"Rochester On Tour" In St. Paul - KXLT - Fox 47 Rochester MN News, Weather and Sports

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 47) - While the state legislators are up at the Capitol debating bills that have an impact on every day life, those affected by their decisions are taking the capitol by storm today to make sure that their voices are heard.

It is the 10th year that business leaders have made the trek up north to St. Paul to speak with legislators, but this year may be one of the most important trips they have ever made.

"We just do this, frankly, better than anyone in the state of Minnesota and my guess is the entire United States," says Republican Senator David Senjem of Rochester. "I don't think any one community descends on their state capitol and tells their story like Rochester, Minnesota does."

They want to make sure that state leaders recognize Rochester as a key cog in Minnesota, and one of the big ways they are doing that now is through the Destination Medical Center.

"The folks from Rochester can come and go into all the offices and talk from the heart about the need for Destination Medical Center in their community," explains DFL Representative Kim Norton of Rochester. "It can be very meaningful to the legislators that are going to hear first-hand rather than just me at the table. So, I think it really has an impact."

The nearly $6 billion project will certainly change the landscape of Rochester forever, and the state could see a significant boost as well, a fact that Rochester natives want to make known.

"It means 35,000 to 40,000 jobs, which we desperately need in Minnesota, and these are good jobs," says Sen. Senjem. "This is a real positive not only for the state of Minnesota but certainly our area of the state."

So while it may be "Rah Rah, Rochester" for some, the voices of Rochester may have significant impact on the future of Minnesota.

"This is something that's not been done before," says Rep. Norton, "it's creative and it will have a huge impact on the city of Rochester."

Sen. Senjem adds that, "We're going to make this bill work, we're going to keep Mayo in Minnesota, and for centuries to come we're going to make Rochester, Minnesota the flagship city of Mayo Clinic."

The event wraps up at the Wellstone Center in St. Paul as more business leaders and state representatives discuss how Rochester should be a force to be reckoned with.