Community Involvement: The Bloomington Chamber of Commerce

Congressman Dean Phillips spoke to members of the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce recently as part of the monthly Conversations with Kim series of discussions in the community. The question and answer session went on for more than an hour and I was impressed by the thoughtful questions by Chamber members and the equally thoughtful and complete answers by Congressman Phillips.

I’ve been involved with the Bloomington Chamber for the past eight years as a City Council representative, Chair of the Annual Gala, and as a member of the Board of Directors. I understand and appreciate the value of this important community organization and have the highest respect for the work of both the Bloomington Chamber and the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber was instrumental in the effort to win funding for the 35W/494 project and has stressed a common sense, three-pronged agenda over the past few years that includes workforce development, transportation, and housing. The Bloomington Chamber also provides thousands of dollars in scholarships each year to Bloomington high school seniors through the Future Leaders program.

I keep saying that what you get out of your community is proportional to what you put into it. Bloomington deserves a Mayor who is active and involved in the community, and as Mayor I’ll continue and strengthen our relationships with community partners like the Chamber of Commerce, VEAP, Cornerstone, Dar Al Farooq, Bloomington Schools, and Normandale.