ANAHEIM – A lead negotiator was hired Tuesday night to represent the city during its attempt to strike up a new stadium lease with the Angels – signaling a potential return to the bargaining table.

The City Council unanimously selected attorney Wylie Aitken, who is based in Santa Ana. He will be paid $350 per hour plus travel and out-of-pocket expenses to represent Anaheim.

Aitken replaces Charles Black, who previously represented Anaheim in the stadium negotiations and was rehired last month by Interim City Manager Paul Emery and City Attorney Michael Houston.

“I think that hiring Charles Black would be going backwards,” said Mayor Tom Tait, who publicly clashed with Black, a former head of the San Diego Padres.

An Angels spokeswoman declined to comment.

It’s unclear when the city will reach out to the Angels to kick-start the stalled negotiations.

In February, Angels owner Arte Moreno said negotiations for a new stadium lease were “nowhere.” The Angels have a window from 2016 to 2019 to get out of their lease. If they don’t, the lease runs through 2029.

Anaheim officials and the Angels started bargaining for a new stadium lease in September 2013 by working from a set of negotiating goals that included the possibility of giving the Angels the ability to drop Anaheim from the team’s name.

One of the most contentious negotiating points would have allowed Moreno’s development firm to lease the stadium’s parking lots for $1 annually over 66 years. City and team officials have said at least part of the revenue generated by the development would go toward covering the $150 million in infrastructure improvements to the nearly half-century-old Angel Stadium.

Talks stalled more than a year ago, and then the Angels announced in September they were walking away from discussions. The Angels have since struck up preliminary discussions with Tustin on a potential new ballpark at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station.

Contact the writer: 714-704-3769 or amarroquin@ocregister.com