BY LUCY MAY and GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Hamilton County recently told the Reds not to return to the stadium negotiating table without a unified message and a single negotiating team speaking for the franchise, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
"There is still more than one group that speaks for the Reds," the source said Thursday. "Some might say it's (Carl) Lindner's people versus John Allen's people. And both say they've got Marge."
National League President Len Coleman has assured the county at least twice that Reds Managing Executive John Allen has the authority to make a stadium deal on the team's behalf.
A source close to the team said "whenever it gets close and things don't go the county's way, that's when we hear that there's not a united voice."
The county also wants the signature of suspended CEO Marge Schott, majority owner of the team, on any stadium deal. Mr. Lindner, a friend of Mrs. Schott's, owns a piece of the team, too.
The county and team have been negotiating for more than a year. In recent months, the talks have centered on building a $235 million ballpark on the riverfront next to The Crown, a site known as Baseball on Main or the "Wedge."
Talks have been hung up in recent weeks over financial issues, such as how much money the county deposits into a stadium maintenance fund and whether that amount is increased annually for inflation. Earlier this week, Commissioner John Dowlin said the Reds had asked for more lucrative financial terms than those the team and county already had agreed on, which he termed "incomprehensible." Depending on how the deal was calculated, the money difference between the county and Reds could have been anywhere from $30 million to $80 million, Commission President Tom Neyer Jr. said.
But Mr. Neyer said some of those issues appear to have been resolved, and talks seem to be going well again.
Hamilton County Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus said clarity about negotiating authority is especially important in the final stages of negotiations.
"It's only an issue when you're at the end," he said.
Mr. Neyer said there were "no new catastrophes" regarding who speaks for the Reds, adding, "I'd say we just wanted to make sure we were still in the clear on that."
Mr. Bedinghaus pointed out that county leaders aren't united in their thoughts about the stadium either.
"It would not surprise me if there are differences in opinion within the Reds brain trust, too," Mr. Bedinghaus said. "On our side, it's what can you get two votes for."
Mr. Bedinghaus prefers the riverfront. Mr. Dowlin favors Broadway Commons, a site at Broadway and Reading Road.
Mr. Neyer has said and reiterated Thursday he'll vote for a riverfront deal if the county's talks with the team produce a workable agreement.
"The confusion in "Who is the organization?' has been there for a long time," Mr. Bedinghaus said of the Reds. "John Allen is in a difficult position, put in place by Major League Baseball to run the team for an owner who's suspended."
Not to mention the fact that influential community leaders also own a piece of the team, he said.
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