Despite the cold weather, more than 50 city leaders (including Crookston City Administrator Shannon Stassen and Crookston City Councilman Clayton Briggs) from across the state made the trek to St. Paul for the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities (CGMC) Legislative Action Day on Wednesday.
The day kicked off with a welcome from CGMC President and Bemidji City Councilor Ron Johnson and a legislative update from CGMC Executive Director Bradley Peterson, followed by presentations on our top issues (LGA, water infrastructure, child care, the Greater Minnesota Business Development Public Infrastructure Grant Program and transportation) by CGMC staff.
After the crowd enjoyed lunch and listened to Gov. Tim Walz’s speech, they spent the rest of the afternoon meeting with legislators. Although much of the state was shut down, offices at the State Capitol remained open. The cancellation of most of the legislative committee hearings ended up working out in the group’s favor, as CGMC members were able to get more time than usual to talk to their legislators about important issues. A copy of the lobbying packet that was given to CGMC members and shared with legislators can be found here.
As is CGMC tradition, the day was capped off with a legislative reception and dinner at Mancini’s, where a bipartisan mix of more than 70 legislators representing both rural and urban districts mingled with CGMC members over a steak dinner.
