FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Dallas Cowboys didn't reach the Super Bowl this year, but dozens of government officials from North Texas will make the trip to Florida.
About 50 city employees and elected officials are flying to the Miami area this week for the last Super Bowl before the nation's biggest sporting event comes to Arlington.
Most will travel on the taxpayers' dime, and they're using a variety of ways – from federal grants to tourism funds – to pay for the trips.
Alexander E. Briseño, a professor of public service at St. Mary's University in San Antonio and a former city manager there, said it makes sense to send staff to the Super Bowl for research. But he said it's also important to be cautious about how that money is spent and where it comes from.
"Nobody wants to be tagged with going out on a junket," Briseño said.
The majority of local city employees going to Florida are directly involved in public safety while the rest include a city manager, four mayors and staff members from aviation and transportation departments.
In Dallas, 13 city employees plus Mayor Tom Leppert will take a four-day trip to South Florida to observe the massive effort, spokesman Frank Librio said. Nine members of that contingent work for police, fire or emergency management departments. One employee each from Intergovernmental Services and Communication and Information Services are also part of the group.
The cost is estimated at $22,400 and will be paid with funds from each department's budget, Librio said. He said some employees will be in the stadium during the game while others will observe from an emergency management center.
Not all have seats
Relatively few local officials, however, will have seats or space in suites at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens. Most will be stuck watching the matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints on TV like the rest of the country. Some will even miss it, thanks to the timing of their return flights.
The mayors of Dallas, Arlington, Fort Worth and Irving, however, will have seats at the Super Bowl courtesy of the North Texas Super Bowl host committee. That organization is paying for the mayors' travel and the cost of the tickets.
The host committee is also paying for the travel of Michael Morris, transportation director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
COG spokeswoman Amanda Wilson said Morris, who is also chairman of the host committee's transportation subcommittee, will be in a traffic command center during Sunday's game.
Including Mayor Robert Cluck, 17 Arlington officials are scheduled to travel to the Super Bowl – the largest delegation sent by any city in North Texas.
Seven Arlington police officials – including Chief Theron Bowman – and seven fire officials will spend part of the week in Florida. The group also includes City Manager Jim Holgersson and Deputy City Manager Trey Yelverton, who has been the City Hall point man on Cowboys Stadium.
The trip's public safety focus was expected since the game will be played at the Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington. On Super Bowl Sunday 2011, that stadium will have thousands of law enforcement personnel from all levels, though exact numbers aren't revealed publicly. On Monday, NFL officials announced that security screening would be significantly heightened at Sunday's game, so North Texas officials will see that process firsthand.
Training course
Arlington Assistant Fire Chief Don Crowson, who helps coordinate on-site public safety at Cowboys Stadium, said the travel will cost an estimated $18,700 for fire and police. That's funded by a federal homeland security grant.
Crowson likens the trip to an intensive training course.
"It's a beating," Crowson said. "You're on your feet for four days, 12 hours a day. By the time the Super Bowl gets there, you're worn out."
The $3,000 travel cost for Holgersson and Yelverton will be paid from a different source, but exact details haven't been worked out. Yelverton said the city could use hotel and motel tax funds or a pool of money funded by fines on the city's ambulance service when it fails to meet goals.
Yelverton said the funding sources represent two of the major reasons for the trip: public safety and tourism.
The city of Fort Worth is sending 16 officials.
Jason Lamers, a city spokesman, said the city is using hotel, motel and car rental taxes, which are designated for tourism, to pay the estimated $31,600 cost. The party includes Mayor Mike Moncrief, as well as fire and police officials, transportation and aviation department staff members and top convention center officials.
Fort Worth was designated the official AFC host city, and that conference's champion will stay and practice there. Also, the AFC Fan Party and the Taste of the NFL fundraiser will be in Fort Worth.
Lamers said most of the delegation will leave Saturday, but public safety staff members will stay through the game.
Irving's stake
Irving Mayor Herbert Gears will also travel to this year's Super Bowl along with Diana Pfaff, communications director of the Irving Convention & Visitors Bureau. Although the Cowboys left Texas Stadium last year, Irving still has a major stake in the Super Bowl as the city where the NFC team will stay and practice.
One representative each from 12 North Texas convention and visitors bureaus will also travel to the Miami area to staff the host committee's booth. Each representative will work for two days in the media center and then return home.
David Magaña, a spokesman for Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, said eight to 12 staffers would go to Florida this week. He said most would be researching security issues or looking at customer service at the South Florida airports.
North Texas airports will be packed next year in the days leading up to Super Bowl XLV. By some estimates, as many as 200,000 people will be coming to the region via commercial airlines and large numbers of private jets.
"We've budgeted for this since this is one of the biggest planning challenges we've had in the last two years," Magaña said.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit is not sending anyone to this year's Super Bowl.
The Dallas FBI, however, has a large contingent going. It is sending 17 people, said spokesman Mark White. In addition to Special Agent in Charge Robert Casey, agents and analysts with expertise in crisis management, emergency medical, special events, SWAT and bomb situations will make the trip, he said.
"We're sending elements from all offices to work in and observe the command post and security operations," White said.
The FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies, along with local and state police, will be among the thousands providing security for the events and game next year in North Texas.
Staff writers Rudolph Bush, Brandon Formby, Michael A. Lindenberger and Jason Trahan contributed to this report.
BY THE NUMBERS: TRAVEL CONTINGENTS TO SUPER BOWL
Here are the numbers of North Texas city officials traveling to South Florida for the Super Bowl.
17
Arlington
17
Dallas FBI office
16
Fort Worth
14
Dallas
8-12
D/FW International Airport
1
Irving
The numbers include elected officials but not employees of the local convention and visitors bureaus.
SOURCE: Dallas Morning News research
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/020210...
