reveals

Dayton to visit Fergus Falls Friday

Published 11:08am Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Governor Mark Dayton is coming to Fergus Falls this Friday to learn about a local economic development tool and hopefully promote it throughout the state, Mayor Hal Leland reported.

Leland, who made the announcement at Monday night’s city council meeting, said Dayton is particularly interested in West Central Minnesota’s involvement in the area EB-5 regional center, which provides foreign investors with green cards for investing in local economic projects. Harold Stanislawski, the executive director of the Fergus Falls Economic Improvement Commission, was a key driver behind expanding the center from North Dakota into part of Minnesota, including Otter Tail County.

“He’ll be coming here to hopefully learn all that is possible to learn about (EB-5),” Leland explained.

City offices were informed of Dayton’s visit last Friday. The governor’s office is still working out the details of the visit, which will span from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but Leland said much of that will be made up of roundtable and individual talks with regional economic officials. He added he was hopeful Dayton would have time for public interaction too. A more comprehensive schedule will be available later this week.

U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson might also be in attendance.

The visit is due in large part to Leland himself, who went to a conference of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities on Aug. 4. He was attending a presentation on economic development tools by Kathy Tunheim, Dayton’s senior jobs advisor.

“She didn’t say anything about EB-5,” Leland said, so after the presentation he spoke to Tunheim about the program and suggested that Dayton come to Fergus Falls to learn more. A week later, the governor’s office called to set up a date.

“The most important meeting (on Friday) will be with representatives of University of North Dakota’s Center for Innovation so he can learn all about the regional center and how he can implement it across Minnesota,” Leland said.

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  1. Ginny Saul

    who cares? What a joke!

  2. I guess common courtesy is a joke in your world.

  3. Tim Rundquist

    Actually, Ms. Saul, plenty of us care about economic development and helping our state to grow– regardless of one’s party affiliation. Thanks for your thoughtful and well-considered comment (not).

  4. Don Johnson

    so now our Governor is “Marx Dayton”? how would Marxism be worse than Michele Bachmann-ism?
    Michele Bachmann is against Govt. handouts unless they fill her pockets, and has suggested that Blacks were both milking the system and better off under slavery.
    at least with Marxism we wouldn’t have to suffer another dark age like fundamentalists forced mankind to stagnate in for roughly 1,000 years.

    now to answer this question of “who cares?” as was asked by another poster, obviously You and everyone else who has posted here “cares”, as do those who went out and voted Marx Dayton into office.

  5. Dave Adams

    Hi Tim: Just wanted to understand your points better so I listed them.
    1. without any brain mass between the ears
    2. ‘rethuglcon culty friendz.’
    3. whine and complain
    4. worst human beings on the planet
    5. sit down and shut up. whining obstructionist republicans?
    6. You people are a waste of stem cells..
    7. like without any brain mass between the ears.
    8. are waiting with hand cuffs to take him straight to jail.

    And You call us,—Thugs’????

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