Bob CollinsIf he’s frustrated by it, Bill McGuire, the man behind the effort to bring MLS to downtown Minneapolis, can end the speculation on whether he’ll be seeking public subsidies for a new stadium anytime he wishes. He just has to answer the question.
That he is shying away from the answer is understandable; it’s a third-rail for politicians who accurately gauge public opinion on handing out tax money — especially around April 15 — to some of the richest people in the country.
Today, the Star Tribune claims the owner of the land on which McGuire and his partners want to build a stadium thinks “this whole deal is contingent upon government money.”
(Robert) Salmen expressed frustration that the deal hasn’t closed, since the group could easily share the cost of a $150 million stadium. “We’ve taken two years to get to this point and we’re nowhere so far,” Salmen said.
Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat, who aided the effort to secure the franchise, remained mum late last week about what — if anything — he might propose relating to the area around the stadium. “Nothing is imminent,” Opat said.
Another commissioner, Jan Callison, said stadium funding is a “challenge.”
“People are wary to say the least, and in some cases clearly hostile to the idea of a public subsidy into a stadium,” Callison said.
The paper says businesses in the area of the proposed stadium are worried a development could shut them down.
Related: Target Center boosters overstating its success (Minnesota Public Radio News).
