Jenny Bjerken

17/10/2026

HELIUM. i urge you to watch cliff cain, this sunday, on 60 minutes as he talks about the importance of helium. he's one of the leading industrial gas executives and one of the helium market's most recognized authorities with over 15 years of global experience. and he's the one working with local leaders to establish this industry in our county.

i'm beyond excited for this project. i want you to see why.

15/10/2026

WE WANT MORE. WHAT DOES MORE REQUIRE?

we need more restaurants. more lodging. more businesses. longer hours. more jobs. more places to shop. more things for people to do.

i hear it all the time. and i understand it. i'd love to see more of those things in silver bay, too. i mean, if i had a magic wand, dairy queen would be right back where it belongs. but, unfortunetly, i'm not anyone's fairy godmother. 💫

there's another side of that conversation i don't think we have nearly enough. and i'd really like to hear from the people who have firsthand experience with it.

what does it actually take to open a business here? and perhaps more importantly, what does it take to keep one open?

it's easy to say we need another restaurant that's open later. but somebody has to staff it, pay those employees, keep the lights on and have enough customers coming through the door to make those extra hours worthwhile. and that's just one example.

if we want more employees, those employees need somewhere to live. if we want more lodging, somebody has to be willing to invest in building or operating it. if we want new industries and larger employers, we need to think about land, utilities, infrastructure, transportation, workforce and everything else that comes with them.

it's all connected. and i think sometimes we underestimate just how connected it is.

there's also the question of what role the city should play. what can local government realistically do to encourage investment? where does public infrastructure fit in? when are development incentives appropriate, and what accountability should come with them? how do we support the businesses already here while making room for new ones? they aren't always easy questions.

of all the things i'm interested in when it comes to silver bay's future, economic development is probably what i'm most passionate about. because the benefits go so much further than having another place to eat or shop. a stronger, more diverse tax base can help spread the cost of city services across more properties instead of relying so heavily on the taxpayers already here. successful businesses create jobs, support other local businesses and give people more reasons to live, work and invest here. and when those pieces start working together, it creates opportunities for our kids, our families and the next generation.

that's the kind of growth i'm interested in. not growth just for the sake of saying we're growing, but growth that makes silver bay a stronger, more sustainable community for the people who already call it home and those who might want to someday.

📌 but here's where i'd really like to turn this conversation over to the people in the trenches.

if you own a business in silver bay or the surrounding area, have owned one, manage one, or have seriously considered starting one, i'd love to hear from you.

what has been your biggest hurdle? finding employees? finding a location? financing? housing? navigating permits or regulations? having enough year-round customers? or something the rest of us probably haven't even thought about?

and just as importantly, what has worked well? what helped you get started or grow? what do you wish more people understood about operating a business in a community our size?

i'm not asking because i think the city can solve every problem. it can't. and i'm certainly not suggesting taxpayers should be expected to fund every good idea.

i'm asking because if we're serious about wanting more opportunities in silver bay, shouldn't we first understand what the people creating those opportunities actually need?

we spend plenty of time talking about what we'd like businesses to provide for us. i'd like to spend a little more time listening to what they need to succeed.

and if you're someone who's dreamed about opening something here but hasn't taken that leap, i'd especially love to know what's holding you back.

i think those answers could teach us a hell of a lot.

11/10/2026

A VOTE FOR OUR SCHOOLS

i want to talk about something on our ballots this november that i don't think nearly enough people know about. and it's something i feel REALLY strongly about. again, this is a little bit of a read, but if you vote, consider it your due diligence.

the permanent school fund constitutional amendment.

i'm voting YES. if i could vote yes a million times, i would. but since apparently that's frowned upon in elections, i'll settle for one. 🤣

here's what you should know.

minnesota has a permanent school fund that was established back in 1858 to support public education. much of its revenue comes from school trust lands, including mining royalties, timber, and investments. so there's a pretty significant connection to our part of the state.

today, that fund is worth approximately $2.3 BILLION. billion. with a B. i bet those that created the fun in 1858 had no idea it would grow to be that big. or maybe they did. 😉

here's the interesting part. our current constitution generally limits what schools can receive to the interest and dividends earned by that fund, even though its investments also generate capital gains. the proposed amendment would modernize that system, allowing an annual distribution based on 4.5% of the fund's average value over the previous three years.

so what does that actually mean?

for perspective, 4.5% of $2.3 billion is approximately $103.5 million. that would leave nearly $2.2 billion in the fund before accounting for investment returns, additional revenue, and market changes. the actual formula would use a three-year average, and the amendment requires the fund to be managed with the goal of preserving its purchasing power for future generations.

we're not talking about draining the fund. we're talking about changing how much can be distributed from an existing fund while protecting its long-term purpose.

and this amendment does NOT create a new individual income or property tax.

none. zero. NADA. zilch. null. zip. dilly-squat.
this does not effect your bottom line whatsoever.

according to estimates from the vote yes campaign, lake superior school district #381 could receive approximately $41,800 MORE annually based on 2025 figures.

