The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, the successor organization to the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, is the entity created in 2012 by the Minnesota Legislature to control and operate U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Three of its five members are appointed by the governor, with the remaining two being appointed by the mayor of Minneapolis.
The members of the board consist of:
- Michael Vekich chair (appointed by Governor)
- Tony Sertich (appointed by Governor) (term ends December 31, 2019)
- Laura Bishop (appointed by Governor) (term ends December 31, 2020)
- Barbara Butts Williams (appointed by Mayor) (term ends December 31, 2019)
- Bill McCarthy (appointed by Mayor) (term ends December 31, 2020)
- Executive Director: James Farstad (interim)
On June 14, 2012, Governor Mark Dayton appointed Michele Kelm-Helgen as chair, along with Duane Benson (term ends December 31, 2015) and John Griffith (term ends December 31, 2016) to the board. Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak appointed Barbara Butts Williams (term ends December 31, 2015) and Bill McCarthy (term ends December 31, 2016). The board named Ted Mondale as Executive Director on June 22, 2012. Benson resigned in June 2015, citing conflict with Kelm-Helgen. Dayton appointed Tony Sertich in August 2015. Dayton declined to reappoint Griffith at the end of 2016. He appointed former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Kathleen Blatz on January 13, 2017 instead.
On February 16, 2017 both Kelm-Helgen and Mondale resigned over use of U.S. Bank Stadium's suites by people with ties to the state's Democratic Party. Gov. Dayton appointed Blatz as interim chair on February 23, 2017. Rick Evans was named Executive Director on March 10, 2017. On July 13, 2017, Dayton appointed Michael Vekich as chair (term ends January 7, 2019) and Laura Bishop as board member (term ends December 31, 2020). On November 17, 2017 Executive Director Rick Evans announced his retirement due to health reasons effective at the end of 2017. At the December 15, 2017 board meeting, James Farstad was named interim Executive Director until a replacement is found.
References
Senate Okays Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority Changes - On a unanimous vote, the Senate passed a bill making changes to the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, which manages the newly opened US Bank Stadium. The legislation is in response to...
