Anaheim Mayor Pro Tem Kris Murray
Bill Shaikin penned a new column on the Angels-Anaheim drama, comparing and contrasting the reactions of Mayor Tom Tait and Mayor Pro Tem Kris Murray:
Mayor Pro Tem Kris Murray, one of the City Council members who voted to approve the framework, agreed that the land had value but said the city should not opt for the “short-term economic gain” of a sale at maximum value over a long-term relationship with the Angels.
“We have the framework in front of us that keeps the team in Anaheim, renovates an old stadium, and doesn’t impact our taxpayers,” she said. “It’s time to get a deal done that’s real, with real benefits.”
Murray became the first City Council member to call for finalizing an agreement since Tait started campaigning against the proposed deal seven months ago.
The Angels say they want to stay in Anaheim, but they have held exploratory talks about the feasibility of building a new ballpark in Tustin or Irvine. They could opt out of their Angel Stadium lease as soon as 2016.
“There are acres of land all around the stadium sitting fallow,” Murray said. “Why would we drive out the Angels in the hope, a very slim hope, that the exact same thing won’t happen to this property? I’m not interested in adding another empty lot in Anaheim.”
Good for Kris Murray. The council majority has sat on sidelines too long (presumably out of a sense of propriety and respect for the negotiation process) while the others have spent the last several months rolling grenades into the room. The mayor has not been shy about vocally, actively trying to shape the negotiation process according to his design, so keeping mum is pointless and tantamount to unilateral disarmament.
Tait said he does not believe the Angels are going anywhere. If the city and the team do not reach agreement on a new lease, and if the Angels decide against opting out, the current lease would extend through 2029. The Angels would probably have to pay to build a new ballpark somewhere else.
“I believe the Angels will stay whether there’s a deal or not,” Tait said.
That’s a pretty big bet to lay on the table, and losing it means flushing 50 years of strategic planning by generations of civic leaders down the drain.
You can read the entire Shaikin column here.
UPDATE: Here’s the full public statement on the appraisal released by Murray:
“The appraisal confirms the land has value, something we always knew. But the real question is do we want a short term economic gain that may or may not materialize or do we want a long term relationship with a great community partner who’s already put a deal on the table for us to consider? We have the framework in front of us that keeps the team in Anaheim, renovates an old stadium, and doesn’t impact our taxpayers. Its time to get a deal done that’s real, with real benefits.
There are acres of land all around the stadium sitting fallow. Why would we drive out the Angels in the hopes, a very slim hope, that the exact same thing won’t happen to this property? I’m not interested in adding another empty lot in Anaheim, I’m interested in working with the Angels to do something extraordinary for the City of Anaheim.”
Professional sports teams are driven by money, not fan loyalty or mayors’ beliefs. Examples from football and baseball.
The Arizona Cardinals moved from St. Louis to Arizona in 1988.
The Oakland Raiders moved from Los Angeles to Oakland in 1995.
The Los Angeles Rams moved from to Los Angeles to St. Louis in 1995.
The Tennessee Titans moved from Houston to Tennessee in 1997.
The Baltimore Ravens moved from Cleveland to Baltimore in 1997.
The Kansas City Athletics moved to Oakland in 1968.
The Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee in 1970.
The Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers in 1972.
The Montreal Expos moved to Washington, DC and became the Washington Nationals in 2005.
Anaheim’s naïve mayor: “I believe the Angels will stay whether there’s a deal or not.”
Finally someone calls a spade a spade. All the wishful thinking in the world doesn’t change the fact that the only ones putting a deal in front of the city are the Angels. And the city keeps the land and transfers the development risk to arte – pretty smart.
My mama always taught me a bird in the hand…well, you get the idea.
News from fantasyland.
Mayor Tait: “I believe the Angels will stay whether there’s a deal or not.”
Winless Angel pitcher Hector Santiago, now 0-5: “Maybe I’ll go 12-5 by going on a little 12-game winning streak.”
When will people realize that the Angels WILL leave and it will be Tait’s fault!?!?