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Stadium board meeting erupts into feud over roles, salary

An increasingly public feud over the role of Michele Kelm-Helgen in the building of the new Minnesota Vikings stadium erupted again Friday, exposing a continuing rift centered on one of Gov. Mark Dayton’s former top aides.

The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, which oversees the stadium’s construction and which Kelm-Helgen chairs, adopted a pay equity report Friday, but not before she faced questions over whether she was essentially voting for a future pay increase for herself.

Kelm-Helgen, who was appointed as chairwoman by Dayton, and was strongly defended by the governor earlier in the week, made an emotional defense of her job performance at the meeting.