Hoping to send a clear message to team owner Clay Bennett, the Seattle City Council today voted to hold the Sonics to the team's KeyArena lease through September 2010.

The action, taken at the request of a Sonics' and Storm fan group, was largely symbolic. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has repeatedly said he will enforce the Sonics lease and has rejected suggestions by Bennett that an early buyout could be negotiated.

Council members said they hoped the ordinance would encourage new talks to keep the Sonics and Storm at KeyArena, despite the hostile relationship between the city and team owners over the past few years.

"If the relationship is the metaphor, then I suppose we want to go to couples counseling," said City Councilmember Sally Clark, who co-sponsored the ordinance.