Twins stadium bill has might

02/22/2006

Supporters: Bill has enough votes to pass

BY ARON KAHN
Pioneer Press

With the Minnesota Legislature just a week away from its 2006 session, there appear to be enough votes to pass a Minnesota Twins ballpark bill, if the team can tiptoe through a potential political mine field.

Republican and DFL leaders in the Senate say a majority of their members support the ballpark measure, with most House Republicans also favoring it.

House DFLers haven’t reported a count, as requested two weeks ago by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, but stadium supporters believe there are enough votes in that group to pass the measure after 10 years of disappointment.

Politicians remain on edge, however. Pawlenty and lawmakers will hit the campaign trail after the session, knowing their position on the combustible issue might sway their re-election chances, one way or another. But few will be affected more than the governor, who many DFLers want to tag with culpability whether the ballpark gets approved or not.

In other words, blame Pawlenty if a publicly subsidized ballpark gets built, or point the finger at him in the unlikely event that the Twins leave Minnesota because a ballpark was not built.

Pawlenty on Tuesday reiterated a position he staked out previously: He would prefer Hennepin County voters get the opportunity to accept or reject a ballpark sales tax in a referendum, but he will not insist on it.

“It’s not a deal-breaker if the Legislature puts the bill on my desk without it,” he said of a ballot issue.

Ballpark supporters, however, question whether Pawlenty will lobby hard for passage. They believe he doesn’t want to be far out front on the issue, because that could place him at risk with his Republican base of tax opponents and with independent voters who find ethical problems with subsidizing pro sports.

The referendum is undeniably the sticking point for passage of the bill. The Twins and the Hennepin County Board — the team’s partner in the $508-million project — seek to skirt a ballot issue on the 0.15 percent county sales tax (3 cents on a $20 purchase) that would pay for three-quarters of the stadium in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis.
State law calls for a referendum on new local sales, but it allows exclusions, which have been obtained in the past by St. Paul and Minneapolis for city projects. Ballpark supporters want the exclusion because they contend a ballot issue would create delays and greater expense, while opponents say supporters’ real fear is that residents would vote it down.

There is growing pressure for a Twins ballpark, however. The Twins’ year-to-year lease allows them to leave the Metrodome after this season. There also are renewed fears of contraction, which once threatened Minnesota with a loss of the team.

Both specters — contraction and the Twins moving elsewhere — are unlikely, given the Twins’ strong history here. But the risks give them leverage in ballpark discussions.

As much as Pawlenty and lawmakers have tried to play down the issue as less important than a multitude of others, they know it’s hugely important to voters on both sides, and they fear reprisal from a wary public.

“One hundred percent of Minnesotans know about the stadium,’’ Republican House Speaker Steve Sviggum said. “But I suspect not more than 25 percent of Minnesotans know we passed a great anti-meth bill, or a great sexual predator bill, for that matter.’’

Though supporters come from both major political parties, a game of chicken is under way, political scientists say. Neither party wants to lead on the issue, for fear of getting tagged with blame.

For example, Sviggum, a ballpark supporter from Kenyon, said there are 41 Republican House members who’ll vote for the measure, but “I’m not sure I want the number to rise higher than 41.’’

In other words, with 68 votes needed for passage, Sviggum wants DFLers to make up the rest of the winning tally. “There has to be Democrats because it could be used (against Republicans) in a partisan, emotional election,’’ he said.

Indeed, stadium supporters at the Capitol look over their shoulders when speaking in favor of the bill, because a potential election opponent might be taking careful notes behind a marble pillar.

The fact that three stadiums totaling $1.6 billion in public and private money are being pitched for the metro area makes lawmakers’ predicament even more difficult. Pawlenty and other state leaders say a University of Minnesota plan for a campus football stadium has the best chance for passage. They place the Twins second in line and the Minnesota Vikings third and most likely to wait until a session in the future.

“You can’t do three at one time, you just can’t,” Sviggum said Tuesday at a legislative briefing.

Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, DFL-Willmar, worried mostly about the Twins on Tuesday.

“I sincerely believe that after a 2006 that saw no action, that Major League Baseball will do something with the Twins — like let them be bought and moved to a new home,’’ Johnson said.

Votes can always change on the Twins issue, where the referendum question isn’t the only problem for supporters. The current $508-million price tag is $30 million greater than last year’s because of rising construction costs, and neither the Twins nor political leaders want to take on the extra burden. Backers believe a deal can be worked out between the team and Hennepin County — which would need to re-establish their ballpark agreement, anyway.