Mike Duggan, Chris Ilitch, Tom Gores at November press conference.
A judge has agreed that the tentative deal to bring the Detroit Pistons downtown was done in secrecy and details need to be made public.
Wayne County Circuit Judge John Gillis Jr. has ordered the finance committee of the city’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to bring notes and audio recordings of its private meeting held in November to court on Jan. 26, Louis Aguilar writes in The Detroit Newss. A lawsuit filed by activist Robert Davis claims that the DDA violated the state’s Open Meetings Act and seeks to nix the preliminary agreement between the city and the Pistons, which wants to move to the Little Caesars Arena downtown. The DDA owns the arena.
After the finance committee met privately in November, the DDA’s full board of directors met on the same day and approved the tentative agreement during a brief public meeting, the News reports. Immediately after that public meeting, a big press conference was held at Cass Tech High School to announce the Pistons' move from Auburn Hills in the fall of 2017 even though it still requires city council approval.
Under the agreement, $34.5 million in taxpayer-backed bonds to pay for arena upgrades for the Pistons.
