WASHINGTON – The Nationals are 9-3 for the first time since they moved to Washington — but not everybody at the ballpark is happy.
Three years after former mayor Adrian Fenty sparred with then-council Chairman Vincent Gray over which box he’d watch his games from, local politicians are again upset over the same matter, reports The Washington Post.
When the city built Nats Park, the District pitched in more than $600 million. At the time, it was decided that the council and the mayor would get a sky suite. When Fenty was mayor, he and the council couldn’t agree on who got the tickets, so the Nats’ gave the city two suites.
That way, they wouldn’t have to share.
The Nats’ have now taken away one of those boxes and the mayor and council will once again have to share, which means there aren’t enough tickets for every council member at every game.
With limited seating, some council members are now complaining that council Chair Kwame Brown isn’t being fair in handing out the tickets.
According to The Post, Mayor Gray is unhappy with having to share a box with his old colleagues, even though the arrangement conforms to the original terms.
The luxury suite can hold about 36 people. In addition to the suite, the Nats’ give the city 25 individual season tickets in various locations throughout the stadium, and each council member gets annual free parking. Council members are also exempt from parking tickets as long as they’re on official business.
Councilmember Phil Mendelson says he hasn’t received any tickets in the suite, only stadium seats.
WTOP’s Mark Segraves contributed to this report. Follow Mark and WTOP on Twitter.
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