CITIES RIVALRY - Mayors Kelly/Ryback Compete Rather Than Cooperate: http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4265696.html
from the article:
Both cities have designated biotechnology zones and are simultaneously trying to draw lucrative business to support them.
Both are vying to land the new home of Allina Hospitals & Clinics and its 1,200 jobs.
And in the highest-profile competition, both mayors want to be holding shovels if the Minnesota Twins ever break ground on a new stadium.
A shrinking state budget and slashes in state aid have intensified
EY: Let St Paul have the stadium (and pay for it with property taxes), and let Anoka get the Vikings stadium - and let Minneapolis focus on getting the biotech business - and Allina.
From the article:
On election day -- at the same time the two men were talking about the need for Twin Cities collaboration -- Major jor League Baseball targeted the Twins for elimination. Rybak had campaigned against spending public money on a new ballpark, but Kelly didn't make such pledges.
So Kelly aggressively swooped into action, and two years later he's still working to find a way to build a ballpark in St. Paul and to bring the team across the Mississippi River. Rybak flip-flopped on his position: Within two weeks of his election, apparently overcoming his anti-stadium stance, he was looking for ways to build a stadium in Minneapolis. With that opening round, the two were off and competing, earning a reputation as an uncooperative pair.
EY: This was one of the most appalling things Mayor Rybak did - was reversing his position on the Stadium. He used this issue against both SSB - and Lisa McDonald (in an especially mean performance at debates where he exploited Lisa's hearing disability to score political points).
The proposals I've heard about financing involve some sort of increased tax in the proximity of the stadium - I think this is especially unfair to people who live or work in those areas. It's also a bit disingenous to say that some of this isn't really a state subsidy for Professional Sports - because all this is, is having the government collect money that's being used to pay of bonds to pay for the stadium - which benefits professional sports owners.
It seems like this session is going to be dominated by the Stadium Wars, Gay Marriage, and the Death Penalty - rather than focusing on the real challenges the state faces.
I think there does need to be more working together between Minneapolis and St Paul though - and there are some common interests that the cities should be joining forces on at the Legislature. This article makes that point.
Eva Young
Near North
Minneapolis
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Blog is up:
http://lloydletta.blogspot.com
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