer with a good personality and a knack for impressing the other side with his arguments."
Although serious negotiations between the Saints and the city aren't expected to happen until after the season, the prospects of Hardberger negotiating with Benson attorney and San Antonio resident Stanley Rosenberg has the city's legal community abuzz with anticipation.
"Both are smart men and superb lawyers," Spencer said.
Attorney Jimmy Parks, a legal analyst for KTSA Radio's Legally Brunette, echoed Spencer's comments.
"(Hardberger's) skills as a negotiator are probably his strongest quality as an attorney," Parks said. "Whether you like him or not, you couldn't ask for anybody better to represent the city in talks with the Saints.
"That's all he's done his professional life. He's worked things out, settled things. He's very personable and knows how to look for win-win agreements. He's not a brow beater and doesn't try to force people's hands.
"If we can't get it done with Phil Hardberger, we can't get it done."
Saints aren't alone: Benson's team isn't the only Louisiana company doing business in a neighboring state.
Entergy, one of New Orleans' biggest private employers and No.221 on the Fortune 500, has temporarily relocated to the former WorldCom headquarters near Jackson, Miss.
According to a published report, Mississippi "would be happy if Entergy made its move permanent." USA Today said recruiters for the state of Mississippi would not say whether they have offered tax and other incentives to land the company, which sells electricity to 2.7 million customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas and employs 1,400.
"We just need to make them feel at home, as best we can," the vice president for economic development at the MetroJackson Chamber of Commerce told the newspaper.
Hardberger, former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros and other city leaders made similar comments in the days after the Saints moved operations to San Antonio.
Entergy says publicly it wants to return to New Orleans. But it offers no timetable because of the lack of basic services in the Big Easy.
Insiders say the Saints argue NFL teams can only play in markets where they can produce revenue to share with their fellow owners.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/s...n.153ab0a.html
Mayor Hardberger is da man!!!
Don't Phuck with Phil!!!
Good post, Writer.
I feel that the Mayor is doing is agreat job, on all fronts, not just with the Saints.
I can not wait until the Saints come here for good!
New Orleans.. come get drunk.. but that's about it. (ok lightining can strike me now).
So San Antonio is supposed to be comforted by the fact that a friend of Benson's is going to be representing the city in its negotiations with Benson?
Um, ok...
I would be curious to see who went to whom first.
i am just glad we don't have castro negotiating!
According to a published report, Mississippi "would be happy if Entergy made its move permanent." USA Today said recruiters for the state of Mississippi would not say whether they have offered tax and other incentives to land the company, which sells electricity to 2.7 million customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas and employs 1,400.
This should chap the hide of the nola mayor but all he can publicly do is bash benson.
losing one of its largest private employers must be more digestable than losing the saints...plus i aint heard one comment from the mayor on national tv about that.
well, that along with the national media predicting a move to san antonio, the fox nfl terry and co. stating the saints should be moving to san antonio....ya i am pretty comforted by the fact that hardberger is handling the negotiations rather than mr pro soccer....i am comforted by the fact that before the hurricane football wasn't even a topic unless the boys were on tv. now i must say that i was disappointed that fox chose not to show a team that has a real opportunity to be moving to san antonio as one of its games on sunday.
So you'll be fine if the city gets screwed over.
The Hornets could be involved as well. This not fact, repeat..NOT fact, merely rumor but according to a buddy of mine in OKC, there is talk amongst people there about trying to land the Hornets for good. There is a lot of "lets sell out the games to show we can support the NBA" talk. Interesting.
Odd that OKC could end up with a team and St. Louis, Cincinnati and Baltimore are without...
No kidding...
True...I really think its wishful thinking by the people of OKC. With no major league pro sports in the entire state, they want to get something...they have been bugging the NHL for years.Odd that OKC could end up with a team and St. Louis, Cincinnati and Baltimore are without...
I'm not sure they could because didn't they sign some kind if contract stating after NOLA was back on its feet the Hornets have to rteturn back to OKC?? If Benson really planned on going back to NOLA, wouldn't he of signed the same agreement????
Quite possibly.
Maybe, but we don't know if that type of agreement was offered/asked for. With two different commish's running the show, it's hard to say.
nope, but it sure looks like you're looking forward to it
Benson is after whatever puts the most money in his pocket.
If that means sucking up to HardHamburgler while keeping BlankHo dangling, then that's what he'll do.
It's a pity that they let sporting teams (who rely on the "FAITH" of their supporters) get owned by people of that ilk.
But they do
Got a life guard cap handy?
Dude Benson is getting older.. he is not going to move his team to Compton...
It's not gonna happen.... he would sell it before doing that...
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