thursday, Rally (again) Against the Viking Stadium. Make calls MInneapolis

WE'LL BE BACK! Follow-up rally Thursday evening, May 24, same time and
place. A celebration if the committee votes "No"; an angry protest if
they vote "Yes", with the demand that the Council overturn the committee
vote on Friday morning!






Dear friends,

We are down to the last days before the FINAL vote on the Vikings stadium
in Minneapolis! I have been working against the Vikings stadium for over
6 years, and public participation is ignored and blocked at every turn.
One thing left that we haven't done - a mass rally!!

***** Wednesday (tomorrow!!), May 23, 4:30 - 7pm, Rally against stadium
tax, on last evening before Mpls City Council Committee vote, at Mpls City
Hall, 4th St. side. Mark your calendars also for follow-up rally after
Committee vote and before final Council vote the next day: rally
Thursday, May 24, same time and place.

Please come even if you don't live in Minneapolis. Eventually, the
economy will make stadium subsidies impossible. Help us set a precedent
in Minneapolis, as the first city to stop these scams; not as the last
city to be so stupid!

Here is the full announcement:

Minneapolis Says NO to Stadium Tax Scam!!

No Subsidies for Billionaire Zygi!
We Demand Our Right to Vote!

RALLY: Wednesday, May 23 4:30 - 7pm, Mpls City Hall
Meet outside on 4th St. side. Come as soon as you can.

It's not a "done deal"; however, we only have days left to stop them.
Zygi Wilf can't get any money from Minneapolis unless the Mpls City
Council votes to
approve the deal. IGR Committee votes on Thursday, May 24, 10am; full
City Council votes on Friday, May 25, 9:30am. Both votes are in Council
Chambers, Room 317, City Hall - come if you can. No public comment will
be allowed, but your presence is important!

This vote is critical to our city´s future! If the Council votes "Yes",
this will be the biggest long-term financial commitment in the city´s
history. Total payments may exceed $675 million. This debt will be a
burden on our children and grandchildren for the next 30 years. We have
far more important priorities than subsidizing a billionaire.

Irresponsible! The city has NO money to pay for this until 2021, after
the Convention Center debt is paid. In the meantime, the city pays no
principal, or even interest, just racking up more debt each year! This is
not an investment. The city will not own a piece of the stadium, and it
receives no revenue that would help pay the debt. The construction jobs
will be long gone before the city even starts paying. This is short-term
gain with severe long-term consequences.

Undemocratic! In 1997, Mpls residents voted overwhelmingly to protect us
from the power of the City Council to tax us for professional stadiums.
As a result, our City Charter (Constitution) requires a referendum for any
such costs over $10 million. City leaders asked for and received a State
exemption from their own Charter! If the Council votes "Yes" on this
plan, they will take away your hard-won right to a vote by the people!

Quit Playing Games With Our Children's Future!!

Minneapolis CAN say NO!

The majority of our State Legislators who represent Minneapolis voted
AGAINST this terrible deal. They recognized it as undemocratic and unfair
to Minneapolis. Don´t let our City Council sell us out!

If this makes you angry, DO SOMETHING NOW! Come to the rally, come to the
Council meetings, and contact the members of the Mpls City Council!

Contact info:

The 7 Council members who currently support this irresponsible and
undemocratic Vikings stadium scam:

Barbara Johnson 612-673-2204 barbara.johnson@minneapolismn.gov
Diane Hofstede 612-673-2203 diane.hofstede@minneapolismn.gov
Don Samuels 612-673-2205 don.samuels@minneapolismn.gov
John Quincy 612-673-2211 john.quincy@minneapolismn.gov
*Sandra Colvin Roy 612-673-2212 sandra.colvin.roy@minneapolismn.gov
*Meg Tuthill 612-673-2210 meg.tuthill@minneapolismn.gov *Kevin Reich
612-673-2201 kevin.reich@minneapolismn.gov

*the last 3, Reich, Tuthill, and Colvin Roy, are the mostly likely to
switch sides. We just need one more "No" vote!

Thank these 6 protectors of the city; encourage them to stand firm:

Cam Gordon 612-673-2202 cam.gordon@minneapolismn.gov
Robert Lilligren 612-673-2206 robert.lilligren@minneapolismn.gov
Lisa Goodman 612-673-2207 lisa.goodman@minneapolismn.gov
Elizabeth Glidden 612-673-2208 elizabeth.glidden@minneapolismn.gov
Gary Schiff 612-673-2209 gary.schiff@minneapolismn.gov Betsy Hodges
612-673-2213 betsy.hodges@minneapolismn.gov

WE'LL BE BACK! Follow-up rally Thursday evening, May 24, same time and
place. A celebration if the committee votes "No"; an angry protest if
they vote "Yes", with the demand that the Council overturn the committee
vote on Friday morning!

-----------------------------------

I hope to see you there!