Vikings stadium board treasurer quits in dispute with chairwoman
Published 3:54 pm Saturday, June 20, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS — The treasurer of the board overseeing the Minnesota Vikings stadium has quit, saying he can’t work with its chairwoman.
Former state senator Duane Benson announced his resignation at the end of Friday’s meeting of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority. He accused the chairwoman, Michele Kelm-Helgen, of calling him untrustworthy and a liar during a private phone conversation over pay equity.
Benson — a former NFL linebacker for Oakland, Atlanta and Houston — says he notified Gov. Mark Dayton he’ll step down as of Aug 1.
Kelm-Helgen says she doesn’t recall calling Benson a liar. She says he’s just dissatisfied with the structure of the board.
Beson says he doesn’t understand why both Kelm-Helgen and executive director Ted Mondale are acting as CEOs on the project.