Council Seeks to Revisit Stadium Deal

Meanwhile, steps to begin stadium construction will continue.

Mark H. Tuohey, chairman of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, said, "We will confer about today's proceedings, but we intend to move forward with construction of the new stadium unless directed otherwise."

Some council members also are seeking to review a lease agreement for the new stadium being negotiated between the sports commission and Major League Baseball. The lease negotiations have held up the sale of the Nationals.

Last year, Williams proposed paying for the stadium through a gross receipts tax on city businesses, a stadium concessions tax and an annual rent payment by the team. But Cropp cast the deciding vote in favor of the stadium project only after the mayor agreed to seek private dollars.

Of eight proposals submitted to the city, Gandhi and Cropp ultimately endorsed the Deutsche Bank plan. Cropp said that businesses would benefit greatly from the plan, which would reduce the gross receipts tax from a total of $14 million a year to about $8 million or less.

But Orange said yesterday that Cropp "wants to be able to go out and say she got private financing. It's a bad deal."

Council members Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), Kathy Patterson (D-Ward 3) and Sharon Ambrose (D-Ward 6) voted against Orange's resolution.

"This is more about rhetoric, and it puts the stadium at risk," Mendelson said. "We are at the risk of reopening the wounds here, and to what purpose? For a silly piece of legislation?"

Staff writer Thomas Heath contributed to this report.