By Mark Naymik, The Plain Dealer

on March 08, 2013 at 7:00 PM, updated March 08, 2013 at 7:41 PM

Renderings from FirstEnergy Corp. of Browns Stadium. FirstEnergy Corp.has bought the naming rights of the stadium and team owner Jimmy Haslam encountered no resistance to the deal. .

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- City Council President Martin Sweeney is under a spell.

It was cast by new Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, whose business acumen, love for football and charm offensive have made him a Cleveland wizard.

While I expect legions of long-suffering football fans to blindly follow Haslam, I look to politicians to be more cautious. I expect them to know the difference between hope and false religion.

This town's history of broken sports promises justifies such skepticism.

Haslam's spell was on display in January when he announced a deal to sell the naming rights of Cleveland Browns Stadium to FirstEnergy Corp. Sweeney immediately endorsed the deal involving the city-owned stadium. He praised Haslam for cutting a deal so quickly.

"Decisive decisions are going to be good for the city," Sweeney said at the time.

The previous team owners refused to sell the naming rights out of respect for the Browns name, though they had every right to do so.

But the Haslam spell was so powerful that Sweeney – and every other politician – refused to press the owner to reveal how much the deal is worth. How can anyone endorse a deal about which they know so little? The stadium is owned by the city and paid for by taxpayers.

Plain Dealer reporters unearthed the cost of the deal, which is worth around $100 million. (The Browns and FirstEnergy still refuse to confirm the figure.) All the money goes to Haslam, per the ridiculously generous original stadium lease.

Before Haslam could start cashing FirstEnergy checks, Sweeney and his colleagues had to sign off on the deal because they control the stadium. They had 30 days to object.

I called on council to use its leverage to open a serious discussion about a long-term solution to repairing and renovating the stadium. It's a perfect moment to ask the new owner what his plans are and how much he might be willing to contribute to the stadium's future?

Rather than ask any questions of Haslam or risk the chance of a more responsible council member daring to ask them, Sweeney chose not to even have Haslam appear. Sweeney let the naming-rights deal pass on Feb. 15 without holding a single public hearing or discussion.

I know the stadium lease gives council very little room to block a naming-rights deal, but the lease doesn't prevent the public body from asking fair questions about the deal.

Despite his sometimes goofy demeanor, Sweeney runs professional hearings, keeping his members on point and from getting personal. That's why he would have been a perfect host.

Sweeney told me that he saw no point because the deal doesn't violate the lease. He said the money Haslam makes on the deal will lead to an "exciting team," which in turn will help the city.

I asked Sweeney if he'd be willing in the next few months to call on the Browns to answer questions.

"I don't like to lock myself down on a time frame," he said.

There are a lot reasons to talk about the stadium now: $9.8 million to be exact.

That's the amount of money the city will begin pulling directly from its general fund each year through 2028 to pay off the stadium. The figure will eventually rise to $13.4 million per year to make ends meet.

Previously, the debt service payment was covered by money from the county-wide tax on alcohol and tobacco, which passed through the general fund. But in the final years of the sin tax, which expires in 2015, the money gets diverted to fill the stadium's capital repair fund.

As of today, the city's owes $134,180,000 on the $300 million stadium.

So who will pay for big improvements on the stadium when the repair fund dries up?

"I feel bad for smokers and drinkers – and I'm a drinker – but I support an extension of the sin tax," Sweeney declared.

And he made that decision without bothering to hold information-gathering hearings on costs and future plans.

Such a move, which would require action by lawmakers and voters, would surely help out Haslam.

Talk about mind control.