Clancy DuBos

The New Orleans Saints aren’t having as good an off-season, politically speaking, as they had on the gridiron last year, but the season’s just begun. And lately, there are signs that things may be coming together.
Saints owner Tom Benson has been saying for a while that he needs a better deal to keep the team in New Orleans, which is one of the NFL’s smallest (and poorest) markets. Benson has some good points on his side, but he also should remember that the state already cut him a sweet deal when he bought the team more than a decade and a half ago.

The problem, for Benson as well as the state, is that the definition of a good deal, like the Southern average of teacher pay, is a moving target. What was a good deal in 1985 looks today like short shrift compared to the deals some other NFL teams are getting.

That’s why Benson has been talking about a new stadium, among other goodies.

Last week, Gov. Mike Foster’s top aide, Steve Perry, met privately with Saints Director of Administration Arnold Fielkow and several area legislators. Their 90-minute discussion at the Baton Rouge headquarters of Saints lobbyist Randy Haynie must have resembled, in some ways, the give-and-take between U.S. envoys and Chinese leaders over the fate of the American spy plane and its crew. There was slow, but steady, progress.

After the meeting, Perry conceded that the Saints might indeed need a new stadium — but not real soon.
Meanwhile, he said, there are some things the state could give the Saints to keep the team in the black and Benson sure of his gold. Such things include, among other things, naming rights to the Superdome, reconfiguring the dome to allow construction of more luxury suites (with the revenue going to the Saints, as per league custom nowadays), parking and concessions.

The issue of naming rights to the Superdome could be resolved fairly soon, as a bill to that end is pending in the current legislative session. Depending on how patient Benson is willing to be on other fronts — namely, a new stadium — that bill could grow some serious legs in the coming weeks and pass before the session ends June 19. Benson likely will have to commit to staying in New Orleans for at least five years, but that’s not unreasonable.

The key to the Saints’ success on the field has been new coach Jim Haslett — and the fact that Benson stayed out of Haslett’s way and let him do his job. The Saints’ success in Baton Rouge likewise will depend on “coach” Haynie, the team’s lobbyist, and on Benson not getting too antsy. Haynie, by the way, is the same guy who recently steered Harrah’s tax break through troubled legislative waters.

Haynie’s successful strategy for Harrah’s may be a preview of what he has in his playbook for the Saints. He meticulously built public support, particularly in the business community, before formally presenting it for legislative approval. And he tied Harrah’s tax break to a larger, Mom-and-apple-pie issue: teacher pay.

There were signs after last week’s meeting that Haynie may run that play again. Perry said the Foster administration wants to address several important economic development issues in the New Orleans area, including expansion of the Morial Convention Center. The latter may require a tax, to be considered in a special legislative session in the Fall. Such a tax might cover both the convention center expansion and the team’s short-term needs. Thus, the Saints package won’t be a football subsidy; it’ll be economic development.

In the long run, Foster may have to commit to the idea of building a new stadium. That won’t be difficult. He can appoint a special commission to study the idea, knowing that some other governor will have to sell it and pay for it.

Meanwhile, the black and the gold will be safe on Poydras Street.