Gov. Mark Dayton chose a professional turnaround man Thursday to get U.S. Bank Stadium's oversight panel on firm ethical and governance ground.
Mike Vekich, a CPA and veteran of many boards, commissions and public agencies, will succeed interim Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) Chairwoman Kathleen Blatz, a former state Supreme Court chief justice. Blatz took the interim position in February after the resignations of Chairwoman Michele Kelm-Helgen and Executive Director Ted Mondale. Kelm-Helgen and Mondale had faced a backlash for using two taxpayer-owned luxury suites to entertain their friends and family.
Vekich, a Republican, is the CEO of Vekich Chartered, a CPA firm specializing in turning around companies beleaguered by bad governance and financial problems. He described the troubles with the former MSFA leaders as "unfortunate" and praised Dayton's move to bring Blatz in to "stabilize" the operation.
Saying he wants to focus on the positive, Vekich said of the stadium, "What got actually accomplished and built is world class."
Dayton also appointed Laura Bishop, a politically connected executive at Best Buy, to fill the vacant seat on the board. She was traveling and unavailable for comment.
Vekich will take over following the July 21 board meeting.
Self-described — with a laugh — as "fair, firm and friendly," he has led sticky transitions before. Twice he stepped in as interim director of the Minnesota Lottery in the aftermath of trouble. Dayton brought him on in 2016 as did former Gov. Tim Pawlenty in 2004. In 2011, the state GOP turned to Vekich to help investigate the party's finances.
State Rep. Sarah Anderson, R-Plymouth, called Vekich a "very good" choice. She had pushed legislation in the recent session to tighten the state's control over the MSFA. Vekich "will ask the right questions and push to make sure this asset is being protected properly," she said.