Roseville's Greiling Speaks Out on Stadium Vote, End of Session

State Rep. Mindy Greiling, DFL-Roseville, issued the following e-mail newsletter alert on Thursday, May 10. She is retiring after 10 terms in the Minnesota Legislature

"Friends,

We finally addressed the two elephants looming over the 2012 Legislature – the stadium bill and the bonding bill. I voted against the stadium bill and supported the bonding bill. Here’s why.
 
The stadium deal dictates the state pay $348 million for the construction of a new $975 million facility on the Metrodome site and raise its share through an expansion of charitable gambling via the authorization of electronic pull-tabs and expansion of electronic bingo. The state would sell bonds to pay for its contribution, and then use increased gambling profits to pay them off.
 
In these challenging economic times, we must be very frugal with the public purse strings. With health care for people with disabilities, public schools, colleges and universities, nursing homes, the courts, law enforcement, property tax relief, and other important state and local government functions squeezed by budget cuts, a new stadium for a professional football team cannot be considered a priority. Each dollar allocated for a new stadium – regardless of how that dollar is raised – is a dollar that could have been used for a different purpose.
 
Supporters of a new taxpayer-financed stadium often cite the jobs that would be created and the amount of tax revenue generated.

However, public money could be dedicated to other projects that create just as many jobs. For example, instead of spending state money on a new football stadium, we could spend this money on roads, transit, academic buildings and other projects.  Such projects would put thousands of Minnesotans to work without subsidizing a private business that can afford to fund the project.
 
It’s unfortunate that pro sports teams across the country continue to threaten to move their franchises unless the taxpayers pay for new facilities. We continue to face a structural budget deficit and are trying to pull out of the worst recession since the Great Depression. 

If we're not willing to put additional revenues into our schools or health care, it's very hard to justify putting revenues (whether from the general fund or from expanded gambling) toward a new Vikings stadium.  As your legislator, it is my responsibility to put crucial public functions first.
 
On the bright side, the House and Senate passed a $496.9 million bonding bill. While some of us would have liked a larger bill to take advantage of record low interest rates and create thousands of construction and long-term permanent jobs throughout the state, this legislation will be a good start in getting thousands of Minnesota’s unemployed back to work.
 
The bill struck a good balance of repairing and preserving the assets we currently have and moves forward on new projects that address critical needs in higher education, roads and bridges, wastewater and drinking water, natural resources, flood hazard mitigation. It will provide good paying jobs in the near term to a wide range of people involved in construction projects as well as create the educational opportunities or new business/research development necessary for good paying jobs down the road.
 
I am also very pleased that, after years of neglect and disrepair, we will finally address our state treasure – the State Capitol. We allocated $44 million in funds to begin the renovation process.
 
The University of Minnesota will receive $64.1 million and MnSCU $132.1 to break ground on much needed projects and upkeep of infrastructure.
 
I am also very happy that one project I lobbied hard for – the St. Peter State Security Hospital –  made the final cut. It will receive $3.7 million for planning and design money. We can finally begin to make the necessary repairs to that result for that unsafe and non-therapeutic building."