Dan Rowe, CEO of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Resigns. Is Your Life Better Today?

Sounds like a crazy question, right? But is it really? No, it is not a crazy question. It is a question that is meant to make you stop and ask. Am I focused on the noise and not the signal? 

Ok, then, what is the signal? In this case, it is the state statute that states: “At least 40 percent of all tourist development tax revenues collected in the county are spent to promote and advertise tourism.” 

Now, before we dive any deeper, let’s make a couple of things perfectly clear. Those who are saying everyone who works for the CVB is a criminal need to grow up. 

That is like saying every statewide elected official in Minnesota who launders money, steals elections, and puts tampons in boys’ bathrooms is a criminal and a fool because some Somalis in Minnesota set up fake day care centers. Ok, bad example, but you get the point. 

Second, but just as important, you are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, not in a kangaroo court on the internet. 

Finally, Sheriff Ford is not the benefactor of Dan Rowe or the CVB; you are. Which brings me to what this column/the BCC will focus on. Making your life/property taxes lower via the proper use of the bed tax money. 

In 2024, I went before the TDC and requested, given the rash of drownings we were having. That they increase their public safety spending from eight to ten percent of their budget. So, we could hire more lifeguards and not burden the local taxpayer with an expense clearly driven by tourism. 

The TDC/Dan Rowe subsequently agreed, and that additional funding was divided between PCB and the county. And half of the funds that went to the county went to Sheriff Ford. So, did “he” benefit or did you, the taxpayer, benefit? Of course, the answer is obvious. 

That brings us back to the signal and not the noise. And in this case, there are two very bright signals flashing red. First, the mandate that forty percent of the Tourist Development Tax (TDT) must be spent on marketing. 

I recently spoke with Representative Griffitts about this, given that he was one of the few members of the House to vote against using TDT dollars for property tax relief. I thought I had what seemed to be a reasonable approach, given this is 2026, and not 1996.

Take sixty percent of the TDT and use it for property tax relief, making your life better/more affordable. Then set aside twenty percent for marketing, and twenty percent for beach restoration, and waterway maintenance.  Well, let’s just say the conversation did not go so well. 

I will let you ascribe the motive for him literally screaming at me. When all I was trying to do was bring some sanity to the process and get you some property tax relief. Maybe it had something to do with the fact he was a member of the TDC for several years and a former county commissioner, who knows. 

Here is the bottom line: the vast majority in the House understand these dollars could be used in a more effective way, and all they need is a Senate sponsor to make it happen. 

If I were a betting man, I would say that is going to happen sooner rather than later if a constitutional amendment passes mandating property tax relief. And if I were the one representing you, I would work with Senator Trumbull to sue for peace and walk away with a 20/60/20 win. 

That brings us to the second signal that is flashing red. And in this case, the TDC and county commission have full legislative authority to turn it green. 

At the next meeting, every member should state in one form or another. That they have heard the voices of the voters, and they are going to start using more of their funds to not only promote tourism but to make the lives of those living here better. 

They should announce they will fully fund the clean-up of Lullwater Lake, and they will improve the parking and boat ramps for tourists and locals alike. Then they will set up a program to do the same for all the public boat ramps in the county. 

This is well within their authority to do, and it should be done post haste. I reached out to every member who is not an elected official with this proposal, but sadly, none of them have contacted me back. 

The team at the BCC is not looking to pick fights or cast dispersions on our elected officials. That is not to say we will not call them out when we believe they are not representing the voters, but it will be based on the policies they pursue

We are steadfast in our commitment to making our community a better place for all who live here. And not one that pits one group against another. 

Our focus will be, as we believe yours should be, on performance and not personality or party. Way too many people vote based on either personality or party affiliation and not performance. And just like that, we are right back where we started.

Is your life better today?