The Secret Storm

One of my favorite movie scenes is from the original The Parent Trap.  Unaware that his ex-wife is back in town to disrupt his remarriage, Mitch (Brian Keith) turn to his ranch foreman and asks him if he too feels like maybe there's a storm brewing.  I have the same feeling about the Vikings stadium, that the deal has essentially been struck, that we are seeing a carefully timed series of headlines herding us taxpayers to yet another shearing festival, and that too many Republicans are complicit in it.

After some "sense of urgency" discussions and the convenient collapse of the Metrodome roof, Hennepin County opts out.  Then Ramsey County opts in, supposedly with the Vikings on board.  And it also finally addresses the problem of the old ammunition plant.  Oh, but wait, those problems could be much more expensive than first thought.  And Sid thinks it should be downtown regardless.

So, enter Mayor Rybak with another downtown proposal that conveniently rehabs Target Center and papers over part of his property tax problems.  But the Vikings aren't crazy about it and now Governor Dayton says $300 million of state spending is it - no more, and not enough to fund either concept.  But oddly, he has also come out of his closet to start working on the final budget bills with the Legislature, perhaps to create a little time in the regular session to do a one day miracle.  Dayton will appear to compromise for the sake of all the union construction jobs created.  Block E and the racino could likely be part of this.  Building on the Metrodome site means it continues to get light rail service, including the new Central Corridor that shares that station with the Hiawatha line.  And a couple of Republicans are ready to introduce the legislation necessary.

Getting it done in the regular session pays bi-partisan dividends to those who vote yes and then seek re-election in 2012.  It maximizes the time for the public to forget, who are then treated to fawning press coverage on the new construction while the Vikings play at TCF Bank stadium.

There are other possible scenarios, but the one where the Republicans suddenly remember their principles, reach out to the John Marty wing, and kill this bill outright this year and next isn't likely one of them.  It'll come out of nowhere, raise taxes, draw from the many slush funds available, and become law in less time than you can say, "Tim Pawlenty!"

Comments

[Hiram]

Stadiums never poll well, but once the stadium deal is done, the public forgets and moves on. This is a very well understood political dynamic. The deal for the Twins Stadium was the worst ever offered, part of the price we pay for letting it go until the last moment. Yet the Hennepin County commissioners who voted for it have all won re-election in campaigns where the Twins deal barely registered as an issue.

This is a bad deal too, but it's a bad deal for the citizens of St. Paul, who will have to put up with a pretty hefty sales tax increase. If they want the money pit, let them have it.

[The Big Stink]

This is another example of a pro sports team holding a community hostage and threatening to take their ball and go home. It gets old, but it works! The pols take a momentary hit in the polls and then all is forgotten.

Remember, the core mission of govenment is free cheese, light rail and entertainment!

[Hiram]

I try to stay away from "hostage" type rhetoric, at least in this context. I think Zygi has played fair with us. He has put up with a lot of nonsense, and has been patient in his dealings with the legislature. He doesn't do a lot of threatening or public posturing. He has put a lot of money into the team. But at the end of the day, we must understand that if we don't want his business, he will take it elsewhere.

I don't know what the core mission of government is. Is it somewhere in the constitution?

[J. Ewing]

We're perfectly delighted to have Zygi's business make its home here; we are his customers. But those who like what he offers ought to pay the bill, and those who do not shouldn't have to kick in the other half-Billion plus bucks.

If Zygi and his group can't figure out a way to make money without robbing the taxpayers, then maybe they SHOULD take their business elsewhere. Somewhere the folks are a bit more gullible.

[Speed Gibson]

Hiram is so right that the public soon forgot about the Twins deal. Granted, the architects came up with what should be a national award winning design, something Opat and Pawlenty had no reason to expect. Another Metrodome was the more likely outcome given this cramped, poorly situated site. An exciting, contending inaugural season helped, too.

I wonder if this year had been the first, with the Twins poised to hit a franchise bottom, with icicles hanging from the upper decks would have been different politically.

[Hiram]

"But those who like what he offers ought to pay the bill, and those who do not shouldn't have to kick in the other half-Billion plus bucks."

That's not ever going to happen. The vast majority of people who like what he has to offer get it for free, which amounts to a very difficult business model.

"If Zygi and his group can't figure out a way to make money without robbing the taxpayers, then maybe they SHOULD take their business elsewhere."

Of course, they should. And they will.

"I wonder if this year had been the first, with the Twins poised to hit a franchise bottom, with icicles hanging from the upper decks would have been different politically."

It is interesting that the Twins caught all the breaks last year, and so far none of them this year. If they continue their slide as appears likely, I think tickets will be a lot easier to come by. But the stadium gives them permanent financial stability and I don't think will ever be a political issue. No politician has ever lost his job for supporting a stadium except for one guy in Wisconsin.