San Antonio spent thousands on NCAA tickets for council members, leading to reimbursement by some who were unaware of the expenditure.
SAN ANTONIO — Watching the Gators’ road to NCAA victory in the Alamodome were several San Antonio City Council members who were in the audience thanks to the city’s dime.
Multiple council members confirmed to KENS 5 that the city spent $20,000 on NCAA Final Four tickets for the 10 council members and guests.
“It’s perfectly normal for council members to represent the city at an event of this magnitude,” wrote Brian Chasnoff, assistant director of communications for the City of San Antonio in a statement. “Ten council members and the mayor were offered two tickets each, and we used Alamodome revenues to purchase the tickets. The NCAA Men’s Final Four tournament placed San Antonio on a national stage and will be an economic boon to the city, injecting an estimated $440 million into the community.”
The mayor’s office stated that the mayor received two tickets from the City Manager’s Office allotment that were purchased by the city.
Among the council members that attended was District 3 Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran, who took her sister and former City Council member Rebecca Viagran.
“I knew that we didn’t have to purchase tickets because I worked for Visit San Antonio, and I knew Final Four prioritized all the suites, and we didn’t have our regular suite tickets for this event,” Viagran explained. “This is our job. We need to be at the event. We should be at the event supporting the city, supporting the sports and entertainment district. This was something, an expense that the city knew they had. It was part of our hosting obligations. The other host purchased tickets also, because this is what we do. This is how we get more business.”
Each council member was offered two tickets, including one for a guest, valued at $1,000 each.
Other council members who attended claimed they didn’t know the city had paid for the tickets, including District 10 representative Marc Whyte and Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia of District 4, who is running for mayor.
Both Whyte and Rocha Garcia stated they reimbursed the city for the cost of their tickets once they found out.
“Obviously, $20,000 to spend on Final Four tickets was exuberant to me,” Rocha Garcia said. “Had they been maybe $50 ticket, $60 a ticket, I understand that might have been a little bit more manageable for the city. But it was just a little too much, in my opinion. Think of the insulin program, for instance. How many seniors could benefit from an additional $20,000? And that’s why I think that we should really reevaluate what kind of position we take when we decide to spend city funding on something that is not going to benefit the public immediately.”
Other council members who attended include Sukh Kaur, who represents District 1.
“I was honored to represent the city in attendance at the Final Four events including the men’s games and free viewing of the women’s championship games at Civic Park,” she said in a statement. “It was an amazing experience to see young girls and families from our community enjoy an event that brings so much notoriety and economic benefit.”
Jalen McKee-Rodriguez of District 2, in a lengthy statement wrote that, not being much of a sports fan, he usually passes on game tickets when they’re offered.
“This time, I attended the Saturday game for about an hour to represent the city and take part in important conversations about San Antonio’s future,” he stated. “While there, I had the opportunity to speak with a Fortune 500 CEO about investing in our community, including the proposed Spurs arena and the existing Frost Bank Center. As a city-owned facility, tickets at the Alamodome typically come at no cost, so I wasn’t aware of the retail value until now. I understand the concerns, and I believe it’s important we continue to have conversations about transparency and responsible use of public resources.”
Councilwoman Teri Castillo of District 5 also went to the game, saying in a statement that “she attended the national event in her official capacity.”
Council members Melissa Cabello Havrda of District 6, Marina Alderete Gavito of District 7, Manny Pelaez of District 8, and John Courage of District 9 did not attend.