Capitol View: May 3, 2010 Archive

Stadium quotes

Posted at 4:57 PM on May 3, 2010 by Tim Pugmire (2 Comments)
Filed under: MN Legislature

A bipartisan group of state legislators have unveiled State legislators have unveiled a plan to pay for a Minnesota Vikings stadium with new taxes on hotel stays, car rentals, sports memorabilia and a sports-themed lottery game. Here's what some of the key players are saying:

Lester Bagley, Minnesota Vikings: "A roof, while very important for the state and the community, does not benefit the Vikings. It benefits the state and the community. So, I think there needs to be a good discussion as to how we pay for the roof and what the owner contribution is. So we will have a chance to talk about that as we go through the process here."

Sen. Tim Bakk, DFL-Cook: "This project will put thousands of construction trades people to work. And we anticipate that the payroll from the construction of this stadium will be in the neighborhood of $300 million of wages."

Bill Blazer, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce: "We feel pretty strongly that a solution can be found without creating any new state general fund taxes, or for that matter, increasing an existing general fund tax."

Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano: "I don't believe in taxpayer funds being used to fund stadiums. If you do that then there are a lot of businesses in this state that should be asking for the same type of treatment."

House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-MInneapolis: "I think there's a real issue. No one wants the Vikings to leave. But it's awfully late in this game to be able to push this bill."

Phil Krinkie, Taxpayers League of Minnesota: "To stand up here and say that the budget has been resolved, and we've got nothing to do for two weeks except talk about a Vikings stadium is just absurdity.

Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead: "A new stadium is not going to be possible unless there is a local government that is willing to step forward and help make this happen. That was the case for the Twins. It will be the case for any stadium now going forward."

Gov. Tim Pawlenty: "Well it's also just out of sync in the sense that they haven't solved the budget deficit yet. And so to the extent that they're fiddling around with the Vikings stadium, my question first is going to be where's the rest of your budget solution? They don't have it yet."

Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis: "There are two weeks left in the session and the bill just got introduced. Nothing beyond that. It just seems like a tall order."

Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont: "I would challenge anyone to say Target Field was a mistake."

Rep, Loren Solberg, DFL-Grand Rapids: "As chair of the Ways and Means Committee, I'm very committed to promoting long term investments in our state economy. The Vikings provide a great deal of economic activity and contribute significantly to the state budget."

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