Busy busy

It's a pretty crazy time at work right now.  Of course, I'm too nervous about saying something I shouldn't to make it more specific than that.  However, I can say that I worked most of the day Saturday because of this:

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The conservative watchdog group Goldwater Institute has filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate the Glendale City Council’s vote to approve a lease agreement for Jobing.com Arena with a potential buyer of the Phoenix Coyotes. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Maricopa County Superior Court on behalf of Glendale taxpayers Ken Jones and Joe Cobb, claiming last week’s vote violated a 2009 court order requiring Glendale to provide all documents in negotiations between the city and a prospective owner to Goldwater in a timely manner.

It's definitely an interesting case; I'm looking forward to the hearing tomorrow.

This weekend I'm going to go hiking at Saguaro Lake, which is just a little bit outside of Phoenix but far enough out that there will be some nice views of the mountains and desert.  I'll definitely post some pictures.

Coyotes and Rattlers

So since I can't talk specifically about what I've been doing at work as I'm sure it would violate some confidentiality rule or other, I'll tell the story of what's been happening at Goldwater in the past few days in the words of reporters who wrote their stories based on public information.

One case that is particularly interesting is the one involving the Phoenix Coyotes.  The lead attorney on that project is Carrie-Ann Sitren, for whom it has been great to work.  Last week ESPN reported:

PHOENIX -- A conservative watchdog group plans to ask a judge for a temporary restraining order Friday to prevent a Glendale City Council vote on a lease agreement that would clear the way for the sale of the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes. 

The Goldwater Institute said Thursday that its request will be filed at 8:30 a.m. Friday in Maricopa County Superior Court. The institute bases its request on its contention that the city violated the Arizona open meetings law by failing to make public all documents related to the lease.

However, the next day:

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Phoenix Coyotes' long wait for an owner might finally be over.

Glendale's City Council approved a 20-year lease agreement for Jobing.com Arena on Friday, clearing the last major hurdle in the sale of the Coyotes to a group led by former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison. 

The council ratified the 20-year, nearly $325 million agreement by a 4-2 vote after a sometimes-contentious six-hour meeting attended by Jamison, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.

But the Goldwater Institute has made very clear that the fight isn't over yet, as the Phoenix Business Journal reported today:

Lawyers at the Goldwater Institute    are working on their next jab at Glendale’s deal with prospective Phoenix Coyotes buyer Greg Jamison. 

The watchdog group promises to be back in court soon as it fights the city’s approval of a 20-year, $300 million arena management fee plan to pay Jamison to run Jobing.com Arena if he buys the hockey team. 

“We are definitely pursuing this and are working on the next court filing now,” said Goldwater executive vice president Starlee Rhoades.

Aside from this kind of stuff that is public knowledge, I probably shouldn't say anything more for fear of saying something I shouldn't.  Suffice it to say, working at the Institute right now is a pretty awesome experience.  At this point all of the clerks and interns have arrived, and it's a pretty awesome group.

During my lunch break I'm usually able to catch some of the Euro 2012 matches.  I always DVR the games too and then watch them when I get home, but I'm usually able to time my lunch so that I can see the last 20 minutes or so of one of the games.  Today I was able to watch the end of France v. England while eating my subway sandwich.

Catching France v. England during
my lunch break.

Outside of work, just hanging out in Phoenix has been pretty fun.  I went to an Arizona Rattlers game the other night with one of the other guys working at Goldwater this summer.  They're the arena football team from around here.  While the arena obviously wasn't that crowded, it was still a halfway decent turnout.  We checked out a few bars in the area too.  Afterwards I was able to meet up with a girl I knew at Wake and some of her friends, and we went to The Devil's Advocate, a bar in Tempe.

This week is going to be really busy, but really interesting.  I'll try to update this thing more often throughout the week.

Arena football!

Becoming a local

It's weird that a couple weeks ago this place was another strange city and now it already feels like home.  I pretty much already know my way around the Phoenix area.  Granted, when the roads are laid out in giant grids it's not that hard to figure out how to get from one place to another.

Mill Avenue at night

Work has been good.  I've definitely been busy.  Most of what I've been doing is evaluating potential cases for the institute.  I've been getting to use a lot of the stuff I learned in state and local government with Prof. Ringhand.  One of the main rules I've been working off of is Dillon's Rule, a rule that states that a municipality only has the power that is granted by the state.  It's definitely interesting stuff; it's nice to enjoy my work.

I went out on Mill Avenue last night with a few guys from work.  It's a really cool area to walk around, lots of nice bars and restaurants.  My plan is to check out at least one new place each weekend.  Last night we went to Fuzzy's and had a few beers.  I know there is one in Athens, but I have never been to that one, so I still think it qualifies as new.

I've already have a favorite local beer -- the kilt lifter from Four Peaks Brewery.  I'll be curious to see if I can find it anywhere in the southeast.

I'll also be trying to find some good places to watch soccer.  The US has some world cup qualifiers coming up, plus Euro 2012 starts next week.  Should be good.