Mayor Gets Tough With MLB, Writes Letter

Mayor Chuck Reed has sent a blunt letter to Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig asking for a conversation regarding a prospective A’s move to San Jose. The letter expresses frustration with the years of delays, reveals that there is not currently direct high level communication between the city and Major League Baseball and mentions the “L” word: litigation.

April 2, 2013

Mr. Bud Selig, Commissioner
Major League Baseball
777 E. Wisconsin Avenue, Ste. 3060
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Dear Commissioner Selig:

When will the A’s be moving to San Jose? That’s the question that is most often asked of me by CEOs of Silicon Valley companies competing to retain and attract global talent, by youngsters excited about competing in Little League baseball and by fans throughout San Jose.

The A’s ownership continues to express its desire to locate the team in San Jose and 1 strongly endorse that outcome. There should be no doubt of San Jose’s ability to be a great host city for the team and for Major League Baseball. There should also be no doubt that the stadium could have been under construction by now.

We respect your desire to examine fully all aspects of allowing the A’s to move to Northern California’s largest city. In 2011, former MLB President Bob Dupuy, speaking on behalf of your office, asked that our City Council delay approving a public vote to advance a planned stadium project in Downtown San Jose. We abided by that request. Mr. Dupuy also indicated that you would soon make a final decision and, if favorable towards San Jose, the MLB would assist the City with the costs of a future election. Two years have passed since. As you know, we have been contacted many times by the MLB’s Blue Ribbon Panel and we have responded promptly and thoroughly in every instance. Meanwhile, we continue to communicate with leaders in the community and are prepared to advance implementation actions to the City Council following your decision.

Direct communication between us will help resolve any lingering issues about our commitment to having the A’s home plate be located in San Jose and could reduce the probability for additional litigation. I’d appreciate an opportunity to discuss this with you and have asked my Chief of Staff, Pete Furman, to contact your office regarding scheduling a meeting with you. I hope you will look favorably upon the request.

Best Wishes,

Chuck Reed
Mayor

cc: Lew Wolff

PDF of Mayor Chuck Reed’s letter to Bud Selig

13 Comments

  1. Selig’s negotiating stance with Reed is similar to Reed’s approach with city workers.  Apparently, Reed doesn’t like being on the other end.  The major difference is that Reed will likely lose both court battles and leave office having accomplished nothing positive that he couldn’t have achieved more successfully by adopting a more conciliatory approach.

  2. Dear Commissioner Selig:
    When will I leave this city to join the law offices of Meyers Nave?
    that is the question most asked by citizens sick and tired of my corrupt representation.

    Signed,
    Dirty Chuck

    CC Ben Roth.

  3. This is a good symbolic effort.  But really don’t you think Chuck should meet with SF Giants instead?  The Commish is just responding to his voters, aka the owners.

  4. I think the only people commenting are those City & State Employees who continue to rob the tax payers and whine about everything that doesn’t directly line their own pockets.  Get a life!

    You could have saved your own money like the rest of the private folks have to do, then count on the tax payers to pay you all full salary & pension when you retire at like 55.

    Your unions robbed us blind and greed took you all for a ride.

    A’s BELONG IN SAN JOSE !!!!

    • A’s will not come to SJ, you probably forgot when we voted down the Giants as well.

      Next get off Chuck;s juice and get your facts straight.  We do not get a full salary and pension.  Pensions are based on years work. A single monthly payment which we have to live on.  Not like Constant who receives a 50% tax free pension plus his council pay, free car, gas, cell phone and 10K free funny money.  God only knows how many other free stuff.  And do not forget Chuck himself signed off on these negotiated benefits.  I can go on and on but do your own research before crying wolf or all the discounts Lee Wolfe is getting from chuck.

      Most of what we any brain banked or retirement liked most with a job by putting money into a 401K or similar plan for the future.

      That is why you all believe what Chuck says, do you home work before postingflase statements.

  5. Mayor gets tough my behind.  He may think he can punish and lay off city employees, but he is just a little fish as well when it comes to playing with the big boys.  My more is on his so called letter hit the shredder without even being opened.

    Is he to afraid to make a phone call!  Word to chuckie, we are going to vote down the ball park anyway until you restore city services.

    Thanks for now punishing retirees who paid into the system for 30 years and are now on a limited income.

  6. “When will the A’s be moving to San Jose? That’s the question that is most often asked of me by CEOs of Silicon Valley companies competing to retain and attract global talent…”

    Were I the letter’s recipient the opening paragraph would leave an impression bad enough to spoil whatever else followed. Unless Bud Selig has an appreciation for bull droppings, at the very least the notion that the “global talent” sought by local CEO’s would give a hoot about baseball stinks like a desperate sales pitch; at its worst it’s an insult to the man’s intelligence. What, is Mr. Selig supposed to buy the idea that high-tech foreign talent comes from the same countries that produce high fastball hitters? Or that foreign workers—ambitious young people who’ve worked hard to obtain their qualifications and skills, are fickle enough to turn down Silicon Valley for lack of a baseball team? Or is it possible that Mayor Reed thinks local CEO’s are stupid enough to be beating the bushes of baseball-crazed Latin America looking for computer scientists?

    Of course those of us living here realize the only issue CEO’s ever discuss with Mayor Reed is how much taxpayer money he’ll have to fork over for them to do business in his decomposing city. We also know that the reason Reed opened his letter with a lie because he is an unrepentant liar, a man to whom words are disposable trinkets to be cast about and forgotten. This letter, one that he was actually foolish enough to make public, is a clumsy, embarrassing effort by a mayor who’s made clumsy and embarrassing the only truly transparent features of his administration.

  7. sickofcityemployees is just another one of the many shills that we are paying on city dime to chirp in on the blogs… Corruption runs deep in this city. This sad posting is proof of the desperation and is a reflection of Reed’s desperation as he writes a pathetic embarrassing letter.

  8. After gifting the A’s $22 Million in land, the City plans to recoup $1 Millon/year in tax revenue.  As if a developer and sports team owner needs a loan!  All these 10%ers acting like 1%ers will be the ruin of SJ…

  9. sickofcityemployees

    I’m not a city employee and I wrote a post that, like two others, mentioned nothing employee-related, which makes me doubt you even read the posts about which you complained.

    Are you here just to aggravate or do your work for Chuck?

  10. hahahahahahahaha ! Mayor Reed ouldnt be tough , even if he had Cain Velasquez standing behind him ! I would love to have an MLB team here in San Jose , BUT dont think its going to be the A’s . This Mayor can threaten lawsuits all he wants . But honestly , just how many lawsuits can this city fight at one time .

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