MILWAUKEE (AP) – Milwaukee Brewers president Ulice Payne Jr. is leaving his job following a dispute with the team’s board of directors over proposed cuts in the team’s payroll.

Payne had taken over as team president in September 2002 from Wendy Selig-Prieb, the daughter of baseball commissioner Bud Selig.

Selig’s family controls the team, which has not finished with a winning record since 1992. Payne had a five-year contract, and the Brewers announced Friday that they had reached an agreement that calls for his departure.

Payne said he made his feelings known about the proposed payroll slashing because he feared the cuts might hurt the team’s performance.

Brewers executive vice president of business operations Rick Schlesinger and chief financial officer Bob Quinn said Payne did not express reservations about next year’s budget and signed off on it.

AP-ES-11-21-03 1756EST