Not even 24 hours after State leaders punted on the Vikings stadium issue, Legislative backers behind an emerging Racino plan are pushing hard to take the ball and run with it. Details are emerging faster than the press can keep up but here is what it what it comes down to: The only remaining ways to pay for a Vikings stadium without a local partner is to expand gambling or to take from the Legacy fund.
Recently, there has been talk of electronic pull tabs which is least intrusive to the tribal casinos. However that only generates $20 million dollars annually. We have all heard about the proposed Block-e casino, but that has little legislative support.
Rumors are circulating that tomorrow a letter of support for a Racino plan will emerge from the Capitol with over 50 signatures from lawmakers. It sounds like a Racino plan that would accelerate payment back to schools and pay for a Vikings stadium has bi-partisan support.
We don’t expect support from Koch, Zellers, Thissen or Bakk but it sounds like these lawmakers don’t care and aren’t going to sit around and watch the Vikings pack up for L.A. In fact, they are confident they can get it passed before the end of 2011.
Also rumored to be signing on are two very key legislative players: Rep. Morrie Lanning and Sen. Julie Rosen, the chief authors of the Vikings stadium bill.
This has been the best plan we have seen as it addresses some unfinished business resulting from the Legislative shutdown and the money shifted away from schools. Racino is estimated to generate $120 million annually and the Vikings stadium would only require $50 million annually to bond against.
On the PR side of things, it takes away the opposition argument of “How can we fund a Vikings stadium when we can’t even pay for our schools?”
This kills two birds with one stone – without a tax increase.
This plan could be the only thing left keeping the Vikings in Minnesota. Speaking of keeping the Vikings in Minnesota, SavetheVikes.org founder Cory Merrifield took his argument to Kare11 viewers last night explaining why the threat is very real.
Please take a moment and contact your legislators asking for their support on passing a Vikings stadium bill by clicking here www.SavetheVikes.org/huddle/
Founder and author of SavetheVikes.org. Born and raised in MN, Cory has been a lifelong Vikings fan. Season ticket holder, stop by and see him in section 218! cory.merrifield@savethevikes.org
So many twists and turns… all I can say is PLEASE MAKE THIS HAPPEN
Zellers says “there are not 68 votes in the House” for a Vikings stadium…”I can tell you that right now.”
Is this BOZO for real or is he just pulling this out of his behind? Does Minnesota election laws allow for idiots like Zellers to be recalled?
SKOL VIKINGS
Zellers also stated, he was more interested in fixing the economy and creating jobs. Ummmmm, is having a pulse the only requirement for the State Senate?!!?
Maybe at the next home game (Oakland) you can get the crowd to start changing RA-CI-NO! RA-CI-NO!
Sorry about the typo…the idea is to get the crowd “chanting” Ra-ci-no! Ra-ci-no! News at six and eleven!
@ Dan Rose
If only Zellers had a fully functioning brain, he would know that a new Vikings Stadium would help towards fixing the economy and creating jobs. Here’s hoping that next year this MORON is not the house speaker AND he is thrown out of office.
Coming from a SoCal native, I really want the Vikings to stay in Minnesota. I hope the NFL and your state governor will do everything they can to keep Vikings around. It would make no sense if they move here, we took the Lakers away from you guys, don’t want to take another. Shame on the lawmakers, they had 7 years to figure out ways to pay for a stadium. If the Vikings leave, all eyes will be on those clowns.
That is the rumors which I first read here. I’ve discussed it with a few legislators and they don’t deny it. (of course they don’t address it either). I just don’t understand how he expects to win the election by being the man that cost the state the Vikings.
Sure, he’ll get a few “fiscal responsiblity” votes and “Way to stand up to the billionaires and corporations” but I think the angry Vikings fans will far outnumber those hacks.
Also, people that think he’s going to waltz to the GOP nomination are forgetting that as a House member, he has to run for, and successfully win re-election in 2012 first. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. Can someone with IT skills create a http://www.dumpkurtzellers.com website or something, can we start a petition? etc.
STV was informally mentioned (they didn’t use the name because they likely didn’t want to give you free publicity or give angry fans any organizing power) in today’s Star Tribune with Zellers acknowledging he got several angry messages.
“Zellers said he has received angry messages from voters after sending an e-mail to House lawmakers earlier this week in which he said the stadium was not important enough for legislators to meet in special session. One pro-stadium website featured the headline: “How Kurt Zellers killed the Vikings stadium deal.”
http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/133211923.html?page=all&prepage=2&c=y#continue
Also, why can’t a newspaper pick up and run a story on his ties to the gaming community? That would just about crush his re-election chances which are always close.
Is New GOP House Minority Leader Kurt Zellers Politically Vulnerable?
June 24, 2009
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cspg/smartpolitics/2009/06/is_new_gop_house_minority_lead.php