Mayor Ardell Brede talks about future of Rochester

Tom Crann
ST. PAUL, Minn.

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Skyline of downtown Rochester, Minn.
The skyline of downtown Rochester, Minn., is seen Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013. The Mayo Clinic, Minnesota's largest private employer, pressed state lawmakers last month to commit more than $500 million toward an ambitious development project tied to the renowned medical center in Rochester. Mayo says the expansion will add between 35,000 to 40,000 jobs over the next two decades.
Alex Kolyer for MPR News

Rochester has recently become a political and economic focal point for Minnesota.

First, there was the proposal from Mayo Clinic to reinvigorate Rochester as a global medical destination. Then last week, IBM announced it will move most of its production, and an untold number of jobs, out of the Rochester area.

Observers saw that as a move in the wrong direction for the city. Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede, speaking from Washington, D.C. where he is attending the National League of Cities' Congressional City Conference, discusses with MPR News the future of Rochester.

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