Local officials optimistic about statewide summit results

The statewide summit was the culmination of nine regional summits conducted across the state, including one held in International Falls in September. The regional summits gave local people a chance to tell the governor about the challenges facing job creation and retention in their particular area as well as offer their suggestions for overcoming those obstacles.

Representing Borderland at the summit were Koochiching Economic Development Authority Director Paul Nevanen, KEDA member Allen Rasmussen, county Commissioners Mike Hanson, Wade Pavleck, Kevin Adee and Brian McBride, International Falls City Councilor Cynthia Jaksa and Falls Mayor Shawn Mason.

Mason said she expects to see follow up and accountability, as was promised by the governor.

“That’s where I am hopeful for the state and our community, because the message we received from the officials, even the Department of Employment and Economic Development, we’ve not heard in the past,” she said. “They said they mean business.”

Pavleck said he believes Dayton is committed to moving forward with some sort of jobs program.

“You never know, but I thought it was very worthwhile,” Pavleck said of the attendance by local officials.

Pavleck said he learned about programs that could benefit Koochiching business and said all the local officials made valuable contacts with state officials and business leaders.

“I appreciate the governor’s effort in this regard,” he said. “We’ve got to do something.”

Nevanen said he applauds the governor, his staff and staff of the DEED for conducting the summit.

“My hope is they can take this input and truly make a difference here,” Nevanen said. “Overall, the tone was optimistic, but there was also a sober realization that we need to change things, and fundamental things both in the public and private sectors.”

Nevanen said government should be able to create an environment with less uncertainty, “create an environment where people feel confident going forward and (businesses) feel confident hiring people or expanding. We gotta change the way we do business.”

Mason said Wednesday that she’s “on the moon.” In all her years of service with the local chamber, council and as mayor, she said she’s never before seen the kind of action she saw at the summit take place at the state level. She said it was nonpartisan and “felt so right.

“It’s not only the way Minnesota needs to move, but the way American needs to move. I felt the gridlock lifting. It was remarkable.”

Mason served on panel that considered “a new economic development tool box” along with several business leaders and a representative of organized labor. The session was moderated by Mark Phillips, commissioner of the Minnesota DEED.

“The message I heard over and over again from every panelist was that we can have as many great tools as are available in the United States, but if we do not have expediency in the permitting process, it’s all for naught,” she said.

Mason said she stressed that the governor and legislators need to heed the advice from business owners and local officials who say that creating jobs is difficult when state and federal bureaucracy “is like a maze in gigantic corn field and you don’t know if or when you’ll get out.”

That bureaucracy involved for business and local officials attempting to create jobs is “very daunting, overwhelming and makes Minnesota incredibly uncompetitive.”

She said she pointed to the state and federal wetlands laws as an example of such bureaucracy. She said those laws hinder development in places like Koochiching County, where it is needed.

Pavleck, Nevanen and Mason all said they believed including higher education representatives at the summit made sense.

“One thing was for sure — that the government needs to continue to support education at all levels; we need to have a work force that is educated,” said Nevanen.