Tuesday’s public hearing on the proposed Hennepin County sales tax that would fund a new Minnesota Twins stadium was supposed to be a somber–albeit cynical–affair, as critics of the plan acknowledged that stadium supporters on the County Board held a solid 4-3 edge and no amount of testimony was going to sway the vote. But opponents, including a gubernatorial candidate who had to be physically removed from the board room, continued to make clear their disgust with the board for its support of the measure. About 75 people attended the hearing, including a number of political candidates, and the commissioners hunkered down as they heard a litany of familiar reasons why the proposed tax was a bad idea, along with a similar number of ballpark supporters who waxed poetic about the glories of a new downtown ballpark.

Opponents, such as Green Party activist Dave Bicking, called for a binding referendum on the sales tax and pleaded with the board to “listen to the people.