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The exact moment in time that Rochester officially became a city of the first class.  Here is a note from City Attorney, and Fighting Sioux Alum, Terry Adkins. Read the rest of this entry »

I made the statement that the addition of retailers at Shoppes on Maine has not increased jobs in Rochester.  I have met with Tom Hexum and Ron Schultz of Maine Street Development.  They stated and I agree that there are new job at Shoppes on Maine.  However if these are simply a shuffling of existing jobs there is not a new benefit. Read the rest of this entry »

Many of you know that I have been a long standing champion for continuing education.  Now I will have a unique opportunity to learn from some of the best community and economic development folks in the nation.  I just found out that I have been appointed to the National League of Cities’ Community and Economic Development Policy and Advocacy Committee (CED). This is a good fit given my interests in economic development, financial analytics, as well as my professional background.  Knowledge learned in this position should benefit the citizens of Rochester.

Here is my offical quote:

“I am honored to have been selected for this national leadership position. This will provide my community access to some of the best community and economic development practices and professionals in the nation. I look forward to advocating for fiscally responsible community and economic development, learning from my peers, and sharing progressive policies that have worked in Rochester. Our continued commitment to education and renewal will help keep Rochester one of our nation’s most vibrant economies.”

A copy of the press release can be found here.

The first pure session at the NLC event this past weekend dealt with an overview and some basics about community economic development.  The goals of economic development, particularly that with tax payer support include: Read the rest of this entry »

Some of you might have caught my appearance on ABC advocating for a 2011 jobs bill.  Here is a report discussing why it makes sense right now. Read the rest of this entry »

If current revenue and spending trends continue and no policy changes are made, Minnesota cities of all sizes in all regions of the state will be broke by the year 2015. That is the startling finding of a recently completed projection prepared for the League by the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota, and released on June 24 at the League’s Annual Conference in St. Cloud. View the full report.

Here is a link to a site detailing the Mayo Civic Center Expansion. This includes a lot of good information on why the Civic Center is important for Rochester and the surrounding communities. There is also an video that gives a brief overview of the history of the MCC which includes all of the additions to the center since it’s opening. Donna Drews explains the reasoning behind the current expansion ideas with testimonials from organizations that use the MCC for their functions and meetings. It goes on to discuss the economic impacts a first class convension center facility would have for Rochester in terms of revenue including jobs created, restaurants visited, catering services needed, and hotel rooms utilized. Finally, the video details all of the state of the art features a new expanded MCC would include and why those features are important.