U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, standing here with Grand Marais City Councilor Tim Kennedy, made a quick visit to Grand Marais Tuesday, June 30, 2009.
On Tuesday, June 30, 2009, shortly after the Minnesota Supreme Court declared Al Franken the winner over Norm Coleman in the longcontested race for U.S. Senate, Minnesota’s heretofore sole senator, Amy Klobuchar, met with citizens at Blue Water Café.
Klobuchar talked about her work in Washington on numerous issues pertinent to Minnesota before taking questions from the group assembled in the Upper Deck. As she talked, she kept glancing at one of her aides, finally saying that she appeared distracted because she was expecting a call from either Franken or Coleman. She had already spoken to Coleman earlier in the day.
Many people did not know about the visit very far in advance. Some last-minute phone calls were made, leading to an assembly made up largely of local business representatives, non-profit leaders, and two Grand Marais city councilors.
Klobuchar addressed numerous issues related to the economy. She said Las Vegas has had 400 conventions cancel reservations for August. At the same time, she said, the convention business has increased in Duluth.
“The economy is in difficult times,” Klobuchar said. “I’m hopeful we’re going to come out of this.” She commented on the government bailout of U.S. banks, saying that the country’s financial services industry has been driving down the road in a Ferrari while the government’s financial regulatory system has been driving a Model T. Klobuchar believes banking and government oversight are responding positively to the crisis, however.
Many states have invested in attracting tourists from around the world, Klobuchar said, but Minnesota has not yet followed suit. She mentioned a bill coming to the Senate that would impose a $10 charge on visas for foreigners coming to the U.S. that would be used to attract international visitors.
“Healthcare reform is the major work we’re doing in the Senate right now,” Klobuchar said. The owners of Granite Gear, a Two Harbors business that manufactures outdoor gear, told Klobuchar that the biggest challenge to their business right now is paying for health insurance.
Granite Gear has landed a $36,000,000
contract with the U.S. government to make lightweight, specially designed backpacks for the Special Forces. Klobuchar said the company won a bid for the work. Thegovernment is starting to do more of its purchasing through bids in order to keep costs down, she said. Starbucks is another company that struggles to provide health insurance for its employees. Klobuchar said Starbucks pays more in employee health insurance than it does on coffee. Minnesota has a reputation for spending its public health care dollars very efficiently, Klobuchar said. A lot of money for programs like
Medicare is being spent inefficiently in other states, however. TheMayo Clinic is a model for efficient care in the last four years of patients’ lives, she said, partly because of coordination among health care providers that reduces the overlap of services and tests.
During the question and answer time, Scott Harrison of Lutsen Resort said he wasn’t sure if people understand how fragile Cook County’s tourist economy is right now. The lodging industry has not been keeping pace with inflation over the last 10 years, and income is way down so far this year compared with last year.
Klobuchar responded by saying she does not want to see the government’s focus on secure borders (with its increased entrance requirements) inhibit the tourism industry. As people recover from the recession, she hopes they will rediscover travel in the Midwest.
Debbie Marks of Seagull Outfitters told Klobuchar that repeated phone outages on the Gunflint Trail cause them to lose business. Luana Brandt of Nor’wester Lodge said phone outages cause a safety issues as well, especially since cell phones have no coverage on the Gunflint Trail.
Eric Humphrey of Lake Superior Trading Post asked Klobuchar if she was aware of a large grant application that had been made to bring broadband Internet to the county. She said she did know about it and directed one of her aides to connect the Broadband Committee with an acquaintance of hers in Washington who works for the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). She would like to see America move more toward the forefront globally in broadband accessibility.
Barb LaVigne of Angry Trout told Klobuchar about the initiatives of the Cook County Local Energy Project to bring renewable energy to the area, saying she would like to see incentives for biomass projects. Klobuchar answered by saying that biomass will be the key to renewable energy in Minnesota.
“It is humbling to be your senator…your only senator until now!” Klobuchar said. She shared a joke – perhaps for the last time—about being the only senator. What does she say when people ask her what it’s like to be the only senator? “There’s no conflict!”
Klobuchar said she was proud of her staff, which has willingly taken on the challenge of being the only Senate office and handling double the normal casework regarding individual citizen problems.
By the end of the meeting, arrangements had been made for Klobuchar to fly rather than drive back to the Twin Cities in the wake of the election recount decision that would establish Al Franken as Klobuchar’s partner in advocating for Minnesota in the United States Senate.
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