Partly Cloudy / 72° F
Dayton to visit Fergus Falls Friday
Published 11:08am Tuesday, August 16, 2011Governor 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.
Tags: city council, Mark Dayton
who cares? What a joke!
I guess common courtesy is a joke in your world.
Acker- I spoke the truth. Now, if George Bush had come here, or Michele Bachmann you would of course have common courtesy and go meet them politely right? Doubt it. I am being honest, you are not. I have witnessed your “common courtesy” here on the Daily Journal, and I would say it is downright vicious NOT courteous.
I’m not sure how “who cares? What a joke!” can be described as the truth. I believe that what you said is a subjective statement and far from the truth. Obviously some people care about it if the program still exists and the Governor is coming to learn about it.
Also, I cannot speak for Acker, but I would be honored to meet Bush despite his political affiliation. He was the President. I would be honored to shake his hand. Not all people put party affiliation before country. Unfortunately, too many people are doing just that from BOTH major political parties.
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).
Marx Dayton has a staff of hundreds of people in various departments who could be assigned to learn the answers to all the questions he might be asking of his fellow Democrat Hal Leland. He doesn’t need to come to Fergus Falls to get those answers. This is nothing less than a politically staged event to bolster Dayton’s sagging favorability among the politically naive who will be told that he is here because he cares for us and admires our resolve in finding ways out of the economic morass he will tell us was created by the Republicans. Watch for major shameless kissing up to Marx Dayton by our tax and spend elected officials and their heholden city staff.
And if he sent one of his staff you would be saying…”Whatsa matta, he too good to come to Fergus Falls?” and then imply that the Governor of a state should rely on first hand information not second hand information from some underling.
@Acker- you still never answered my questions, after you threw out the insult.
Yes Ms. Saul I would be polite if I met Michele Bachman although I would not make an extraordinary effort to meet her.
As for George Bush, (for reasons you will never understand) I have a photo of myself, Laura and George Bush together, and George Bush has his arm around me. Additionally, I have a signed official portrait of George Bush taken in the oval office. Our meeting was cordial but frank and again involved issues you would never understand. (I don’t mean to imply that our meeting was one on one, I was but one of a group of six)
Additionally there are people in Fergus Falls concerned with additional jobs and to the extent that the Governor can help reduce unemployment, most people are willing to set aside their hatred and negativity for the benefit of the community in general. Obviously you aren’t one of them. Shame on you.
What exactly is wrong with the Governor coming to Fergus Falls to learn more about a program he wishes to understand better? Sure, we have technology and could certainly conference call Mr. Stanislowski or something of the sort, but face-to-face is always better than over the phone. It’s nice to have the Governor interact with the people of Minnesota. Before you start slandering about how I’m saying this because I’m a liberal blah blah blah, I would have said this about Pawlenty if I needed to. I believe face-to-face interaction is best.
Brendan, the governor could more easily ask his staff to give him a professional evaluation of this program. He could save the expense of transporting him here, the additional costs of the salaries of those in city government who will fawn over him, the disruption of city services which will inevitably occur because staff are pulled away from their usual duties to attend His Eminence, Marx Dayton. If he is really of the belief that he can get a more valuable appraisal of this program from city staff just beginning to learn the details themselves, does that not speak poorly of the competence, experience, depth and breadth of experience and expertise of his own staff?
If he relly wants impartial analysis, I assume he will invite business leaders, members of both parties from the legislature. But, no, this is a staged event by the DFL to try to present Marx Dayton as our champion, our concerned executive. He is definitely concerned with patching relations with the libs, or should I say “progressives”, in municipal governments and the gov’t labor unions in the face of their rage over his settling the shutdown he caused, only to face reality and accept the same legislation he had vetoed previously, causing the shutdown.Let us hope that his presence isn’t so stage managed, like Barack Obama’s that only the Democrat faithful agitators will have the opportunity to gaze upon his visage. I bet that the “public interaction” Leland is vaguely hopeful will occur will be foregone because of Marx Dayton’s “pressing schedule to deal with problems affecting all of Minnesota families”, or some version of an excuse to avoid facing the people.
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.
Don Johnson, if you really believe that imposing a Marxist dictatorship upon us would be better than what we have, why don’t you head for China or Cuba or Venezuela and enjoy their Marxist workers paradise(s)? One thing for sure , you would only have one shot at criticising the Marxist government, and after that you would be in a concentration camp (called by the government a “re-education center”) or you would be shot. Enjoy your feedom of speech while you have it, it will be the crime of “counter-revolutionary treason” when the Marxists sieze control of thei world.
William Schulz, I didn’t say I believe a Marxist dictatorship would be better than what we have now, but now that You brought it up, I will say, a Marxist dictatorship would be very similar if not better than what we would have if Michelle Bachmann were to become president, at least for the “not REAL Americans” like, Blacks, Hispanics, Italians, Asians, persons of various mixed ethnicity/white-ish to minorities, Black to Republicans, gays, Bi-sexuals, non-Christians, Mormons, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Christians of a different clique such as Catholics ect… you know everyone that is a little different than say, Rush Limbaugh or You for example.
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’????
Whoa there, Dave Adams, you are in big trouble. Your number one (1) and your number seven (7) are the same thing. Just you wait till Bill Schulz hears about this. He will think of a funny name to call you to discredit your list. Never mind, he only does that for liberals.
Acker, watch this… Dave Adams, tell it as it is, brother.
Keep on keepin’ on.
And Acker, you keep on ranting at the conservatives, and I will have my fun with you mathematically challenged libs.
Oh, BTW, Dave Adams, Semper Fi.