Posts tagged: R.T. Rybak

Minneapolis Joins In On Stadium Fun

April 25, 2012, by 4 comments

A contentious stadium debate took place Tuesday night at a Minneapolis City Council meeting.

The symbolic vote is used as a signal to the State Legislature that the City of Minneapolis has enough support for the bill to make it worth passing at the State level.  The plan calls to use $150 million for the initial construction of the stadium and calls for them to kick in another $198 million for operations.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak’s proposal uses an existing sales tax to fund the City’s portion of the costs, and this point was of particular controversy Tuesday night as many feel strongly that a financial decision like this has to be decided by a public vote.  Rybak’s plan bypasses that vote.

The plan was voted on and passed by a count of seven to six.

The Vikings have now cleared yet another hurdle on their way to getting this thing done.

Stadium Fight Takes Step In Right Direction

March 26, 2012, by 6 comments

If you support the Vikings proposal to build a new stadium in Minnesota (which I bet you do) then you will be happy to hear that Monday yielded some substantially good news in the ongoing battle.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said on Monday that he has secured a majority of the Minneapolis City Council with letters saying seven members of the Council would vote in favor of the current proposal.

“Is it time to build it? I think it is,” Rybak said on Monday.

The Stadium bill has yet to be approved by a single Senate Committee at the State Legislature level, but it is believed the support of Minneapolis could potentially help move things along and get the ball rolling again.

As always, there are still obstacles that are sure to pop up, but this is one more major obstacle that has seemingly been hurdled.

Labor Development Regarding Vikings Stadium

February 7, 2012, by 3 comments

I know I probably haven’t been doing a good enough job of keeping you up-to-date on stadium ongoings for a few weeks now.  There are two reasons for that:

  1. I’m not a Minnesota resident, and don’t feel it is my place to tell residents how to spend their tax dollars.
  2. For quite a while now, most of the “news” have come off the lips of politicians and P.R. gurus.  I’d rather buy stock in Italian cruise liner companies than the words that come off of these guys’ lips.

Still, when I look up into the sky and see something that appears like it might be legitimate smoke, I will always be sure to pass along the information.

Today’s (or rather yesterday’s) tidbit that caught my eye is that the Vikings, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, and local labor groups have come to an agreement regarding the construction and operation of a new Vikings stadium.

According to Viking Update, an agreement has been reached in which a new stadium would be built using union labor, and that concession stands could possibly be operated by union labor, too.

While this reeks of dirty politics and legal racketeering, the move is a significant one in that the Vikings would likely gain support from the general public (you know, in case a vote is eventually needed) when it comes to their stadium efforts.  However, the price of a six ounce Miller Light may have just went from $7 to $13.

The next step is for the Vikings to commit to a hiring agreement that would focus on hiring women, minorities, and workers from poverty stricken areas of Minnesota.

Say what you will about this development, but the point here is that there are people still putting forth a serious effort and taking major steps towards keeping the Vikings in Minnesota.  Actions speak louder than words, and this is the closest thing to action as we have had in quite some time.