Though the Minnesota Vikings have really pushed for a new football stadium and have made headlines for the past year or so, they've actually been campaigning for a new venue for the last nine years. Whether their push be a big one or just preliminary inquiries, they've always been met with reluctance and a lukewarm attitude towards putting funds into a new stadium.
So it really is odd to hear the Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton thinks that lawmakers could be putting off a stadium vote. Not only does Dayton think that, but according to CBS, Dayton thinks that lawmakers are being unfair to unemployed construction workers and the team if they wait until after a November election.
He also said that his administration and the lawmakers in question may be getting close to a site, a deal and a bill for the new stadium. This is contrary to all reports, and even if it's nearing plausibility, they're still likely going to pick one of the sites that the Vikings don't want, simply because the Governor (not the lawmakers) would prefer a stadium in Minneapolis. The site in Arden Hills makes too much sense, at this point.
That being said, it's not as though the Vikings' preference is air tight and there is reason to consider options in Minneapolis, but the Governor is the one who sat on proposals for so long and also made it abundantly clear that he favored Minneapolis before said proposals were on his desk. It's just odd to hear Dayton say that other people shouldn't impede the stadium vote, given the various delays he's put into the works.
It's not a situation where Dayton is adamantly against a stadium and is preventing it from going through with malice, it's just that the irony in his statements are worth pointing out. At this point, the fans just want to see the Vikings stay in the Twin Cities area, however, so hopefully it's not a lot of hot air when he says that his administration and lawmakers are close to getting something done. Again, if there's not pertinent to something getting done over the next couple weeks or so, it's likely things will be put off for another year.
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