From City Pages:
That same evening, a meeting on the ballpark issue was scheduled for 5:30
p.m. at the downtown headquarters of the Minneapolis Community Development
Agency (MCDA). For more than a year, Minneapolis citizens, local
businesspeople, and city officials had been crafting their own stadium
plan. A city-appointed panel of 17 citizens, dubbed C-17, had spent the
fall hashing out ballpark options. Stadium experts had been flown in,
financing options mulled over, and a potential site identified. The final
proposal called for a cheaper, scaled-down ballpark in downtown Minneapolis
paid for with little or no government dollars. The meeting was to be the
first time that city officials and members of the C-17 committee would
brief the Twins on their work.
Representatives from the city's planning, finance, and public works
departments, along with employees of the MCDA, were on hand. First Ward
city council member Paul Ostrow was in attendance. Betsy Hodges, co-chair
of the C-17 committee, was present to speak for the citizens' group.
The only interested party that didn't have a presence was the Minnesota
Twins--even though MCDA deputy executive director Keith Ford had been
assured that team president Jerry Bell, or someone else representing the
team, would attend. "I expected that somebody would be there," says Jim
Forsyth, project manager for the MCDA, who was leading the city's ballpark
efforts. "For whatever reason I guess the Twins felt that the time wasn't
right. I think they still had hopes for their bill in the Legislature."
Hodges says she was "somewhat bewildered" by the Twins no-show. "There was
no downside to them meeting with us," she adds.
http://citypages.com/databank/22/1078/article9724.asp
EY: Progressive Minnesota was behind the referendum to limit Minneapolis
funding for stadiums. What is Progressive Minnesota's position on these
stadiums now? I thought PM opposed public funding for for profit,
Pro-sports stadiums. What is Betsy Hodges doing to protect the taxpayer's
interest on this 1.1 billion dollar boondoggle with the current Hennepin
County plan?
As Republican Linda Koblick wrote - following the Republican Party Platform:
http://northstarliberty.blogspot.com/2005/05/11-billion-for-twins.html
The Hennepin County Board is proceeding with a request to the Legislature
for authority to impose a .15 percent sales tax and is requesting an
exemption to the referendum requirement that state statute mandates to
issue bonds for constructing a $478 million Twins stadium in Minneapolis.
This tax will raise $1.1 billion over 30 years.
A May 6 Star Tribune editorial ("This is a Republic - Leave off with the
Referendum Talk") implied that referendums aren't appropriate for this
taxation proposal. Not true. State statute requires a referendum.
This is not a simple "3 cents on $20" tax deal that gives us outdoor
baseball. That's the mantra the advocates want everyone to repeat, without
asking for the details. Those advocates designed this, in timing and in
process, to thwart effective public review and input. The people and
businesses in Hennepin County affected by this taxing decision deserve to
decide whether this billion-dollar tax proposal makes sense to them, and
provides them with value for the public tax dollar. They also deserve a
forum where they can speak and be heard.
--Linda Koblick, "Stadium Rush Leaves Public Out" Star Tribune, May 10, 2005
Governor Pawlenty has said publically (on MPR) that he supports a
referendum. Noone asked him the obvious followup question - whether he
would veto a bill that contained an exemption to the referendum requirement
for this sort of tax.
Eva Young
Near North
Minneapolis
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Plymouth Special Election Coverage on Lloydletta's Nooz:
Letter sent by SD 43 GOP Party Chair to John Knight Informing Him of the
Charges Against Him
http://lloydletta.blogspot.com/2005/09/nobody-expects-spanish-inquisition.html
Republican Party Senate District 43 Chair Frank Weir Attempts to Oust John
Knight - Is David Gaither Behind this?
http://lloydletta.blogspot.com/2005/09/martha-robertson-david-gaither-and.html
Lloydletta's Nooz
http://lloydletta.blogspot.com
Dump Michele Bachmann
http://dumpbachmann.blogspot.com
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759,
US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, & printer (1706 - 1790)
http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/1381.html
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