....or do they see us as a bunch of weenies?

So Senator Roger Reinhart sends a letter to the Governor to propose a Vikings stadium in Duluth at the old steel plant site in West Duluth/Gary.  Wouldn’t that be awesome?  I’d love to drive 5 miles to see a Vikes game.  Pull up in my boat to the Vikings docks on the river and climb out headed for my end zone seats.  Imagine the sunset over Lake Superior in the distance and the sweet smell of her clean water in the breeze.  Imagine the tax $$ generated.  The hotels raking it in with all the new business.  There are so many wonderful opportunities for our community, work force, tourism, etc. if a new Vikes stadium comes to Duluth.

Now time for the big BUT!  Now that Roger is getting attention people are asking more questions and wondering how this really will work.  Although he’s stated he’s serious, he seems to be down playing it whenever possible.  He stated today on the radio, “My mom always said, you won’t get if you don’t ask.”  Let’s just use that quote to segue into the title of my blog and whole point I wanted to make.  We would all love to see it come here….ok; a LOT OF US would love to see it come here.  Yet he proposes this at the last minute and sends a proposal that lacks just a few details.  You want to open up liquor sales in MN on Sundays......only a proposal.  You…………….you…………………um……that’s it.  That’s it?  You’re proposing using liquor sale money to fund it yet it’s not even a law yet AND the total would be GUESTIMATED at $10.5 million.  What about the $47 million they say needs to be generated each year?  What about infrastructure like roads, signs, etc.  What about the city contribution?  What about the train to bring all the fans up to Duluth?  Oh yeah….that's still a dream.  What about big business that might pony up some money to be a part of that….do we have that?  MN Power..... maybe.  Maybe one of the big banks........maybe a hospital?  With traditional naming rights or big sponsorships totaling tens or even hundreds of millions….come on, let’s get serious here.

So this is all one big “wouldn’t it be cool.”  Sure that makes for a great headline, a neat idea, a nice daydream but professionally speaking, it’s sloppy, unprofessional, silly, lacks detail, and is a mockery of the whole process.  Could it be that although it sounds neat, when you start looking at it seriously, it might make us look like a bunch of idiots?  An idea with no real plan……just some outlandish ideas about a liquor law that does not exist, a train that doesn’t exist, and a city that has absolutely no financial power to sway a financially driven owner.  Roger Reinert said, “If anything it’s good promotion for Duluth.”  Is it?  I won’t argue the idea….I love it.  The plan…terrible.  Is it good promotion for Duluth or good promotion for Roger Reinert?  Do we look like a bunch of out-of-the-box thinkers?  Do we look like a city driven to find a plan to keep the Vikings here?  Does the rest of the state look at us as the underdogs that are coming to the table with a solid, possible plan?  Or do they see us as a bunch of weenies?