Kenney Gives Up Box At Wells Fargo Center To Raise Money For City Schools

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The city has cut a deal to give up the Mayor's Suite for Sixers and Flyers games to raise money for Philadelphia schools.

Under the agreement, Comcast-Spectacor will give the city $100,000 a year for three years for the Mayor's Suite at Sixers and Flyers games at the Wells Fargo Center. Comcast-Spectacor would then get to resell those seats. The money would go to the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia - the district's nonprofit fundraising arm. Mayor Kenney during his campaign, hoped to raise $1 million a year by selling seats in its sports luxury boxes. The mayor's deputy chief of staff Vaughn Ross says this deal is a start.

"While a million dollars seems like a lofty goal," Ross said, "I come from the standpoint than any additional dollars that we have for the district is a positive thing."

And the nonprofit Fund could get more for non-Sixers and Flyers events.

"Revenue from those other events like concerts, we'll also receive an additional portion of that," Ross explained. "But the $100,000 is guaranteed."

Ross says the city is finalizing an agreement with the Eagles. But he says legal complications may not allow a similar deal at Citizens Bank Park for Phillies games.

"There are some complexities with the venue itself at Citizens Bank [Park]," Ross said. "Some of the bond structuring there doesn't necessarily allow us to monetize it in the same way."

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.