The legislative state auditor said in a special report released Tuesday that the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) “violated a core ethical principle” by providing 158 tickets to family members and friends since U.S. Bank Stadium opened in August, according to a special report released Tuesday.
Nonpartisan auditor Jim Nobles said his staff the found the use of an additional 35 tickets “questionable.”
“Given these and other findings, we recommend that the Legislature exercise stronger control over the authority and, specifically, its use of complimentary tickets to stadium events,” the report said.
The Legislature already is on track to do just that. A joint House-Senate panel will receive the audit Tuesday afternoon.
The auditor opened the investigation after the Star Tribune reported in late November the MSFA controlled two luxury “Norseman Suites”at U.S. Bank Stadium and refused to identify who had been guests in the suites. Those 18-person suites sell for at least $200,000 for the Minnesota Vikings season alone. The MSFA had access to them for all events, including concerts and soccer matches.
MSFA Chair Michele Kelm-Helgen and executive director Ted Mondale initially declined to release the names of their guests, saying they didn’t keep track and that the names of guests were private marketing data. The pair subsequently released some names.
Some guests, including University of Minnesota officials, reported that they had been guests and reimbursed the state $200 each for the tickets and food. Under public pressure, the MSFA publicly released additional names.
The state has since been reimbursed at least $22,000 for tickets to the suites.
On Monday, a state legislator said he planned to introduce a bill to “expand the ban on gifts for public officials to prohibit individuals or private associations from giving preferential admission for events held in publicly owned facilities.”
Twitter: @rochelleolson
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