The Single Most-Important Man in the StadiumSaga is Retiring

The city of St. Petersburg will say goodbye to a legend this week: city attorney John Wolfe, better known as The Man Who Drafted the Ironclad Agreement with the Rays.

So how important is this man to the 8-year-long (and counting) stadium stalemate?  Not only does MLB's commissioner praise the city's contract, but so does the Sultan of Subsidies, Neil deMause!

John Wolfe, longtime city attorney. RT @fieldofschemes: Whoever wrote that #Rays lease for #StPete deserves a spot in the leasewriters' HOF.

— Shadow of Stadium (@StadiumShadow) December 19, 2014

Wolfe was also the steady force in city hall advising against letting Rays look in Tampa more than a decade before their contract expires in 2027, for fear it would only weaken region's leverage to keep team.

So his departure is welcomed by many frustrated Rays fans in Tampa...but it's not clear if much will change in the Stadium Saga.  Wolfe's mentee, Jackie Kovilaritch, takes over as the city's top attorney.

She's no stranger to Rays discussions; Mayor Rick Kriseman tasked her - not Wolfe - with drafting the tricky Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) he negotiated last fall with the team.  And numerous attorneys I spoke with complimented her handiwork, including Wolfe:

I asked #StPete city attorney John Wolfe if he liked the city's final #Rays deal - he paused, then repeated mayor's line that it was "fair."

— Noah Pransky - WTSP (@noahpransky) December 9, 2014

So while it's a new day in St. Pete, it may not necessarily translate into a new chapter in the Stadium Saga.

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