For more than a decade, baseball on Harrisburg's City Island meant runs, hits, and errors.
Not to mention, Harrisburg Civic Baseball Club, Inc., the for-profit corporation the city set up to own and operate the franchise when it purchased the club in 1996; to prevent it from moving to Springfield, Massachusetts.
"Harrisburg was the only city in America to own a Double-A baseball team," said Mayor Stephen Reed.
The City held 100% of the stock in Harrisburg Civic Baseball Club, Inc. (HCBC) for obvious reasons. "Because if the team ever got sold, the City would be the beneficiary of that sale," added Reed.
And when the team was sold by the City, to Michael Reinsdorf and Senators Partners, LLC in 2007, there was some money left over, according to City Council Vice President Dan Miller. Miller says that during a committee meeting, a auditor told him that some of that money did not go the City; instead, it went to The National Sports Hall of Fame Foundation.
The amount? $40,000.
A source tells CBS 21 News it was a loan and should appear on the Hall of Fame Foundation's 2008 tax return.
Of course, the foundation also received a $100,000 loan - or seed money - from the City's Redevelopment Authority in 2005. Reed told CBS 21 News Sports Director Jason Bristol earlier this month that money will not be paid back, calling it "wasted money."
That loan from the Redevelopment Authority was authorized by Reed.
Therfore, CBS 21 News wanted to know if Reed helped the hall of fame get a loan from HCBC, as well, since the City once controlled HCBC and Reed is also an officer within The National Sports Hall of Fame Foundation.
"Did you direct a loan of $40,000 to The National Sports Hall of Fame from Harrisburg Civic Baseball?" Reed was asked by Bristol. "I did not direct it, no," replied Reed.
Bristol followed with another question.
"Who would have directed that then?" he said.
"That would have occurred amongst the folks that serve on the Harrisburg (Civic) Baseball board of directors, I assume," Reed answered.
A member of that board happens to be John Levenda, who is also the President and CEO of The National Sports Hall of Fame Foundation.
"So John Levenda being on the board of the Harrisburg Senators (Harrisburg Civic Baseball) and the president of the National Sports Hall of Fame and $40,000 being transferred (between the two), that doesn't raise any eyebrows to you?" Bristol asked Reed.
"That's irrelevant," Reed responded. Reed claims the City of Harrisburg has had no dealings with HCBC since the franchise was sold. He added that the city's stock-holder interest "has been fully satisfied."
HCBC is also still in existence - "in name only" Reed says - because it holds the bonds being used for upgrades at Metro Bank Park.
"Every dollar in (HCBC's account) is city funds and should go to city items, not (used) at the discretion of the president of Harrisburg Civic Baseball," Miller said.
The head of HCBC is Greg Martini, a CPA at Compton & Martini; an accounting firm in downtown Harrisburg. When Bristol spoke to Martini on the phone, he declined to discuss the $40,000 and referred all questions to Reed.
"Did he?" said Reed, who seemed surprised.
"And John Levenda", Bristol added.
"Good luck reaching him," responded Reed, who's aware that Levenda will not return Bristol's calls or emails.
"It looks to me like, the only reason funds have gone to The National Sports Hall of Fame, were in order to support John Levenda," Miller said.
And if HCBC expects to be repaid, well, maybe it shouldn't. While baseball has a rulebook; the rules involved with repaying loans don't seem to apply to The National Sports Hall of Fame Foundation. Take the $100,000 it borrowed from the Redevelopment Authority, for example.
"Why would the City not sue to get that ($100,000) back," Bristol asked Reed.
"You can sue, but your not going to get a dime back," the Mayor said, "because they don't have any assets left, that's I'm aware of."
