Gov. Mark Dayton was cheered — and heckled — Monday as he signed legislation for a public subsidy package to build a new Minnesota Vikings stadium as a smiling team owner Zygi Wilf watched.
The governor and the Vikings owner were joined at the state Capitol by scores of political, business and labor leaders, who nervously watched as a small group of homeless advocates held protest signs and chanted "Shame! Shame!" as Dayton and others spoke. But the crowd was dominated by fans in Vikings jerseys, who countered by loudly singing the team fight song and giving Dayton a standing ovation.
"I'm proud of those who stepped forward and said, 'This is what makes Minnesota special'," said Dayton.
"These bills, that involve major public investments, are understandably controversial," said the governor, who on more than one occasion had to ask the hecklers to let him speak. "They're hotly debated. They're closely inspected – as they should be. That's democracy, and that's Minnesota."
After months of roller-coaster lobbying, the House and Senate dramatically passed a public subsidy package last week that will have the state contribute $348 million to the downtown Minneapolis project and have the city add $150 million to its construction. The state's share will come from allowing electronic bingo and pull tabs in Minnesota's bars and restaurants, and the city's contribution will come from diverting local taxes now being used to pay for the city's convention center.
Though the protesters held up signs saying "Homeless Can't Live in Stadiums" and "Why Not Get This Fired Up to Stop Homelessness?", the day clearly belonged to the stadium advocates.
"We did it!" Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, the chief House stadium author, said as he addressed the crowd in the state Capitol rotunda, which cheered and whistled as he spoke.
"I've never seen any support like it for any other issue," said the 10-year legislator.
