With an insider’s eye, Hot Dish tracks the tastiest bits of Minnesota’s political scene and keep you up-to-date on those elected to serve you.

Contributors in Minnesota: Jennifer Brooks, Baird Helgeson, Patricia Lopez, Jim Ragsdale, Rachel E. Stassen-Berger and Glen Stubbe. Contributors in D.C.: Kevin Diaz and Corey Mitchell.

Dayton: Legislators should be leaders on Vikings stadium

Posted by: Rachel E. Stassen-Berger Updated: November 8, 2011 - 12:59 PM
  • share

    email

Gov. Mark Dayton Tuesday put pressure on lawmakers to step forward to help build a new Minnesota Vikings stadium.

"It's time for leaders of the Legislature to show some leadership," Dayton said. He stressed that if lawmakers are "concerned about providing jobs in the private sector," they should move on the stadium project, because clearing a new stadium site and building a new football home would create thousands of private-sector jobs.

"I would just urge everybody to put the focus back on what they can be for," Dayton said. "Some people, all they know is 'No' to this, 'No' to that, 'No' to everything." That's not constructive leadership. What are you willing to support?"

The governor had planned to share his recommendations for a stadium plan on Monday but delayed that after House Speaker Kurt Zellers made clear he opposed the idea of special session for a stadium. Dayton said Tuesday that the momentum has been lost.

"We're just back in the Twilight Zone," Dayton said. He accused some lawmakers of wanting to delay a decision until after the 2012 election. That, he said, would be a decision from lawmakers to save one job -- that of the lawmaker -- rather than help create many jobs by building the stadium.

Tuesday Dayton, who has said he is open to most methods of funding the state's portion of a stadium project, also made some of his preferences clear.

"I’m for maximizing the private team’s contribution," he said.

He said "at this point" his preferred source of state funding would come from expanding pull tabs in tabs but "I'm not going to oppose other ones, at this point." The idea of using constitutionally dedicated funds, so-called Legacy Funds, has been floated to help the state fund part of the stadium project, Dayton said Tuesday that using those funds was a "bad idea."

He also mentioned a "memorabilia tax on the Vikings souvenirs and things sold there" and "a ticket tax on users of the stadium."

He said he finds both Minneapolis and Arden Hills would be good sites for a future Vikings home and would not pick among them.

The governor also said he does not favor using the clause in the Vikings lease that could force the team to play in their current Metrodome home.

"We shouldn't be engaged in that kind of hostile posturing with the Vikings...they're our team. And they want to stay here," Dayton said. "So are we going to sue the Vikings? Come on. What are we doing here. This is about moving Minnesota forward."

Jim Ragsdale contributed to this report

  • 138
  • Comments

  • Results per page:
  • share

    email

ADVERTISEMENT

Seattle - LP: C. Furbush 8 FINAL
Cleveland - WP: J. Smith 10
Tampa Bay - LP: J. Lueke 5 FINAL
Toronto - WP: R. Dickey 7
NY Yankees - WP: D. Robertson 6 FINAL
Baltimore - LP: P. Strop 4
Cincinnati - WP: J. Cueto 4 FINAL
NY Mets - LP: S. Marcum 3
Philadelphia - LP: C. Hamels 1 FINAL
Miami - WP: A. Sanabia 5
Minnesota - LP: K. Correia 1 FINAL
Atlanta - WP: J. Teheran 5
Oakland - WP: B. Colon 9 FINAL
Texas - LP: J. Lindblom 2
Los Angeles - WP: C. Kershaw 3 FINAL
Milwaukee - LP: Y. Gallardo 1
Boston - LP: J. Lester 4 FINAL
Chicago WSox - WP: D. Axelrod 6
Kansas City - LP: J. Guthrie 5 FINAL
Houston - WP: D. Keuchel 6
Arizona - WP: P. Corbin 5 FINAL
Colorado - LP: J. Garland 1
St. Louis 2 Top 7th Inning
San Diego 3
Washington 0 Top 7th Inning
San Francisco 6
Chicago 1 FINAL
Detroit 3
Connect with twitterConnect with facebookConnect with Google+Connect with PinterestConnect with PinterestConnect with RssfeedConnect with email newsletters
Date/Opponent Time W L Score
2013 preseason     
Aug 9 - vs. Houston 7 pm
Aug 16 - at Buffalo 6 pm
Aug 25 - at San Francisco 7 pm
Aug 29 - vs. Tennessee 7 pm
2013 regular season     
Sep 8 - at Detroit Noon
Sep 15 - at Chicago Noon
Sep 22 - vs. Cleveland Noon
Sep 29 - vs. Pittsburgh (in London) Noon
Oct 6 - Bye
Oct 13 - vs. Carolina Noon
Oct 21 - at. NY Giants 7:40 pm
Oct 27 - vs. Green Bay 7:30 pm
Nov 3 - at Dallas Noon
Nov 7 - vs. Washington 7:25 pm
Nov 17 - at Seattle 3:25 pm
Nov. 24 - at Green Bay Noon
Dec 1 - vs. Chicago Noon
Dec 8 - at Baltimore Noon
Dec 15 - vs. Philadelphia Noon
Dec 22 - at Cincinnati Noon
Dec 29 - vs. Detroit Noon

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT