M’S Promised Ballpark By 1999 Slade Gorton And Other Political Leaders Unite In Attempt To Save Mariners

In a last-ditch attempt to convince the Seattle Mariners owners to abandon plans to sell the team, the region’s top political leaders united Sunday to promise a new ballpark would open on time in 1999.

The all-star lineup included U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton, R-Wash., King County Exeuctive and Gov.-elect Gary Locke, Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, County Prosecutor Norm Maleng, and a bi-partisan majority of County Council members.

All said they were ready to give the Mariners’ owners everything they have asked for in order to get them back to the negotiating table.

It was unclear whether the concessions would keep the Mariners’ ownership from putting the American League franchise on the block. Mariners vice president Paul Isaki said no one was willing to comment.

But Mariners manager Lou Piniella said team CEO John Ellis left him with the impression Sunday night that the dispute could be resolved without selling the team.

“I feel this will be resolved,” Piniella said after Ellis called him in Tampa, Fla. “Those are my own feelings, but I’m sure that’s what ownership wants. They need to see some intentions.”

Intentions they got.

Gone was County Council member hand-wringing over the possibility of cost overruns in the fast-tracked $384 million project.

Instead, they agreed it was time, in Gorton’s words, “to deal with the M’s as a friend, rather than to haggle over every single comma.”

After hours of closed door huddling, King County Council Chairwoman Jane Hague said a majority of the 13-member council was committed to approving bonds to finance the project by February, which would allow a 24-month construction schedule to get underway in March.

Ken Johnsen, Public Facilities District executive director, said if he was allowed to resume negotations over a 20-year lease, a final deal could be agreed to in a few days.

And retiring County Executive Gary Locke said he was prepared to arrange county-backed interim financing that would allow the stadium district to continue to acquire properties on the ballpark site while efforts continue to bring the Mariners ownership back.

“All of us have come too far and worked too hard for the past three years to lose our Mariners now,” he said.

On Saturday, Ellis said a letter from Sims, council budget chairman Pete von Reichbauer, and members Larry Phillips and Cynthia Sullivan sent last week calling for a project delay had made it clear they “intend for the the project to fail.”

By Sunday evening, Phillips and Sims could be counted among the majority that said they wanted to issue the $295 million of bonds needed for the project soon.

Sullivan could be counted in a dwindling minority of council members who held onto the view that it would be irresponsible to go forward with a bond issue for the project now. She said the council needs to wait until the state Supreme Court makes a long-awaited ruling on a challenge of the state law that made the project a reality.

And most dramatically, von Reichbauer had been stripped by his colleagues of the powerful budget chairman’s post he has held for the last three years.

Fellow Republican councilman Rob McKenna said von Reichbauer was removed largely because he had sent the letter without first conferring with the council.

“Sending that letter was like throwing a stick of dynamite into a fire,” he said. “It was irresponsible.”