Boston city councilors examined baseball’s antitrust exemption and the recent Red Sox sale at yesterday’s weekly meeting.
At-Large City Councilor Maura Hennigan supported the antitrust exemption for Major League Baseball. She said Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Rep. William Delahunt (D-Mass.) sent a letter to the members of the Boston City Council outlining hearings to discuss this exemption.
“Having an antitrust exemption is the right thing to do,” Hennigan said.
However, she said taxpayers are contributing to the $15 billion in new Major League Baseball facilities that are currently being built, and for this reason the antitrust exemption should be periodically examined.
“We are missing an unprecedented opportunity to weigh in significantly because we have the most recent sale of a Major League Baseball team,” she said.
Councilor Mike Ross (Back Bay, Fenway) also sought to support Kennedy and Delahunt in the upcoming hearings.
Ross, who represents Boston University’s district, encouraged the other members of the Council to look into the antitrust exemption on a broader level and to become familiar with the issue on a local level by meeting with the new Red Sox owners.
“We must think about how we can move forward in a way that works for the Fenway community,” he said.
The councilors also decided to move the meeting time, for future meetings, up half an hour. The decision to start meetings at 12:30 was a unanimous one.
Following this decision, Councilor James Kelley (Chinatown, South Boston) raised the issue of permitting the installation of radio antennas on privately held buildings throughout the city.
Councilor Maureen Feeney (Dorchester) reminded Council members that when this issue was previously discussed, the only experts who had presented were employees of companies responsible for antenna installation and thus had a vested interest. Feeney said she felt it was important to hear from experts who could speak on possible health risks before a decision could be made.
The meeting was opened by a Brighton rabbi who called Boston “perhaps the most civilized place on earth,” and was closed by recognizing the world champion New England Patriots.
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