will that solve every problem facing our schools? absolutely not. but since when did we decide that because we can't fix everything, we shouldn't do something?

this is where it becomes personal for me.

based on my own observations, i genuinely cannot remember a time when our schools needed additional resources more than they do RIGHT NOW. i see the challenges, hear the concerns, and know that educators, students, families, and administrators are navigating an awful lot with limited resources.

our schools need HELP. and while funding alone won't solve every issue, it certainly plays a role in addressing many of them.

this isn't about spending every dollar we have today and leaving nothing for tomorrow. it's about finding a responsible balance between supporting the students sitting in classrooms right now and protecting the fund for generations to come.

i encourage everyone to take a few minutes to understand this amendment before heading to the polls on november 3. look at the numbers, understand what is being proposed, and make an informed decision.

or just take my word for it. because you know, i did my homework.

one important detail: leaving a constitutional amendment question blank has the same effect as voting NO under minnesota election rules. so don't skip over it without understanding it. please, please, don't leave it blank.

if you'd like to read more:

minnesota secretary of state: official amendment information:
https://www.sos.mn.gov/elections-voting/whats-on-my-ballot/constitutional-amendments/

vote yes mn students: explanations and district funding estimates:
https://voteyesmnstudents.org/

minnesota legislature: the legislation:
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2026/0/Session+Law/Chapter/114/

our children aren't just our future. they're sitting in classrooms today, with needs that aren't going to wait another 20 years.

10/10/2026

TOURISM ISN'T OPTIONAL.

i've talked a lot this week about doing the homework, so let's look at some actual numbers. because i think we're having the wrong conversation about tourism. this post is long, but hang with me, please.

the question isn't whether we like tourists. 😂 i mean, we've all been a tourist at one point or another, no?

sometimes they're annoying. sometimes we're annoying. people leave garbage. people park where they aren't supposed to. people don't pick up their dog's crap. i've lived here my entire life and can confirm that silver bay residents are also fully capable of all of the above. those are problems. deal with them.

but tourism itself? that's economics. and we have actual local data that shows just how important it is.

in 2022, Lovin' Lake County, MN looked at resident-to-visitor ratios at businesses and destinations throughout lake county. the study was presented to the lake county board of commissioners. at zups in silver bay, 74.44% were visitors. at the silver bay municipal liquor + lounge, 64.08% were visitors.

READ THOSE TWO AGAIN.

that's not a gift shop selling 'i survived minnesota's north shore' magnets. 😂 that's our grocery store and our municipal liquor store + lounge. places locals use. places our friends and neighbors work. places we would absolutely lose our minds about if they closed. and yet, according to this data, the majority were visitors.

so where are all these people coming from? well, black beach was 97.36% visitors. black beach campground was 91.93% visitors. tettegouche state park was 84.72% visitors. suddenly the dots aren't very hard to connect.

people come north because this place is freaking beautiful. they hike. they camp. they take 647 pictures of black beach or bean + bear lakes. and then they buy gas. groceries. coffee. lunch. a sweatshirt. a hotel room. a drink.

that money helps keep businesses open and people employed. those employees live here. they buy homes here. raise kids here. enroll them in our school. buy groceries here. join organizations. coach hockey. volunteer. pay taxes. spend their paychecks here.

ECOnomics. ECOsystem. none of this exists in a vacuum.

and honestly, silver bay should understand that better than most communities because we were built as a company town. reserve mining wasn't just another employer here. this community was created around it. when reserve shut down in the 1980s, silver bay took an enormous economic hit, and we've spent decades adapting to what came after.

if there's one lesson our own history should have taught us, it's that the long-term health of a community shouldn't rest on one leg of the stool.

mining matters. tourism matters. logging matters. small business matters. new industry matters. housing matters. workforce matters. amenities that make people actually want to live here matter. and hopefully opportunities like the helium development happening in our backyard become another really strong leg someday.

we need all of it.

that's why 'do we want tourists?' is such a strange question to me. they're already here. black beach isn't going back to being our little secret (ps. we were all trespassing before). tettegouche isn't packing up and leaving. bean + bear aren't getting uglier anytime soon. highway 61 isn't going to stop carrying people up the north shore because we'd prefer a quieter saturday.

the economic activity exists. so manage it.

yes, we need to deal with parking, enforcement, garbage, dogs, congestion and infrastructure. and YES, i think we should find ways for visitors to help pay for the infrastructure their visits require instead of putting that entire burden on silver bay taxpayers.

to me, that's good government. the problems exist. the economic benefit exists too. our job isn't to eliminate one because managing the other is difficult. our job is to figure out how to maximize the benefit while managing the impact.

and i'd take it one step further. instead of asking how we get fewer people to come here, i want to know how we get more of the people who are ALREADY coming here to spend money in silver bay. how do we get the family leaving tettegouche to come into town for lunch? how do we get people headed for black beach to grab groceries at zup's? how do we get someone driving through our community to stop here, spend $50 here and maybe discover something that makes them come back?

because every one of those dollars helps support somebody. and those somebodies are us.

tourism isn't going to 'save' silver bay. nothing should have to. that's kind of the point.

