In a "series of lopsided votes" on Tuesday, a MN
legislative commission "rejected spending state money" to
build a new stadium for the Twins, according to Sweeney &
Ragsdale of the St. Paul PIONEER PRESS. The votes
"virtually assure" that the State Legislature will "not vote
to build a ballpark" for the Twins in a special legislative
session beginning Thursday. State Senate Tax Committee
Chair Doug Johnson called the stadium issue "really, really
wounded" by the non-action, while House Speaker Phil
Carruthers said that the commission "considered almost all
of the stadium financing plans" in the past year and "none
were even close to passing." State Rep. Loren Jennings:
"Right now, the Twins are packing for North Carolina"
(PIONEER PRESS, 10/22). In Minneapolis, Jay Weiner reports
that "key legislators" were "stopping just short of
declaring the stadium campaign dead." Tax Committee Chair
Johnson added, "Minnesota should be the first state that
says, 'No.' We've had enough." In other news, State Senate
Majority Leader Roger Moe "firmly said" that he "will
oppose" any state bonding for a new $130M hockey arena in
St. Paul, where an NHL expansion team is set to begin play
in 2000 (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 10/22).
THE PEOPLE SPEAK: A new Star Tribune/KMSP-TV Minnesota
poll found that 74% of the respondents "oppose public
financing" of a new ballpark and 61% "strongly oppose" it.
Almost two-thirds of those surveyed, while "understanding"
that without a new ballpark the Twins may leave, still
oppose public funding. The poll was conducted October 16-19
and surveyed 953 adults (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 10/22).
