In Rochester this morning, I asked Republican Speaker of the House designate Kurt Zellers whether the collapse of the Metrodome roof adds to the urgency to get a new stadium deal passed this session. Zellers said this is the fourth or fifth time such a roof collapse has happened and its not going to change the situation.
"That was a design problem from 30 years ago," he said.
Zellers said lawmakers have already indicated they are willing to consider a stadium deal. But he made it clear that the budget discussions will take priority.
"It's not going to be the very first thing out of the gate. We are not going to start Jan. 4 with this," he said.
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So what's it going to take to get a deal?
"It has to be a creative solution. It has to be something tied to the game and then I think personally there needs to be some sort of fan involvement as well," he said.
That could include selling bricks or other items that fans could buy to support building a new stadium.