a strong community shouldn't be one big employer, one mine, one tourism season, one development or one magic project away from success or failure. it should be a whole bunch of pieces supporting each other so when one of them takes a hit, the whole damn stool doesn't fall over.

we've already lived that lesson once. i'd rather learn from it.

and this is also why economic development, specifically the business park, is so important to me. we have an opportunity there. maybe several of them. i don't want silver bay to sit around waiting for one magical thing to save us. i want us actively looking for opportunities to add another leg to that stool ... and another one after that.

that's a big part of why i want to represent this city on the council. i don't look at silver bay and see a town whose best days are behind it. i see a community with a hell of a lot of potential sitting right in front of us.

i want to be part of figuring out what we do with it. if you let me.

remember to vote on november 3!

data shown is from lovin' lake county's 2022 resident-to-visitor ratio study presented to the lake county board of commissioners. i've included the actual chart because i want you to see the numbers for yourself.

09/10/2026

... they got tired of hearing about the way things used to be.
so they did something about it.

different team. different mentality. different outcome.
and they are just getting started.

mariner pride on tap. 🏈⚓️🙌🏼

Send a message to learn more

05/10/2026

... one thing i wish we did more often when we have conversations about issues is ask ... 'what's already being done about this?' before assuming the answer is 'nothing.'

i recently saw concerns being raised about parking and congestion at black beach. they're legitimate concerns.
they're also concerns that are already being worked on.

i serve on the parks + rec board (have for almost 15 years). we've discussed parking, traffic flow, access points, fees, equipment, enforcement, emergency access and how we could generate revenue from visitors rather than putting those costs entirely on silver bay taxpayers.

we've gotten information and quotes on parking gate systems.
does that mean someone can install a gate tomorrow? nope.
where does it go? how does traffic flow? what happens to the second access? what does the equipment cost? what maintenance is involved in said equipment? how quickly does it pay for itself? how do we handle enforcement? what restrictions exist because of agreements or funding connected to the property? what about the locals access?

boring questions, maybe. but those are the questions that turn 'somebody should do something' into an actual solution.

criticism is part of government. i get it. it should be. but before i tell the public that the city isn't addressing something, i think i have a responsibility to find out whether that's actually true. it is really simple to find these things out.

you can ask a board member. you can attend a meeting. you can send an email. you can call. you can get on the city website and read the minutes from any meeting you want. the information is in plain sight. and if you don't find what you're looking for, keep digging until you get your answer.

being informed doesn't mean you have to agree with the solution. it just means we're arguing about reality. and that's a much better place to start.

04/10/2026

... i've been thinking a lot lately about what it actually means to make good decisions for a community.

i think a huge part of it is being willing to critically think. critical thinking isn't defending city hall. or asking people to be more curious isn't taking a side. asking questions isn't attacking city hall. taking the time to actually learn about something before forming an opinion doesn't mean you're part of someone's 'agenda.'

it means you're doing your homework.

i literally just posted about how i met with the city administrator because i had questions. those questions came from reading two years worth of council minutes, writing down questions about things i didn't know or didn't understand, emailing someone that knows more than me about those things and following through with a meeting. i asked questions and learned things and shared my thoughts for over two hours. it's almost like a history assignment, but for your own town.

listen, sometimes i'll ask questions, learn more and agree with what the city is doing. sometimes i'll learn more and think we can do better. sometimes i'll think we need to change course completely. but i want to start with the facts.

what is actually happening?
what has already been tried?
is something already being worked on?
what does it cost?
who pays for it?
who benefits?
what are the unintended consequences?
does solving today's problem create a bigger one five years from now?

those questions matter to me.

local government isn't usually as simple as 'why don't they just ______?' there are usually about seventeen questions hiding behind that blank. and i'm okay with that.

i don't think my job as a council member will be to walk into every conversation already knowing the answer. i think my job will be to ask enough questions, listen to enough people, understand the issue and then make the best decision i can for silver bay.

i won't agree with everyone. everyone won't agree with me. that's inevitable. and hey ... it's okay! it's how we learn from each other and maybe see other perspectives.

but if we're going to disagree, i'd at least like us to disagree about something that's actually true. oh, and while we're disagreeing, i promise to give you my respect and not call anyone names and be rude. to get respect, you must also give it. i think that used to be some kind of law of the land.

i'm not running to automatically defend the way things have always been done. i'm not running to automatically oppose them, either.

i'm running because i love this town enough to do the homework.

02/10/2026

Little Mariners Child Care Center is a vital part of our community. They serve a need that will never go away, taking care of children while their parents work. That being said, this new option they are rolling out for care may be just what so many are looking for! I have heard it from parents myself.

We were lucky to have our daughter attend Little Mariners as a toddler. It was a great experience. She learned so much and also became familiar with the school, kids, and staff. She formed strong relationships with her caretakers that gave my heart ease leaving her in their care.

02/10/2026

This project is an incredible opportunity for Lake County. Thankful for the local leaders that are working to make this a reality for our county! Grateful that Pulsar is working to make things happen with our county.