In the 15 years it "took to get the new Minnesota Vikings stadium built," team Exec VP/Public Affairs & Stadium Development LESTER BAGLEY "was the guy out front, trying to complete a complicated project under intense pressure from team owners and emotional hometown scrutiny," according to a profile by Rochelle Olson of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Bagley "methodically trudged along, through three governors, scores of state legislators and on behalf of two different out-of-state ownership groups." His "unflagging advocacy" for co-Owners MARK and ZYGI WILF's interests has "made him the convenient punchline for those who want to take cracks at his more elusive billionaire bosses." Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority Secretary-Treasurer DUANE BENSON said Bagley has "been forced to take on the good and the bad." Olson wrote Bagley’s "controlled and guarded work persona has given rise to criticism that he is a light weight." Even some supporters said that they "initially wondered whether he had the temperament and bargaining skills to muscle through such a complex project." Bagley said that the deal the Vikings have is "a fair one for the public and he’s personally 'learned to deal' with the sharp jabs." Bagley: “The intensity and the stakes were so high" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/19).
