City of Glendale Did Not Violate Open Meeting Laws

The Arizona Republic's Paul Giblin reported, via Twitter, that the Arizona Attorney General's office has closed their investigation into the City of Glendale. They were originally flagged for investigation because of meetings held regarding the Phoenix Coyotes with the NHL and potential ownership group, Renaissance Sports and Entertainment.

The meetings in question were held on May 28, in which members of RSE were introduced by the NHL to the city council members in small groups. Because the NHL and RSE met with council members in groups of two and three, some groups were asserting that this was an illegal attempt to circumvent the Arizona Open Meeting laws, which require council meetings to meet with a quorum of the council at once.

On July 2, the Arizona Attorney General's office launched an investigation of the possible violations citing "several complaints." Assistant Attorney General Christopher Munns, asked City Manager Dick Bowers to provide more information regarding the meetings.

Giblin tweeted today that the investigation has been closed, reporting that the meet and greets did not violate the law and were deemed legal:

Arizona Attorney General's office closes Open Meeting investigation into #Glendale; says sequential meetings did not violate law.

— Paul Giblin (@PaulGiblinAriz) August 2, 2013

Assistant Attorney General Christopher Munns says #Glendale's "meet and greet" sessions with #NHL execs and #Coyotes investors were legal.

— Paul Giblin (@PaulGiblinAriz) August 2, 2013

While the investigation would have no effect on the Jobing.com lease itself, it could have had devastating effects on the city council.