Board Watching Over Massive Mayo Expansion to Meet

ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) - Gov. Mark Dayton has chosen his chief of staff to lead the eight-member board that will oversee a $6 billion, public-private makeover of Mayo Clinic and Rochester.

Dayton's chief of staff, Tina Smith, stepped into the board chair at its first meeting Friday in Rochester. Smith helped shepherd the project through the legislative approval process earlier this year.

Reports say that Dayton kicked off the meeting with a promise that Rochester in 20 years will be better, newer, more attractive and more dynamic

The project is the largest economic development project in state history. It will blend money from Mayo, more than $2 billion private investment and more than half a billion dollars in state and local tax subsidies.