It took just 20 seconds at Tuesday’s Omaha City Council meeting. With little fanfare and no debate, council members approved Mayor Mike Fahey's request to reappoint David Sokol to the MECA board.

In a surprising move last Friday, Fahey had fired Sokol from the board, then reappointed him after wealthy donors to the new baseball stadium threatened to withhold funds. Sokol's term runs for another three years.

The Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority board oversees operation of the Qwest Center and will also oversee the new downtown ballpark.

According to a statement from the mayor's office Monday, "Mayor Mike Fahey was advised this morning that the private funding for the new downtown baseball stadium would be in jeopardy if David Sokol was not reappointed to the MECA Board. In the best interest of the city of Omaha, Mayor Fahey will submit his name for reappointment to the City Council."

Fahey had challenged Sokol's position based on a change of address to an out-of-state residence.

In order to build the new stadium, private donors pledged $43 million to the project. Some of the donors told the mayor their money wouldn't be there if Sokol was removed from the board.

"It's hurtful when people try to give the appearance of these things going on,” says Sokol. “Pettiness gets involved in politics from time to time and that is unfortunate."

Much of the year started with Fahey and Sokol feuding. Sokol quit the Stadium Oversight Committee believing the use of a Qwest Center parking lot was already decided.

Fahey told MECA he didn't need its permission to use it. That type of bitter, public disagreement went on for weeks until the two appeared together in April and the CWS deal was done. “Hopefully, that will calm some of the tensions as to where things are,” Sokol said then.

It did, until this weekend. When Sokol failed to register as a Douglas County voter in February, a requirement for the MECA board, the mayor said that means Sokol would lose his spot.

“I'm glad it's over because I think it's silly, but why in the middle of the College World Series?” asks Sokol. “We got thousands and thousands of friends of Omaha from other states here. I'm just glad it's over."

“I question the timing of this,” echoed MECA board member David Kramer. “In my view, this is political, it's personal and most of all, I think it's petty." Some believe the move was payback for the public fights of early on.

Was it vindictive? Omaha city attorney Paul Kratz disagrees. “It's a matter of, you have some qualifications to be on the board and the mayor can't simply overlook those qualifications and say it's okay.”