City panel: Ask Packers to pay up Money, trademark fees are being sought in place of naming rights By Ray Barrington News-Chronicle With the sale of naming rights for Lambeau Field likely impossible at the prices agreed to by Green Bay and the Green Bay Packers, the city's Advisory Committee on Tuesday voted to try to hit up the Packers for more money. The committee also voted to look at possible infringements on the Lambeau Field trademark, which the city holds. Ald. Dan Haefs, who has pushed for the Packers to aid the city in a possible naming rights sale, said he expected a unanimous vote from the council. "I wouldn't be surprised if it's 12-0," he said. Haefs said the Packers should be held accountable for failing to cooperate more than was required by a contract in trying to sell the rights. Packers president Bob Harlan has publicly said he does not want to sell the name, but the team has a contract with the city requiring assistance after a referendum in Brown County showed public approval of selling the name to ease the taxpayers' burden in paying for the improvements at the stadium. Mayor Jim Schmitt said he had talked to the Packers about the issue, but the committee said it wanted something public from the Packers. "They can either be community heroes and say they don't want to sell the name but will help the city, or they can be the greedy selves they have been so far and just obey the contract," said Ald. Guy Zima. The deal requires the approval of both sides for any deal less than $100 million, something that is unlikely given the lack of extras that could be put into a deal. Naming rights deals of that size usually include luxury boxes and signage or other perks, things unavailable at Lambeau. Zima said the problem was the city had given the Packers too many loopholes in the deal. "It's one in a long line of pretty bad contracts the city has gotten into," he said. When a city attorney mentioned the city owned the Lambeau Field trademark, suggestions were quickly made that the Packers should be paying for its use. "We should go after people using it if they aren't paying - that's what any corporation would do," said Ald. Gary Kriescher. At Zima's motion, the committee approved ordering staff to look into any violations of trademarks, as well as studying if there was any taxable property at the Lambeau Field site that was not being properly taxed. - The committee also voted to recommend a change in the way City Council vacancies are filled. Under a proposed ordinance, prospective council members would have 30 days after a vacancy is advertised to file an application. As before, the application would have to have 20 signatures from residents of the district. The council would then hear from the applicants and decide the new alderman by majority vote. The old system had the mayor and council president soliciting applications, interviewing candidates and choosing one for council approval. If they could not agree, each submitted a candidate and the council voted. Under state law, the appointee would continue until an election the following April, unless the vacancy took place after Dec. 1, in which case the appointee would serve until the April after that.