At a time when the Vikings and legislative leaders in Minnesota and the Mayor of Minneapolis have a deal in place to build a new football stadium near the Metrodome, the challenge now becomes selling the plan to the Legislature and the Minneapolis City Council.
But despite a general belief that the people in the Land of 10,000 Lakes aren’t willing to pony up even as little as $10,000 toward building the stadium, the proponents of the project will be mobilizing the masses. Or, at least, the subset of the masses who want to see the stadium built.
According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Governor Mark Dayton (picture) will lead a rally at the Capitol on Tuesday. Up to 30,000 union members are expected to attend in support of the jobs that the stadium will bring to the area. Other events may follow elsewhere in the state.
None of this changes the reality that the Minneapolis charter contains a provision that invites litigation regarding the question of whether the stadium can be funded without a citywide vote. And no matter how many people ultimately change their minds about building a stadium with public money, it takes only one person to file the lawsuit.