MN Gov. Jesse Ventura "stated his new policy on public
spending" for a sports facility on Friday and said that the
state will create a special account to accept gifts from
taxpayers "who want to donate all or part of their tax
rebates to pay for" a new Twins ballpark, according to
Patrick Sweeney of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. Ventura
called the opportunity a chance for stadium supporters to
"put their money where their mouth is" and help pay for new
facilities. Ventura said that he won't be contributing any
part of his rebate to stadium construction: "I'm not making
fun here, this is truthfully serious. No referendums, no
pushing things down people's throats. This will be the
state's contribution ... It's called put your money where
your mouth is." The announcement "could dampen prospects"
for the two ballpark-financing plans in St. Paul and
Minneapolis, as several legislators said that they "expect
very few Minnesotans will decide to give back to the state
any significant part" of the $1.3B in rebate checks that
will be mailed out starting in August (PIONEER PRESS, 6/20).
Former MN Gov. Arne Carlson said that Ventura's stance
"doesn't bode well" for stadium backers: "It's very
difficult to get anything past the Legislature, particularly
when you have the governor against it" (STAR TRIBUNE, 6/20).
