Tuesday, November 5, 2013

What the Kriseman Win Means for the Rays

Four years ago, I declared Bill Foster's win over Kathleen Ford in the St. Pete mayoral race a "win" for the Tampa Bay Rays since Ford basically refused to negotiate with the team on a new stadium.  Turns out it didn't make much of a difference at all.

But in 2013, with Rick Kriseman knocking Foster out of office, 56% to 44%, once again, it seems to be a "win" for the Rays.  Kriseman promised an end to the gridlock over a replacement stadium, while Foster maintained it was impossible to move forward and still protect the interests of St. Petersburg.

Time will tell if Kriseman - like Foster, a lawyer by trade - will be able to fulfill his promises of advancing the discussion, while holding the Rays' feet to the fire on their contract.  Kriseman has said his priority is to keep the Rays in St. Pete and boost attendance...but he wants to have the discussion about Hillsborough stadium sites too.

Kriseman said he's willing to amend the current contract to let the Rays look in Tampa...but he also insists the team "pays to stray."

Will Kriseman break the stadium stalemate or will he soon sympathize with Foster's frustrations?

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