Leaders from across Cook County meet in Grand Portage for legislative day with state Representative Roger Skraba
Cook County hosted Minnesota State House Representative Roger Skraba for a legislative day on March 15 at the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino. 36 leaders from 13 different organizations and government groups were in attendance. Both Cook County and the Grand Portage Reservation Tribal Council included elected officials and department leaders or specialists.
The purpose of the event was to allow local leaders to connect with state legislators. State Senator Grant Hauschild was originally scheduled to join Skraba, but was unable to attend due to illness.
Each group was able to meet with Skraba directly for 15 minutes to present their current initiatives and concerns, making the argument for those ideas to be considered legislative priorities. Before the meetings began, the leaders all attended a lunch, where they were given the chance to share briefly what brought their organization to the legislative day.
While the priorities identified during the lunch event ranged widely, there was some overlap. Several groups cited access to emergency services, working to address the housing crisis and homelessness, improving access to mental health services, educational funding, and support for infrastructure projects as needing attention most urgently.
Skraba addressing local leaders
Grand Portage Tribal Chair Bobby Deschampe said in his remarks during the lunch that there were “a lot of things in the legislature this year that effect the Grand Portage homeland,” including projects that the Band has been working on in conjunction with Cook County. Deschampe said that he hoped to see Skraba’s support for those projects.
After lunch, the afternoon schedule included 12 presentations to Skraba:
- Cook County Sheriff’s department
- Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
- North Shore Waste Transfer Station (North Shore Waste, Cook County Chamber of Commerce, Visit Cook County)
- EDA/HRA
- ISD 166
- Cook County Higher Ed
- Property Tax Classification and Fiscal Disparity (Cook County Assessor and Administrator)
- Domestic and Sexual Violence (Violence Prevention Center)
- Soil and Water Conservation District
- Cook County Coalition of Lake Associations
- MN DOT Tower Replacement (Cook County Management Information Systems department)
- Judicial Center Building (Cook County Administrator and Board of Commissioners)
Kirsten Wisniewski March 16, 2024
