Howe, Cameron, Quinn to Talk Baseball Tuesday

Fredericksburg City Councilman and baseball negotiating team member Fred Howe and City Manager Bev Cameron will meet with Hagerstown Suns' majority owner Bruce Quinn at 5 p.m. Tuesday.  The location is still to be determined, Howe said.


The meeting was called to discuss "the team’s new counter / revised offer," Howe told Fredericksburg Patch in an email.  Last week Howe said there would not be another meeting between the city and the Suns before the August 27 Fredericksburg City Council meeting. 

"The negotiating committee presented to council the offer made by the city, the team's response and follow-up to that offer, and the city manager's subsequent response," Howe said.  "We are now waiting for the team to respond, to pull together the finances for a deal," he said.  "It's in their hands," he said.

Now the team has responded.  "The Suns approached the negotiation team with their counter offer meeting date," Howe said about Tuesday's meeting.  "[The offer] is newly revised, as we understand it," Howe said.

"This meeting is closed because financial information will be disclosed," Howe said.

A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case is pending against all City Council members and City Council as a whole for a previous closed meeting.  "There is an appearance of violation of Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) laws by government entities and officials entrusted with the well being of the citizens and taxpayers of the area," Liberty Guard president Joe Seehusen said in a telephone call with Fredericksburg Patch.

On August 2, a public meeting was cancelled between the Hagerstown Suns and the Fredericksburg City Council's Baseball Committee, then an unannounced closed meeting was held instead.

City Council also held a closed meeting on August 13.  Liberty Guard filed for an emergency injunction, hoping to prevent that meeting.  Fredericksburg General District Court Judge John R. Stevens denied the emergency injunction,

Official public notice of the August 20 meeting has not been made.  "Public notice is not required, since a meeting held between Bev Cameron and Fred Howe does not constitute a public body under FOIA," Howe said.

Councilman Brad Ellis, another member of the City Council appointed baseball negotiating team, is not participating in the August 20 meeting.  "[This is] to avoid any FOIA concerns as have been raised and keep this simple and moving forward quickly as time is of the essence for the Hagerstown Suns," Howe said.

Howe could not be certain the revised offer would include the idea announced last week by Silver Cos. executive Jud Honaker that the Suns would partner with Diamond Nation to finance a minor league baseball stadium and an amateur baseball and softball tournament and training facility in Celebrate Virginia South.

"It's the team’s deal they are pulling together presently," Howe said.  "The City has not been involved with this possible business development merger."

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