GREATER LANDOVER, Maryland — The Washington Commanders have a new member of the team. It’s not someone you will see playing in a uniform on any given Sunday, but they might just help determine whether the team plays at the RFK site in D.C. again.
Tuesday, the Washington Commanders announced Kirtan Mehta as the team’s Vice President of Public Affairs. Mehta is a long-time political insider who is leaving his role as chief of staff to Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) to join the Commanders.
“Kirtan is a skilled leader with a wealth of experience building relationships and ensuring organizations positively impact the communities they represent,” said team president Jason Wright. “As the NFL franchise representing our nation’s capital, the Commanders' relationships with federal and local leaders are vital to our organization. We’re confident that Kirtan will partner powerfully with them to advance community and policy efforts that benefit our fans and the area at large.”
The Commanders say Mehta will focus heavily on the team's development of a new stadium. And his contacts in Congress will most certainly come in handy for the District, as D.C. tries to get legislation already passed in the House through the Senate, which would give control of the RFK site to D.C. long term.
That would allow Mayor Bowser to officially start negotiating with owner Josh Harris on a new stadium deal.
“Senate chiefs of staff generally have tremendous range, displaying diverse skills across stakeholder engagement, policy and communications,” said Joe Maloney, who served as the teams former VP of Public Affairs before leaving for as a position as senior vice president of strategic communications at the American Gaming Association. “Kirtan is top notch on Capitol Hill, so it should be no surprise Josh Harris went out and nabbed one of the best."
Harris told WUSA9 in January that three sites are under consideration for a new stadium: the RFK site, a site in Maryland -- which is presumed to be at or near FedEx Field -- and one in Virginia, believed to be in Loudoun County.
Mehta’s hiring should not be taken as a guarantee Washington’s football team is coming back to D.C. Gov. Glenn Youngkin will likely be motivated to lure the Commanders to Virginia, after his deal to bring the Caps and Wizards to Alexandria fell apart.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has indicated he wants the Commanders to stay in Prince George's County, and is willing to kick in state money to make that happen.