Boston City Council members spoke out against the Red
Sox' "controversial move to oust pushcart vendors" from
outside Fenway Park and "vowed to play hardball on behalf of
the sellers," according to Anthony Flint of the BOSTON
GLOBE. The Red Sox informed city officials last month that
pushcart vendors would no longer receive team-approved
permits to operate in front of the ballpark. The team said
the vendor action was in response to "neighborhood
complaints that the vendors created congestion and traffic
problems and left behind trash." But Council members
"expressed outrage" at the timing of the team's decision,
noting that "the pushcart vendors, some of whom have sold
peanuts or sausages for decades, would be informed of the
new rules at Christmastime." Flint writes the PR "nightmare
could not come at a worse time," as the team attempts to
"bolster community support" for a new ballpark. Councilor
Gareth Saunders called team management "out of touch with
the people of this city. They didn't appreciate Mo Vaughn,
and they don't appreciate the pushcarts." Red Sox VP/Public
Affairs Richard Bresciani: "We're not throwing them out of
work. We're just moving them off our property. We're trying
to do better by the neighborhood" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/17).
