About 56% of MN voters "don't think it's very important
for the state Legislature to come up with a plan" for a new
Twins ballpark, according to a statewide poll commissioned
by the St. Paul Pioneer Press, KARE-TV and MN Public Radio
and cited by Richard Chin of the PIONEER PRESS. While 28%
said a legislative plan was somewhat important, 12% said it
was very important. Chin: "[I]ndifference to the fate of
the Twins has risen to the point that if asked to choose
between keeping the Twins or the Vikings ... voters would
pick the football team by a 3-to-1 ratio." Among other
results: 40% of those surveyed think Twins Owner Carl Pohlad
should pay all costs for a new facility; 75% think he should
pay at least half; only 11% of respondents "like" Pohlad,
35% "didn't care for him" and 40% had no opinion. The poll
of 808 registered voters was conducted by Political Media
Research from October 13-15 (St. Paul PIONEER PRESS, 10/19).
MINNESOTA NOTES: State Legislative leaders said Friday
that state funding is "doubtful" even if Pohlad "fades from
the debate and control" of the Twins goes to T-Wolves Owner
Glen Taylor. A special legislative session begins Thursday.
Meanwhile, the stadium booster group Minnesota Wins launched
a $200,000 media campaign on Friday that will last for one
week. One TV spot shows a woman talking about wanting to
take her sons to a Twins game and ends with the tag, all in
lower cases: "new stadium. no new taxes, peace & baseball in
minnesota" (STAR TRIBUNE, 10/18)....The Twins spent $738,146
for lobbying between July '96-June '97, "more than any other
group" in MN. Those costs did not include salaries paid to
their lobbyists. Most recently, the team reported it had
six of them. The figure does not include the $156,963
spent on lobbying by Minnesota Wins (STAR TRIBUNE, 10/18).
