Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
February 04, 2004
Cubs Lobby

Eric Herman of the Chicago Sun-Times details the Cubs lobbying efforts in 2003:


Most of that money went to Piper Rudnick, a La Salle Street law firm that collected $100,000 in fees from the Cubs in 2003. The remaining $13,000 went to Jasculca/Terman and Associates, a politically connected public relations firm.

The Cubs' city lobbying expenditures doubled in 2003 from the previous year, records show. In 2002, the ball club paid $35,000 to the law firm Shefsky & Froelich and $17,500 to the Jasculca firm -- a $52,500 outlay.

The Cubs organization hired the firms to push four pieces of City Hall business, each designed to bring in more revenue for its Tribune Co. parent, which also owns the Chicago Tribune and WGN-Channel 9. The team sought to increase the number of Wrigley Field night games to 30 per season from the current 18; to add 2,000 seats to the outfield bleachers; to keep Wrigley Field from being designated a landmark, and to add about 200 premium seats behind home plate.

So far, the team is batting one-for-four.

The Cubs lost the landmarking fight, limiting the owner's discretion about changes to the historic structure. But the designation allows the team to build the seats behind home plate -- something contractors will do in time for the 2004 season, if possible. And though the Cubs still have not secured permission to add bleacher seats, the landmarking does not prohibit it. A deal for more night games foundered in the City Council last year, but one person involved said a deal could happen before Opening Day.


$113,000 To get what you want from city hall? That's a lot cheaper than a rookie sensation, and probably a whole lot more profitable.


Posted by David Pinto at 01:59 PM | Management | TrackBack (0)