Minnesota Ballpark Authority to vote Thursday on getting rid of friends, family from Target Field suite

The Minnesota Ballpark Authority (MBA) will vote Thursday on whether to bar friends and family from using a publicly owned suite at Target Field, a policy change in reaction to the outcry over luxury suite use across downtown at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The MBA, a five-member public body that oversees the operation of Target Field on behalf of taxpayers, has had access to a suite for the 81-game Twins home season since the building opened in 2010.

At the regular quarterly meeting Thursday, the MBA is expected to vote to set aside the suite almost exclusively for charities. The MBA also will keep records of who uses the suite. The action is a direct response to criticism over public officials using two 18-person suites at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The controversy over suite use at U.S. Bank Stadium, revealed by the Star Tribune in late November, resulted in the resignations of Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) Chairwoman Michele Kelm-Helgen and executive director Ted Mondale. Before the two departures, the state legislative auditor investigated and found the MSFA's use of the suites for friends, family and other public officials to be an ethical violation.

The MBA has been paying attention, according to Dan Kenney, executive director, and Margaret Anderson Kelliher, its chairwoman. "Public feedback obviously was strong," Anderson Kelliher said about the suite use at U.S. Bank Stadium. "It's a policy that needs to be updated, and we're doing it."

The Minnesota House already has passed bills to restrict the use of the publicly owned U.S. Bank Stadium suites, which sell for about $200,000 for a Vikings season alone. The proposals include directing the legislative auditor to study how suites are handled at other stadiums in town, including Target Field.

Kenney and Anderson Kelliher said they met with legislative auditor Jim Nobles as they developed the new Target Field policy to make sure they were addressing concerns.

At Target Field, the suite was, and is, part of the MBA office. The two Vikings suites are on the main concourse and above the 20-yard lines. MSFA offices are in a different part of the building.

Also, while taxpayers paid for $32,000 in food at U.S. Bank Stadium, there was no free lunch at Target Field.

"We've never spent a nickel in public money on food and beverage," Kenney said.

But since Target Field opened seven years ago, the five unpaid MBA commissioners as well as the four-person paid staff have had access to the suite and no records were kept about who used the suite for games. Under the new policy, records will be kept.

The Vikings play eight regular season games at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Twins play 81 at Target Field.

In the past, Kenney said, commissioners often gave their tickets to charity, especially for day games. As to whether elected officials or lobbyists were guests, Kenney said, "I don't know but I don't think that's the case."

At U.S. Bank Stadium, state commissioners, members of Gov. Mark Dayton's staff, Minneapolis City Council members, the mayor and at least one lobbyist were among the guests in the suites. After the publicity, the MSFA barred friends and family from the U.S. Bank Stadium suites.

The MBA also will add to its code of conduct on Thursday to expressly prohibit the use or attempted use of public positions to "secure benefits, privileges, exemptions or advantages" for themselves, friends or family.

In addition to using the publicly owned suites, Kelm-Helgen, her friends and family were able to cut to the head of the seniority line to purchase some of the best seats at U.S. Bank Stadium for the Vikings games.

Both Kenney and Anderson Kelliher said it's important for commissioners to know how the building works — especially as it ages and capital updates become an issue. When a commissioner or staff member wants to bring someone to the suite for business purposes, they will need board approval.