January 10, 2004
St. Paul swing vote flip-flopped?
With three St. Paul city council members in favor of a capping city funding for a Minnesota Twins stadium, and three opposed, the remaining member - art gallery owner Dave Thune - is looking like the swing vote. "If it were a straight user fee and food and beverage taxes, willingly accepted by the bars and restaurants, I'd accept that," Thune said recently - which comes as a surprise to Progressive Minnesota, the coalition that helped elect Thune, which notes that when Thune was asked in a campaign questionnaire, "Are there any circumstances in which you would support a tax increase to fund a new stadium?" he gave a one-word answer: "No." (He also e-mailed a constituent shortly after winning election in November: "[Mayor] Kelly says I'm 4th vote for bar tax. Fat chance.")
Thune now says that while he's "skeptical" of a bar tax, he'd consider one if "the bars came en masse and begged to have" it instituted. It remains unclear what Thune's position is on what he'd do if money rained from the sky.
