Post by dogriver on Jan 19, 2010 5:47:27 GMT -5
From the 1/19/09 Times Argus
BARRE — It hasn't been quite as fast a break as he had planned, but the man who has been calling all the shots for the Vermont Frost Heaves this season says he'll sever his ties to the Premier Basketball League team this week.
Barre Mayor Thomas Lauzon had hoped to step down as the team's "managing member" no later than Jan. 15. However, he said Monday he's a few days behind schedule.
According to Lauzon, details of a transition that would turn control of the team over to General Manager Michael Healey should be finalized by Wednesday.
Lauzon said Bump in the Road Enterprises — a limited liability company with some 20 investors — will be replaced by a new and as-yet-unnamed LLC that would, at least initially, be solely owned by a group of investors lined up by Healey.
However, Lauzon, who currently has the only "voting interest" in the team, said that he firmly believes the fans should be given the opportunity to invest in the team.
"Really, my issue was I wanted to have a significant block of membership units for fans," he said, outlining the details of a model that would allow for "fan ownership" of up to 40 percent of the team.
Under the plan proposed by Lauzon, fans will be offered the opportunity to pay $1,200 over four years to own a share of the Frost Heaves.
"That's where the future success of the Frost Heaves lies," he said. "It lies with local sponsors and fans."
How that future plays out will depend in large measure on Healey, according to Lauzon.
"Mike will have a controlling interest in the team," he said, describing Healey as "100 percent committed to this season."
Contacted for comment on Monday, Healey said there was nothing to say.
"As of this point nothing is set in stone," he said. "I have no comment at all."
Lauzon's involvement with the team dates back to last summer, when he explained he was approached by Frost Heaves' founder and former owner Alexander Wolff about the possibility of taking over the team. Lauzon, said, he agreed to do so on a limited basis with a number of conditions.
Those conditions included giving him the authority to base the team and house its players in Barre, while changing the business model and exploring an eventual transition to ownership by the fans.
Lauzon said he has done his part and is prepared to turn the team over to Healey on Wednesday — a mid-season change that was precipitated, in part, by recent conflict of interest allegations that he determined could be an unnecessary "… distraction for the Frost Heaves and their management team."
david.delcore@timesargus.com
BARRE — It hasn't been quite as fast a break as he had planned, but the man who has been calling all the shots for the Vermont Frost Heaves this season says he'll sever his ties to the Premier Basketball League team this week.
Barre Mayor Thomas Lauzon had hoped to step down as the team's "managing member" no later than Jan. 15. However, he said Monday he's a few days behind schedule.
According to Lauzon, details of a transition that would turn control of the team over to General Manager Michael Healey should be finalized by Wednesday.
Lauzon said Bump in the Road Enterprises — a limited liability company with some 20 investors — will be replaced by a new and as-yet-unnamed LLC that would, at least initially, be solely owned by a group of investors lined up by Healey.
However, Lauzon, who currently has the only "voting interest" in the team, said that he firmly believes the fans should be given the opportunity to invest in the team.
"Really, my issue was I wanted to have a significant block of membership units for fans," he said, outlining the details of a model that would allow for "fan ownership" of up to 40 percent of the team.
Under the plan proposed by Lauzon, fans will be offered the opportunity to pay $1,200 over four years to own a share of the Frost Heaves.
"That's where the future success of the Frost Heaves lies," he said. "It lies with local sponsors and fans."
How that future plays out will depend in large measure on Healey, according to Lauzon.
"Mike will have a controlling interest in the team," he said, describing Healey as "100 percent committed to this season."
Contacted for comment on Monday, Healey said there was nothing to say.
"As of this point nothing is set in stone," he said. "I have no comment at all."
Lauzon's involvement with the team dates back to last summer, when he explained he was approached by Frost Heaves' founder and former owner Alexander Wolff about the possibility of taking over the team. Lauzon, said, he agreed to do so on a limited basis with a number of conditions.
Those conditions included giving him the authority to base the team and house its players in Barre, while changing the business model and exploring an eventual transition to ownership by the fans.
Lauzon said he has done his part and is prepared to turn the team over to Healey on Wednesday — a mid-season change that was precipitated, in part, by recent conflict of interest allegations that he determined could be an unnecessary "… distraction for the Frost Heaves and their management team."
david.delcore@timesargus.com