April 23, 2010

With four weeks to go, Vikings stadium talk heats up

With that May 17 deadline approaching, the Minnesota Vikings stadium rumor mill is kicking into full gear. Among today's highlights:

• Vikings execs are lobbying the local business community, which the St. Paul Pioneer Press theorizes could "provide a seawall against what is likely to be a wave of anti-tax criticisms opposing publicly funded stadiums." Of course, businesses have their own anti-tax criticisms: Minnesota Chamber of Commerce president David Olson says, "It's going to be pretty hard to find a tax we're going to like."
• At least one state representative is warning that the Vikings will move after next year if there's no new stadium deal in place.
• Some guy in a cowboy hat has been dropping in on legislators, posing for photos and signing autographs for them.

A Vikings stadium bill still seems unlikely this session, but getting people talking about it is certainly the first step. State senator John Marty told the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "I'm all of a sudden becoming very concerned" — and he'd be the one to know.