City Officials Leery of Nats Bidder's Silence

"They have a record of getting things done," Graham said. "You do not have to imagine what they do, you can see it. That means more to me than political connections."

Theodore Lerner and his son Mark, who would help operate the team, attended a Nationals fundraiser for charity in the fall. They are season-ticket holders, and Mark Lerner attended spring training last season and this year.

Evans said he requested and was granted a meeting last fall with Theodore Lerner.

"He said baseball told those guys they shouldn't be talking to anybody," said Evans, who is supporting the Malek-Zients group.

Other would-be team owners have been more active than the Lerners in courting city government support. Members of the Malek-Zients group and members of a conglomerate headed by Indianapolis media executive Jeffrey Smulyan lobbied council members in phone calls and meetings to support the stadium financing package that was approved last month. Two other groups reportedly offered to pay for cost overruns on the stadium.

"My preference would be the Smulyan group," said council member Sharon Ambrose (D-Ward 6), who met with Smulyan and one of his District-based partners, Eric H. Holder Jr. "I consider him to be concerned enough about the city to get highly credible local partners."

Smulyan's partners include several African American business and sports figures, including Holder, who was deputy attorney general under President Bill Clinton. The Malek-Zients group includes former secretary of state Colin L. Powell.

After MLB officials said the Lerner group was not diverse enough, the Lerners recently added several black investors, including Rodney E. Slater, a Clinton transportation secretary.

Williams is doing what he can to push the Malek-Zients group, lobbying baseball officials in his box during the Nationals' home opener two weeks ago.

"His message was the same: The Malek group has done the most to bring baseball to D.C. and has the deepest roots in D.C.," mayoral spokesman Vince Morris said.