Cook County Chamber of Commerce visits state legislature

On a recent trip to St. Paul, a delegation from Cook County was able to meet with lobbyists and legislators. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Linda Jurek was part of the delegation.

Representatives from the City of Grand Marais, North Shore Health, and the Cook County Economic Development Authority accompanied the Chamber of Commerce.

Jurek told WTIP that the group was advocating for several key priorities; extending paid family medical leave, amending the current medicare reimbursement system for North Shore Health, and securing state support for the transfer station project in Cook County.

The Cook County delegation has worked with Lake and St. Louis county for the past few years to lobby for the entire area. Jurek said that the collective voice is important for getting the attention of legislators.

“I think what’s really fun about that is, you know, we really let ourselves, our voice be known. We can get forgotten about, you know, in Northeastern Minnesota,” said Juriek, “So with Duluth and St Louis County, Lake County is there, as well as Cook County. So we really broaden that voice to those lawmakers at the Capitol, about all of us in northeastern Minnesota.”

CJ Heithoff spoke to Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Linda Jurek on North Shore Morning about her visit to the legislature, as well as other updates from the Chamber of Commerce. Audio of that interview is below.

Kirsten Wisniewski February 20, 2025