Growe's column brings up the issue I have always wondered about re the stadium debate on this list. That is, are Minneapolitans opposed to a stadium per se, or just the idea of taxpayer's money going into one? While some have separated these issues, several posts muddy these two ideas together.
What do folks think; will Rybak be in political trouble if he can put together a stadium deal that combines public financing (not public funding) and revenues from streams that wouldn't exist if the stadium weren't built? Has the debate become so emotionally driven that his supporters cannot distinguish between these differences? Put another way, is the so-called sophistication of Minneapolitans a myth when it comes to this issue? The other item that arouses my curiosity is Minneapolis' location of the stadium in the Warehouse District. Were we to build a Milwaukee-like stadium whose halls are filled with other commercial enterprises such as destination dining, what businesses do people envision could be successful in this location and in tandem with a ballpark? Would the competition be helpful or hurtful to the Warehouse District as a whole, or would we just empty out the storefronts that exist now, as they moved into the presumably higher-traffic stadium? Watkins' idea of a museum is intriguing to me because this type of destination doesn't duplicate what is already found in the WDistrict, and it would presumably be a new source of traffic. One final point. As many of you know I am now an unabashed stadium supporter. I used to be on the fence, but after learning more about it, I was took a position. I am heartened that many of the legislators who were assigned to the Stadium Task Force were fence sitters, or disinclined to support the stadium, but after learning more, they were able to come up with reasonable solutions. I only hope Minneapolitans will be as open minded should Rybak offer a reasonable solution. God speed, RT. Barbara Nelson 18 years in Seward Burnsville, for now -- Barbara Nelson [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think." � Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
