M’S Stadium Effort Gets Boost

As the Seattle Mariners pursued the first pennant in their 19-year history, state and local political leaders agreed Friday to hammer out a financial plan to help build them a new baseball stadium.

The club’s owners say they will put the team up for sale Oct. 30 if there’s no bailout for the project.

“There was agreement that it’s in the interest of the quality of life in our state to build a stadium and save the Mariners,” Gov. Mike Lowry said after the 2-1/2-hour, closed-door meeting of state, county and city leaders.

Both Republicans and Democrats were optimistic that a plan can be developed and rushed through a special session of the Legislature before the Mariners’ deadline.

But while the politicians quickly reached consensus on the need to head off a Mariners sale, there is no agreement on a plan. Work on that starts Tuesday, when the group meets again at the Capitol here”I do not want to leave the impression this will be easy,” Lowry said.

Bucking the trend to cut taxes and reduce government, Lowry and leaders of both parties agreed to find a state and local tax package, or to use some of the state’s $691 million budget surplus for the state share.