D.C. leaders are furious that the Washington Nationals’ 2008 fundraising gala will be held at National Harbor in Prince George’s County, while the District continues to fork over cash for the team’s new Southeast ballpark.
Nationals’ owner Ted Lerner was offered a deal he couldn’t refuse: free use of the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center for the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation Dream Gala 2008. Gaylord agreed to “underwrite the total cost of the evening,” one team official said, which leaves more money for the various youth organizations that benefit from the fundraiser.
The deal was worth roughly $250,000, a Nationals’ spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, District taxpayers continue to spend millions to build the Lerner family a sparkling $611 million stadium on the Anacostia River – a ballpark slated to open in April, around the time of the annual gala.
Mayor Adrian Fenty and D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray were both said to be irate. But Neil Albert, deputy mayor for economic development and planning, avoided confrontation. In a statement, Albert said he was personally assured by a team co-owner that “throughout this coming baseball season and well into the future, they will hold many events in the city and we look forward to participating in those events.”
“I’m very disappointed to learn of the decision of the Nationals to hold their annual gala at National Harbor and hope in light of information that the city and businesses are paying for the stadium that they would reconsider that decision,” said Ward 2 Council Member Jack Evans, a huge Nationals’ backer.
The Nationals’ gala is the latest in a string of items D.C. has lost to National Harbor. Milton V. Peterson, chairman of National Harbor developer The Peterson Cos., will relocate The Awakening sculpture from Hains Point to his Maryland beachfront. Peterson also lured away the National Children’s Museum, which was slated as the centerpiece of a revitalized L’Enfant Plaza.
The foundation fundraiser, with tables in 2007 ranging from $500 to $60,000, has historically been held at the Mandarin Oriental. The Gaylord is slated to open in early 2008.
