Friends,
While it would have been much better to watch our Vikings win the Super Bowl here at home, it was a fantastic game on Sunday and Minnesota put on a great show surrounding the Big Game. Our events in Maple Grove were a ton of fun and our home state shined with the world's spotlight on it. Great job to everyone who volunteered to make it such a wonderful event.
Rep. Smith and his daughter at precinct caucus on Tuesday
Joint Town Hall
Last Saturday was our special joint event with Majority Leader Joyce Peppin, Senator Warren Limmer, and myself. We had a great discussion about the work we accomplished during the last session and previewed what to expect this upcoming one. If you couldn't make it to this month's event, stay tuned for details for my next town hall in March!
Caisson Interventional Expanding in Maple Grove
Medical device firm Caisson Interventional LLC plans to expand its Maple Grove facilities by 30,000 square foot and add 50 jobs. The company will invest $750,000 in the building expansion. The new jobs will be created within three years and pay wages averaging over $32 an hour. Caisson, founded in 2012, is developing a heart valve system to replace severely diseased or damaged heart valves that don’t close tightly enough.
Caisson deciding to expand here in Maple Grove and create 50 new, well-paying jobs with it is great news for our community!
Northwest Hennepin Early Childcare Network
On Thursday, I attended the Northwest Hennepin Early Childhood Network meeting. We had a great discussion of what the legislature can do to make early childcare more affordable and safer for families. It was also great to hear feedback on how some of the programs that have been implemented and changed in recent years have affected early childcare in our area.
Session Preview on Channel 12 News
Last week I taped an interview with CCX, Channel 12 News, about my priorities for the upcoming session. Specifically, I talk about the importance of finishing the 610 interchange and making updates to our 911 system. Watch the full segment here.
Rep. Smith on CCX Ch. 12 News
Please continue to share your thoughts with me about our state government; bill ideas and concerns are welcomed! I am honored to serve you at the Capitol. My email address is Rep.Dennis.Smith@house.mn, phone number 651-296-5502, and by mail: 375 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
Have a great weekend!
Dennis