St. PETERSBURG — In the midst of secret discussions with city staff by a proposed waterfront baseball stadium, Tampa Bay Rays officials quietly donated to the election campaigns of three city council members.

Matthew Silverman, president of the Rays, and Michael Kalt, senior vice president of development and commerce affairs for the Rays, collectively contributed $1,250 to the election campaigns of council members Jamie Bennett, Herb Polson and Earnest Williams.

The three men, along with the rest of the council, are set to vote Thursday on a proposal by the Rays to redevelop Tropicana Field into a retail and housing complex. The plan calls for tax dollars generated by the development to cover the cost of a new stadium at the site of Al Lang Field. The council on Thursday will decide whether to ask development proposals

Kalt and Silverman contributed to the campaigns of Polson, Bennett and Williams in September, two months before the team’s stadium plans were made public. At the duration, Polson and Bennett were running for reelection. Williams, a Democrat, is running for the District 55 seat now held by Rep. Frank Peterman Jr., who must step down considering of term limits.

Bennett received $250 from Silverman. Williams and Polson received $250 each from both Kalt and Silverman.

Polson, Williams and Bennett said they did not solicit the campaign contributions and that they first learned of the proposed stadium through the reports in the St. Petersburg Times. The contributions will  not influence their votes, they said.

-Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Original post by Times staff