UFC official, construction exec likely to join Las Vegas Stadium Authority board

Lawrence Epstein, a UFC senior executive responsible for building its corporate headquarters, and Tito Tiberti, a construction executive who built the 8,500-seat Orleans Arena and several other Las Vegas buildings, are expected to be named Thursday to the Las Vegas Stadium Authority board of directors.

Epstein and Tiberti received the most nominations in a poll of the seven current board members in advance of their Thursday meeting, the panel’s second. They were each selected by five of the seven members who have the responsibility of choosing the last two people on the nine-member board.

Lee Haney, principal for H&H Enterprises, a community and government affairs business, and Marilyn Spiegel, retired president of Wynn Encore and a community consultant, investor and philanthropist, were among the top candidates under consideration.

A final vote is expected Thursday afternoon.

The board will be responsible for approving contracts for a 65,000-seat, $1.9 billion domed football stadium that would be built if an NFL team relocates to Las Vegas.

The Oakland Raiders have indicated their desire to move to Southern Nevada, pending a vote of the owners of the 32 NFL teams. Relocation requires the support of 24 owners.

A Las Vegas law firm and two collaborations, both with Southern Nevada connections, are among the finalists the board will consider for legal representation.

Three proposals are under consideration: The Las Vegas firm Fennemore Craig, which has 200 lawyers in three states, including former Gov. and Sen. Richard Bryan; the Las Vegas firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has submitted a proposed collaboration with the Houston firm of Andrews Kurth Kenyon; and Robert C. Kim, a partner with Las Vegas-based Ballard Spahr, has proposed working with Jay Lindgren, a partner with Minneapolis-based Dorsey & Whitney.

At Thursday’s meeting, the board also will elect a secretary, consider a $14.8 million budget, consider negotiations with a development company and an events company and receive an update on the status of the Raiders’ relocation plans.

The stadium would be financed by $750 million in public funds from a hotel room tax increase, a $650 million contribution from the Adelson family and $500 million from the Raiders and the NFL.

The meeting, to be chaired by Steve Hill, director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, will be held at 1 p.m. at the Las Vegas Valley Water District’s Mead Room, 1001 S. Valley View Blvd.

The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.