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Lest there was any doubt, a golden-boy governor trumps a rising-star mayor.

With public-approval ratings approaching 80 percent, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. marshaled his Capitol Hill forces Tuesday and - with help from his legislative lieutenants - persuaded the Senate to approve a plan diverting $35 million in hotel taxes to buy land and upgrade infrastructure for a $110 million soccer stadium in Sandy.

If the House, as expected, follows suit today, Huntsman will have outflanked Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, who barely a week ago shot down a stadium-funding package.

"It is important for everyone to understand the proposal at hand: We are not building a stadium with state taxpayer money," Huntsman said. "This is an economic-development investment in valuable property and a valuable community asset. . . . Real Salt Lake has become a proud part of our community."

RSL's reversal of fortune comes after Corroon won praise in a public poll, letters to the editor and a stream of e-mails for rejecting a $30 million stadium deal, which he labeled a "gamble" and an "unsafe investment."

"Leadership is making sure you are protecting all your citizens," Corroon said after Tuesday's Senate vote. "My priority is our citizens and our youth soccer and our other recreational programs. Does it take vision to write a $35 million check?"

Even so, Corroon said the state's solution isn't a "mistake" as long as legislators and the governor ensure the plan is viable.

"They are certainly going to lower the risk to Real if they're not asking for anything in return," he said. "The state has a higher risk tolerance than the county does."

The state's plan could go for naught if RSL bolts to St. Louis. Team owner Dave Checketts huddled there Tuesday with investors who want to buy the franchise.

Jeff Cooper, an attorney who is leading the investment group, said he presented an offer - he refused to disclose the price - to Checketts and gave him until 5 p.m. Friday to respond.

"We'll just sit and wait and see what happens out there" in Utah, Cooper said.

Team officials would not comment on the St. Louis bid or the state's plan, but House Speaker Greg Curtis and Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan, early proponents of the Sandy stadium, are confident RSL will settle on Sandy.

"We wouldn't really be doing all this if we didn't think [so]," Curtis said. "This is the closest to the finish line we have ever gotten to."

The race to keep RSL emerged Tuesday from many a backroom strategy session in the form of an amended HB38. Senate leaders thought they had smoothed the way for the bill, but it snagged briefly when some legislators asked for a night to sleep on the funding plan.

Lawmakers didn't have that kind of time, explained Senate President John Valentine. "The speed was real because the team was going to be sold if we didn't act," he said.

After a hasty closed meeting to line up the votes and make clear the money would not cut into funding for schools and roads, the Senate passed the tax-diversion bill 20-8.

Sponsoring Sen. Sheldon Killpack argued RSL provides a rare tourism opportunity.

"We've never flinched before at putting money to help with the image of the state," said the Syracuse Republican, adding that Huntsman is the chief driver behind the bill. "We are acting in accordance with what he would like to see happen."

Some capital-city representatives argued for State Fairpairk - Mayor Rocky Anderson's first choice for an RSL stadium - because it would not divert hotel taxes.

"I don't think this bill - and the tax dollars we will be using - is the right way to do that," said Sen. Ross Romero, a Salt Lake City Democrat and self-declared soccer fan. "I'm frustrated that this is coming so fast at us because of a threatened impending sale."

The Senate vote was greased after the County Council voted 7-2 to support the hotel-tax shift. Under the new plan, the state would take the first 15 percent of the county's hotel taxes for 20 years - $35 million - but let the county keep $20 million allotted in 2005 for parking at the South Towne Expo Center.

County officials say they will use the cash to stay in the black, while any balance likely would fund parking, tourism and recreation.

"To lose 15 percent of our revenue creates a gap, and we'll use this $20 million to help close it," said Doug Willmore, chief administrative officer.

Mark Crockett, the County Council chairman, conceded the compromise is expensive but said it gives the county enough tools to manage and avoid a tax hike.

"We are still questioning why one county ought to be paying for it all," he said. "But this is clearly better than what was first talked about."

Councilman Jim Bradley - who, along with Councilwoman Jenny Wilson, voted against the deal - argued the Legislature should not use the county as a middleman.

"If they want to spend the money, then impose the tax," Bradley said.

Later Tuesday, the Salt Lake City Council voted 4-2 (with one recusal) to spend $8.5 million, plus $4 million from the county, on a fairpark stadium if the Sandy deal fails.

Members believe a fairpark venue makes more sense than one in the suburbs because the subsidy is far less, and an RSL stadium would boost a state-owned facility that needs help.

Two opponents of the resolution complained that the proposed subsidy didn't go through normal channels.

Anderson, who crafted the fairpark offer, knows the vote could be moot if the Legislature approves - and the team accepts - the Sandy proposal. Still, he said, "none of this is for naught,'' noting that the capital would benefit with a soccer academy and an expected $7.5 million contribution from RSL toward youth fields (although Corroon wonders if that commitment remains part of the deal).

"It would have been a lot better for everybody were it at the fairpark," Anderson said.

The Sandy City Council disagrees with that view. In fact, City Council members, acting as the Redevelopment Agency board, voted 6-1 on Tuesday night to back a stadium in their city and pledging $15 million in property-tax increment toward the project.

Dolan told the council that Checketts' preference is still to build a stadium in Sandy.

Councilman Stephen Smith cast the lone vote against the resolution.

"This is absolutely a blind marriage," Smith said. "The county has had several months to work out their deal [while] we have been standing on the sidelines. I just want to make sure the deal that Sandy gets is the deal that Sandy wants."

Mendel Peterson is one resident who doesn't want it.

"I don't see anything essential about soccer," he said. "It's the people's money, and I just don't think the plan is solid."

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* Tribune reporters GLEN WARCHOL, MICHAEL C. LEWIS, MATT CANHAM, HEATHER MAY and ROSEMARY WINTERS contributed to this story.

What's next:

* Utah House is expected today to approve the stadium-funding package.

* Real Salt Lake must decide by 5 p.m. Friday whether to accept a St. Louis purchase offer or the state's plan to build a stadium in Sandy.

Stadium developments

* Utah Senate votes 20-8-1 to steer $35 million in hotel taxes toward a stadium project in Sandy.

* Salt Lake County Council votes 7-2 to support the state's plan, which allows the county to keep $20 million in hotel taxes originally allocated for parking.

* Sandy votes 6-1 for a resolution backing the suburb's pledge of property-tax increment to the stadium project.

* Salt Lake City Council votes 4-2 to support a sweetened proposal to funnel $12.5 million toward a stadium at the Utah State Fairpark.